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On first review, a good day for the Leafs

Sunday, January 31, 2010 | 04:34 PM ET

At first glance, it’s hard not to think the Maple Leafs had a very good day Sunday.

Of course, as usual, it happened off the ice.

Let’s break down the two major deals in the NHL, the first seeing the Leafs acquire defenceman Dion Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie from the Calgary Flames in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.

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Two GMs desperate for a shakeup

Sunday, January 31, 2010 | 03:21 PM ET

It was Brian Burke’s best chance to napalm his roster, finding another GM equally as desperate for a huge shakeup.

Thanks to a nine-game losing streak (although it ended Saturday night), Darryl Sutter became that guy.

That’s the way it goes in a cap world. You create your core and hope it works. It’s clear his wouldn’t.
You take a step back – like Tampa did with Brad Richards – and hope the added flexibility gives you a chance to find the right fit.

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Leafs-Flames trade sent Twitter all a twitter

Sunday, January 31, 2010 | 02:31 PM ET

While the actual deals started on the phone, reports of the Toronto Maple Leafs two big moves Sunday started where just about every sports story begins these days, on Twitter.

Coming back from Hockey Day in Stratford last night, rumours about the Leafs deal started furiously and by the time most of us were having our Sunday coffee, Twitter was fired up with specifics of the Leafs/Flames deal being put together followed shortly by the news about the Ducks deal.

Many Flames fans, even the most ardent Dion Phaneuf bashers, were left scratching their heads a little after Darryl Sutter sent him packing in a 7-player swap.

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Coaching the key to a team's identity

Friday, January 29, 2010 | 07:22 PM ET

Since our theme this weekend is “The Team” I thought it necessary to discuss perhaps the key to a really strong team and that’s the person who dictates the direction the team takes in its journey to win the Stanley Cup.

I readily admit I was spoiled my first few years in the NHL, I was fortunate enough to have Al Arbour as my coach as I broke into the hardest league in the world and that probably wasn’t fair to the rest of the coaches I played under in the NHL because I always compared them to Al.

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Canucks bring the heat out East

Friday, January 29, 2010 | 05:02 PM ET

Read up on the latest tidbits and trends as Hockey Night in Canada’s play-by-play voice Jim Hughson takes you behind the scenes and into the game.

This week's work: Vancouver Canucks at Toronto Maple Leafs | Saturday, Jan. 30, 7 pm ET/10 pm PT (CBC, CBCSports.ca)

The script:

The theme of this year’s Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada is “team” which makes the two groups in our early evening game a case study.

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Senators putting league on notice

Friday, January 29, 2010 | 04:44 PM ET

With Hockey Day in Canada upon us, it seems a good time to peek at Canada's entries in the NHL. Or maybe not.

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Hockey memories all across Canada

Thursday, January 28, 2010 | 02:13 PM ET

In the spirit of celebrating the 10th annual Hockey Day in Canada hosted by Stratford, Ont., I 'd like to share some of my experiences in the small towns and big cities all across Canada. These communities serve as the lifeblood of the great game of hockey.

Please don't be offended if your town or city isn't mentioned below. It’s only because of time restraints. I’d be typing all day!

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Arizona court ruling may impact future of Coyotes

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 | 02:19 PM ET

An Arizona Supreme Court decision about a condominium development could have major implications on the future of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Tuesday morning, the judges held their noses and approved a $97 million US development known as CityNorth, but ruled that future deals involving tax dollars will face much stricter rules and tighter scrutiny.

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Alberta advantage no more

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 05:28 PM ET

A trip through the province of Alberta used to be a hostile environment for visiting NHL teams. The road trip through Calgary and Edmonton was always a treacherous one and rarely produced any victories.

In 2010 however, these two provincial rivals have become the most gracious of hosts, much to the concern of their loyal fans.

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Contempt for Keenan brought ’87 Canada Cup team together

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 12:39 PM ET

The theme of Hockey Day in Canada this year is team, and as such we have been conducting a poll to determine which teams were considered the best of all time.

One of the poll questions was which was the best Team Canada? The options were the 1976 and 1987 Canada Cup teams, the 2002 men's Olympic team, and the 2005 world junior team.

Obviously, all were tremendous teams and all were successful. My choice? It may not have been the best in terms of pure talent, but it was the best in terms of what it accomplished and the quality of play. No doubt in my mind, it is the 1987 Canada Cup team.

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