This year, the annual AFITC Year End Awards Gala is back and better than ever as we hand out a record twelve awards for some of the best that was during Season Five of the program. The categories include Phrase of the Year, Word of the Year, Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Moonlighter of the Year, Irreverent Moment of the Year, Rant of the Year, Debate of the Year, Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year. We mix in four outstanding songs from Season Five throughout the Gala as well as a bonus “Lifetime Achievement Award” to complete this year’s proceedings.

So sit back, enjoy, and pour yourself a martini; the red carpet has been rolled out for the best of Season Five of AFITC!

Season Six of the program will begin on September 26th, 2010. Be sure to continue sending us emails throughout the summer time at afootinthecrease@gmail.com and following us on Twitter @AFITC. Become an AFITC Insider as well at A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Well here it is, we’ve reached the end of Season Five but don’t expect us to go out without a bang. Coming up on the show, the Maple Leafs continued to augment their roster through trades and free agency over the past week. We’ll tell you who’s out, who’s in and what you can expect from the newcomers. Later in the Redline Report, we take a spin through the Revolving Door and finish the segment with Quick Hits featuring a prominent retirement, news on notable signings from around the league and a head scratching case from the world of minor hockey.

On The Bubble is dripping with quality on this episode. Firstly, we welcome back Pittsburgh Penguins prospect and current Cornell University Big Red defenseman Nick D’Agostino to the program. Listener Contributions follow with a great group of Tweets and Emails received in the last week. To wrap the segment, we turn to our closer for the third year in a row, the host of “Off The Record” on TSN, Michael Landsberg who gives his thoughts on free agency, Darryl Sutter, the Toronto Maple Leafs and much more.

To wind down the final episode of Season Five, rigamarole takes a further look at how two of the Maple Leafs new additions will fit into their line up next season. If there was ever a sign that enough was enough with the hockey talk for the summer, the five straight days over 38 degree Celsius weather in Toronto might just have been it. This is the Season Finale of AFITC!

Having reached the conclusion of Season Five, we must thank the many people who have helped us out this season and been so generous with their time in helping to make our show better. To Fred Cassiani, Jeff Brown, Bob McKenzie, Paul Hendrick, Jesse Beamish, Dan Ciampini, Alex Guptill, Julian Melchiori, Steve Beyers, Andy Frost, Nick D’Agostino and Michael Landsberg, thank you all so much!

Thanks to everyone who took time to send us an email, post in the AFITC Insiders Group or tweet with us on Twitter throughout the season. Hearing perspectives on stories from a variety of listeners every week gives our show so many more interesting dynamics that simply hearing Dave and Jeff. Your contributions add interest to the show and inspire further discussion on topics we have covered which certainly improves the program. Thank you all so much.

To all those who were content to just download the show each week and listen; thank you to all of you. Knowing so many people rely on, expect and look forward to each week’s episode makes it very easy to put in the work to make it happen. Thanks to all of you for the incredible support you give to our program!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Taylor, Tyler, Taylor, Tyler…Taylor. At long last, finally we have a decision from the Edmonton Oilers as to who would become the first overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and it was Taylor Hall. We’re all over the draft this week in the Redline Report including what the Leafs did on the draft floor in Los Angeles. As well, we cover a variety of coaching appointments, key signings and trades from around the league and the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2010 later in Quick Hits.

On The Bubble features an array of Listener Contributions from Twitter, the Insiders Group and Emails from Steve and Aaron. Alex Guptill, who appeared on Episode 5.38 of the program, was drafted 77th overall by the Dallas Stars. We’ll hear a conversation he had with Dave moments after getting the news to kick start the segment. To wrap On The Bubble, the Gong Banger returns after a five week vacation with the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole concludes the show with a look at why it might be a good thing that Tomas Kaberle remains a Toronto Maple Leaf, at least for the time being. What a week it was here in Toronto and no, for once, it had nothing to do with hockey. This is Episode 5.41 of AFITC.

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Ahead this week on AFITC, the action on the ice is over which means the action in the general managers’ offices is heating up. Some significant trades went down over the past week including the Canadiens shipping out one of their netminders. We`ll talk about all the trades, signings, buyouts, and coaching appointments coming up in the Redline Report.

As well, to kick off the segment, we`ll discuss the appointment of Dion Phaneuf as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs in a splashy ceremony last Monday. In On The Bubble, we feature Listener Contributions from the twitter account on a variety topics at the beginning of the segment. To wrap, we play you back part two of Maple Leafs’ public address announcer Andy Frost’s interview.

