General Leafs Talk

[caver]

Well, the Leafs have sure have done well since Phaneuf got here no matter who he has played with!! Look forward to more winning seasons under his tutelage

I agree with your sarcasm.  He singlehandedly took an excellent team and turned it into a bunch of losers.

OOOOO... the old double sarcasm trick... well played.

 

[Joe S.]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

 

[Champ Kind]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

Svehla?  Are you thinking of Dmitri Yushkevich maybe?  Svehla wasn't exactly bus-like, though he was very good.

 

[Bonsixx]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

Svehla?  Are you thinking of Dmitri Yushkevich maybe?  Svehla wasn't exactly bus-like, though he was very good.

Svehla had some monster hits back in the day.

 

[L K]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

I still can't believe we got Svhela for Yuskevich's DVT.  We essentially got the same player back (Svhela was a smarter player while Yuskevich was maybe a little more crazy).  It's too bad that Dukla Trencin connection never really panned out as anything.  Amazing that Svehla only had 8 NHL seasons.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Yeah, thanks for the memories. Shvela in a Leafs uniform was good times. So was Yushe for that matter.

 

[Zee]

Svehla was the guy that immune to pain right?  Seemed like he played through every injury.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Svehla was the guy that immune to pain right?  Seemed like he played through every injury.

The one with the blood clot? No, that was Yushevich. Danny Markov was insane that way also.

 

[Corn Flake]

IMO, Phaneuf needs a solid, experienced defensive d-man partner who can take more of the brunt of the duties on his pairing vs. Phaneuf having to be that guy all the time, paired with the inexperienced rookies.  Dion really has never been built to be the shutdown defender even though he's cast in the role and like it or not, he's the most capable the Leafs have of doing it vs. the best on the other teams.  He had that partner in Calgary... he needs one here too. 

Part of me wants to agree with the first bolded part of your post but the second one isn't really accurate. In Dion's first two seasons as a Flame his most frequent defensive partner was actually Roman Hamrlik. While Hamrlik isn't exactly bad defensively, but he's more of a two-way or offensive player. Especially back then. In those two seasons he scored at a 40-point place.

After Hamrlik left the team, Phaneuf spent the next two seasons playing with a Anders Eriksson, Adrian Aucoin, and Mark Giordano. None of those guys really fit the description of stay-at-home defenceman. Heck, one of them doesn't even really fit the description of a defenceman. It wasn't until Phaneuf's 5th season, the one that he was traded in, that he was finally paired with a stay-at-home guy in Robyn Regehr. And by all accounts that was pretty much a disaster. Part of that could have been because of their rumoured off-ice differences, but apparently Dion routinely left Regehr out to dry.

In Toronto the only veteran defenceman that he played with was Beauchemin, and that wasn't exactly a success either. Is that a coincidence? Probably. But I think it shows that he doesn't exactly need a shutdown guy by his side. You could argue that his best seasons came while paired with Hamrlik and Gunnarsson, reliable two-way players who can skate but aren't really your typical physical defensive defencemen.

I recall him playing with Regher most of the time.  I didn't think that was my imagination but could have been.  For sure the partner doesn't have to be one-dimensional defensive d-man, just very sound in his own zone as Phaneuf is not really cut out to be that half of the pairing. He really is the more puck moving, risk taking offensive guy.

 

[Zee]

Svehla was the guy that immune to pain right?  Seemed like he played through every injury.

The one with the blood clot? No, that was Yushevich. Danny Markov was insane that way also.

No I looked it up, Svehla was legendary for playing through pain.  Looking at his last 5 seasons in the NHL he has in games played 80,82,82,82,82. 

Here's an old story about him: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-04-14/sports/0204140185_1_svehla-panthers-oldest-son

"The boot surgically crossed his upper lip like a scalpel cut," recalled Martin Robins, the team's dentist for the past nine years. "His upper jaw was broken, several teeth were knocked out. He broke his nose. He was bleeding from everywhere."

The doctors were preparing to give Svehla numbing agents so they could sew up the wounds. Suddenly, Svehla, eager to return to the game, told them to proceed without the injections.

"He never wants it frozen," Robins said. "He'd rather be sutured without numbing. If he's in my dentist chair, he wants no Novocaine. His pain threshold is like something I've never seen from another athlete."

