Archives for December 20, 2001

'Although Biron owns a 13-14-2 record, he has gone almost a month since he last won at home, a 5-2 victory over Calgary on Nov. 23.'

'"But this is a team game. And right now there are guys who are not carrying their weight right now. You can't put all the blame on Marty."'

'An 8-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on New Year's Day, 2000 – a watershed game underlining a losing streak in Buffalo that still haunts the Leafs – is now long gone but not forgotten.'

'Toronto has not won in regulation time there since blanking the Sabres 3-0 at Memorial Auditorium on Feb. 17, 1991. Since that time the Leafs are 1-13-3 in the Queen City.'

'This particular anecdote wasn't intended to see the light of day, but it did. Many similar acts of kindness, especially at this time of year, are purposely shielded from the media's prying eyes because … well, just because.'

'The Buffalo Sabres played the final 63 seconds without a goaltender. It might not have mattered much if they had played the first 58 minutes and 57 seconds the same way.'

'"You have to be smart: get some rest away from the rink, and some practices your coach has to give you some days off, you know what I mean?'

'From start to finish the teams traded goals.'

'Playing their fourth road game in six nights, the Hawks ended their trip with a 3-1 record, giving them a season road record of 7-9-4.'

'After allowing four goals in less than 30 minutes, Biron–who has struggled as the Sabres' starter in the wake of the Dominik Hasek trade–was pulled by coach Lindy Ruff. But backup Bob Essensa couldn't stop the Hawks, either, giving up two goals on only five shots.'