Latest blog entries from Toronto teams across every league
The Blue Jays beat the rays tonight, walking off in the bottom of the tenth inning thanks to a grand slam homer. Winning this game felt like a tough challenge even before the game started. Apart from a poor start against the Red Sox, the Blue Jay’s Dylan Cease has been very effective. And the […]
The next month for the Toronto Maple Leafs could be their most important in roughly 10 years. Freshly minted general manager John Chayka is set to meet with Auston Matthews over the course of the next two weeks to try and convince the Leafs' captain to return to Toronto next season. With Craig Berube fired, it certainly opens up a clean slate for the organization, even though Chayka admitted he didn't consult with any of the players on the decision. If Matthews isn't interested in heading back...
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to make headlines off the ice as the team announced on Wednesday they've fired Craig Berube from his head coaching position. Now, John Chayka and Mats Sundin get to bring in a fresh perspective behind the bench and hopefully the players will respond next season. There's been several names already linked to the Leafs bench, including Bruce Cassidy, who recently tried to interview with the Edmonton Oilers, but was denied by the Vegas Golden Knights, who still hav...
The dust hasn't yet settled on the firing of head coach Craig Berube Wednesday morning, but we're already hearing of a notable name being attached to the Toronto Maple Leafs' new opening behind the bench. Insider Elliotte Friedman tells us on Wednesday that former Leafs assistant and current Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra is now a prime candidate for the Toronto job. I did have a couple of candidates say to me that the Leafs wouldn't be afraid in trying an up-and-comer, a first t...
A lack of quality chances is becoming a theme.
There is a major change in out TV broadcasts. For the first time in many many years, Buck Martinez isn’t sitting in one of the chairs in the booth. Dan Shulman is still there. As is Hazel Mae and Arden Zwelling are still the sideline reporters. And Jamie Campbell and a rotating cast do the […]
The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially relieved Craig Berube of his duties. This was the only logical and appropriate step forward. The Leafs entered the season with the vast majority of the hockey world viewing them as a playoff team, and they didn’t even come close to qualifying. They finished fifth last in the NHL […] The post John Chayka gets first big decision right; Maple Leafs finally pull trigger on Craig Berube firing appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
After Wednesday’s practice, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed Craig Berube’s dismissal, his interest in the Leafs’ job, and the challenge in the third round against Cleveland. What was your reaction to the news about Craig Berube’s dismissal? Gruden: It is unfortunate. It is part of the business. He was great to work with, […] The post John Gruden, after the Berube firing, on whether he feels prepared for an NHL opportunity: “That is not part of my aspiration right now” appear...
After the decision to relieve Craig Berube of his head-coaching duties, GM John Chayka discussed the process behind the decision, the start of his search for a new head coach, whether any players were consulted, and the plan to meet with Auston Matthews. Chayka’s Opening Statement Chayka: I just want to start out by thanking […] The post John Chayka on whether Auston Matthews’ future impacted the decision to fire Craig Berube: “None. Zero.” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
When the Jays are playing the way they are, I find it hard to come up with things to write about. Or perhaps I’m just depressed about the state of the team. At the quarter mark of the season, the surprise player (well, surprise in a good way) has to be Brandon Valenzuela. He’s only […]
We’re a little more than a quarter of the way into what’s shaping up to be a profoundly disappointing season for the Blue Jays. I want to dig a bit into each of the guys who’s on the roster and has received significant playing time this year to figure out what’s going on and whether […]
The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Craig Berube, ending a two-year tenure that produced an Atlantic Division title in its first season and a 28th-place finish and first playoff miss since 2016 in its second. New general manager John Chayka made the announcement in a statement issued by the club. "Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person," Chayka said. "This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluatio...
So much for all that prognostication that John Chayka and Mats Sundin would adhere to NHL SOP.
Kyle Dubas’s routine end of season press conference yesterday went about as expected. Always a measured and composed speaker, Dubas gave credit to the team for having a good year but lamented some areas that he still needed to address to make them better. Dubas cited seeing teams like Colorado, Minnesota and especially using division […]
Has a player from your favorite team ever won the Conn Smythe? Probably not, because your team never wins anything, and the Conn Smythe is very much an award for winners. Even in those rare years where it goes to a player from the team that loses in the final, like Connor McDavid a few seasons ago, you’re still talking about somebody from a team that’s won three rounds. That’s a lot of winning. And since the Conn Smythe is the only playoff-specific award the NHL has, that means anyone whose te...
Death, taxes, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the year 2026. Drake’s 15th project, Iceman, is set to debut May 15, and Shane McClanahan sure had Blue Jays bats frozen Tuesday evening in “The 6ix”, as McClanahan went five innings, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out […]
Jays are facing a tough pitcher tonight. Hopefully they will be able to get some hits off him. But Patrick Corbin has been pretty good too. Tonight’s lineups: Today’s Lineups RAYS BLUE JAYS Yandy Diaz – DH George Springer – DH Jonathan Aranda – 1B Myles Straw – RF Junior Caminero – 3B Vladimir Guerrero […]
There isn’t much for news today. Jake Bloss pitched for the first time this year, after UCL surgery a year ago. He threw 2.1 innings, with four strikeouts. He allowed 2 hits, with no walks and no runs, pitching in the FCL. We could use him now, but it will be late June before he’ll […]
With his 4th inning strikeout of Hunter Feduccia last night, Kevin Gausman became the 91st pitcher in major league history to record 2,000 strikeouts (and finished the night in 90th place given that Andy Benes had 2,000 on the nose). Gausman is just the 10th among those 91 to have played for the Blue Jays […]
From all reports as of late Monday night, the Vancouver Canucks were leaning in the direction of Evan Gold as their new general manager. Now new insider information on Tuesday afternoon is that there's "momentum" behind the Canucks leaning towards their current assistant GM Ryan Johnson—for a "head of hockey operations" role. We will see where this goes over the next day or so, but hearing momentum is moving in Ryan Johnson’s direction for Vancouver’s head of hockey operations. Nothing is done...
Dan Vladar still sees the exact moment that ended the Philadelphia Flyers season. The starting netminder that has risen from being just some no-name backup to being one of the better goalies in the NHL, still watches that puck float past his head and across the goal line to hand the Carolina Hurricanes the series. It was an extremely tough watch and still is to this day. Despite the Flyers beating out the preseason odds, making the playoffs, and beating the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins i...
After Tuesday’s practice, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed goaltender Artur Akhtyamov’s strong playoff campaign, his comfort in rotating goalies, William Villeneuve’s productive postseason, and Ben Danford’s readiness to jump into the AHL playoffs. Sometimes, it can be tricky to rotate goalies in the playoffs. So far, it’s working out well. Why do you […] The post John Gruden on Artur Akhtyamov’s rising profile in the Leafs organization: “I’ve said this since day one — he rem...
Josh Phelps turns 48 today. Phelps was once considered one of the Blue Jays’ catchers of the future—except, as it turned out, he wasn’t a catcher for long. Before the 2002 season, Josh was ranked #36 on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects. He tore up the minors. In 2001, he hit .292/.406/.562 with 31 home […]
The Marlies move on to the next round of the playoffs against the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday.
Welcome to a new Morning Skate, folks! We’ll try to have some new threads up for you a few times a week as the playoffs play out, just as a place to discuss those games and anything else that may be on your mind. Playoffs roll on As we watch other teams have fun from […]