Svehla received 41 stitches and quickly returned to the game.

 

[Joe S.]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

Svehla?  Are you thinking of Dmitri Yushkevich maybe?  Svehla wasn't exactly bus-like, though he was very good.

I know who I'm thinking of. He was a tank out there. He couldn't be moved.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

I still can't believe we got Svhela for Yuskevich's DVT.  We essentially got the same player back (Svhela was a smarter player while Yuskevich was maybe a little more crazy).  It's too bad that Dukla Trencin connection never really panned out as anything.  Amazing that Svehla only had 8 NHL seasons.

Have the Leafs had a better all-around 2-way defenseman since Salming than Svehla?  I don't think so.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Svehla was the guy that immune to pain right?  Seemed like he played through every injury.

The one with the blood clot? No, that was Yushevich. Danny Markov was insane that way also.

No I looked it up, Svehla was legendary for playing through pain.  Looking at his last 5 seasons in the NHL he has in games played 80,82,82,82,82. 

Here's an old story about him: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-04-14/sports/0204140185_1_svehla-panthers-oldest-son

"The boot surgically crossed his upper lip like a scalpel cut," recalled Martin Robins, the team's dentist for the past nine years. "His upper jaw was broken, several teeth were knocked out. He broke his nose. He was bleeding from everywhere."

The doctors were preparing to give Svehla numbing agents so they could sew up the wounds. Suddenly, Svehla, eager to return to the game, told them to proceed without the injections.

"He never wants it frozen," Robins said. "He'd rather be sutured without numbing. If he's in my dentist chair, he wants no Novocaine. His pain threshold is like something I've never seen from another athlete."

Svehla received 41 stitches and quickly returned to the game.

Good call. 41 stitches without numbing is impressive in and of itself.

 

[Champ Kind]

Where is Robert Svehla when you need him.

I loved that guy. It was like watching a bus play hockey.

Svehla?  Are you thinking of Dmitri Yushkevich maybe?  Svehla wasn't exactly bus-like, though he was very good.

I know who I'm thinking of. He was a tank out there. He couldn't be moved.

My mistake.  My memory of him isn't quite so vivid.  I remember him to be very effective on the power play.  I also remember being quite disappointed when he left after only one (very successful) year witrh the team.

 

[Champ Kind]

If wikipedia says it, it must be true:

"?vehla was also strong defensively and was a willing bodychecker. He led the NHL in hits on multiple occasions during his time in Florida. Despite this, ?vehla was a durable player missing only 6 games during his final 8 seasons in the NHL."

 

[drummond]

Glad that my mentioning Svehla resonated with so many of you. Btw. here is short update on him.

Since 2003 he has been one of the shareholders of the Dukla Trencin. From 2004 he worked in the position of Vice President of the club, in the years 2005 to 2007 he was president of Dukla Trencin. From 2004 - 2006 he was assistant coach of the Slovak national team (WC 2004 - 4th place, WC 2005 - 5th place and the 2006 Winter Olympics - 5th place). Since 2009 he has been director of the youth development of Dukla Trencin and in summer 2009 he was elected President of the Slovak Hockey Youth Development Program.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

So it looks like Sundin is going to be part of a ceremmonial puck drop at the weekend.

Last time he was present we got absolutely shelled in what was probably the most rage inducing game in my time as a Leafs fan, Saturday we get Boston after the puck drop, to say I'm not expecting much is an understatement.

 

[hockeyfan1]

So it looks like Sundin is going to be part of a ceremmonial puck drop at the weekend.

Last time he was present we got absolutely shelled in what was probably the most rage inducing game in my time as a Leafs fan, Saturday we get Boston after the puck drop, to say I'm not expecting much is an understatement.

Nah, I don't we'll get shelled again.  The Leafs need to at least get a point or two in either one of these back-to-backs with Boston.  Let's hope they do.

 

[Deebo]

Hendricks is working on confirming that Jesse Blacker has been called as the 7th d-man.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Hendricks is working on confirming that Jesse Blacker has been called as the 7th d-man.

Interesting, Carlyle wants to see what Blacker brings? While Liles is out he can call somebody up and he's already given most of the defensemen a look, so why not check out Blacker?