Rigamarole concludes the show as always with a look at the problems facing the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks and why it might not take much for another team to pry some key ingredients away. Sit back and enjoy, it’s the Father’s Day edition; Episode 5.40 of AFITC starts now.

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Forty nine years up, forty nine years down. The Chicago Blackhawks finally ended the longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games earlier this week. We’ll take you through the Cup Finals and touch on just how successful a series it was not only for the Blackhawks, but the NHL as a whole in the Redline Report. Before that though, we kick start the show as always with Leaf Notes with some news on Nik Kulemin. Quick Hits this week features news on new coaches in Columbus and Tampa Bay and a retirement in San Jose.

To wrap the Redline Report, we welcome long time friend of the podcast Andy Frost back to the show to share his thoughts on the top stories going on right now in the world of the Toronto Maple Leafs. On The Bubble brings Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email along with our final interview in our series of prospect appearances as Steven Beyers, the one hundred and ninety ninth ranked skater among North American skaters for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft joins us on the show.

And finally, rigamarole concludes the show with a look at the positively stupid comments of Adam Burish in a post game interview soon after winning the Stanley Cup.

Special thanks to Andy Frost and Steven Beyers for joining us this week on the program. Don’t miss “Quick Hits” with Andy Frost on next week’s show!

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Ahead this week on AFITC, the Stanley Cup Finals appear to be on the verge of becoming an epic series. Tied at two games apiece, we’ll take you through the first four games and tell you what to expect going forward to start the Redline Report. Before that though, Leaf Notes touches on the potential imminent departure of Tomas Kaberle. Quick Hits wraps the segment with three noteworthy signings and the inaugural winner of the GM of the Year Award.

In On The Bubble, Listener Contributions from Twitter and the Insiders Group are at hand. The Gong Banger is on hiatus once again this week to make room for this week’s guest, Alex Guptill, the 99th ranked skater among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

And finally, rigamarole wraps the show with a look at what needs to happen for the Chicago Blackhawks to regain control of the Stanley Cup Finals. This is Episode 5.38 of AFITC.

Big thanks to Alex Guptill for joining us this week on the program!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

This week on AFITC, we kick off our coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers with a look back at a wild and crazy game one. Before that though, the Redline Report kicks off with Leaf Notes with news on the signing of a defenseman, the progress of contract talks with Nik Kulemin and the potential of a new member to the front office. Later Quick Hits wraps the segment with news on Steve Yzerman, Jiri Hudler, Adam Foote, Jiri Tlusty and the sites for two outdoor games in 2011.

Brendan Smith, one of our first player guests on the program back in season two, signed a three year deal with the Detroit Red Wings this past week. In On The Bubble, we’ll play back part of a conversation he had with Dave shortly after signing the deal. Of course Listener Contributions follow from Email and Twitter. To conclude, in our continuing series of prospect interviews, we welcome Newmarket Hurricanes defenseman Julian Melchiori to the program.

And finally, rigamarole wraps the show with a look at the potential ratings boondoggle the Stanley Cup Finals could be for the NHL. Finally, after a five day layoff, the Finals are underway and now, so too are we right here on Episode 5.37 of AFITC.

Big thanks to Julian Melchiori for joining us on the program this week!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Conference Finals near a conclusion with one team through to the finals while another sits poised to advance. We’ll break down the happenings from the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Redline Report. Also, the Maple Leafs are poised to sign a European prospect. We’ll tell you who and what can be expected of him coming up in Leafs Notes. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on Nick Backstrom, Dale Talon and the conclusion to the World Hockey Championships.

On The Bubble highlights some great Listener Contributions from the past week via Twitter, Email and the Insiders Group. Was the IIHF wrong to criticize Sidney Crosby for taking a pass at the Worlds? We’ll discuss it here. To wrap the segment, St. Michael’s Buzzers Captain Dan Ciampini makes a guest appearance discussing his breakout season and much more.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at why a potential Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers is bad news for Leaf fans. Stick around, there’s lots coming your way on Episode 5.36 of AFITC.

Special thanks to Dan Ciampini for joining us on this week’s program!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Did that really happen? One of the most unpredictable playoff rounds in recent memory wrapped up with some very surprising results. We’ll take you through the end of the second round and tee up the Conference Finals in the Redline Report. Before that though, the Maple Leafs added some stability to their front office for the next two seasons. We’ll explain how in Leaf Notes. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships, Patrice Cormier, Kari Lehtonen and the Coyotes future in Phoenix.

In On The Bubble, we turn to some great Listener Contributions from the Twitter, Email and the Insiders Group. The Gong Banger stops by later in the segment to ring in another Troubling Fact of the Week before giving way to this week’s guest: St. Michael’s Buzzers Assistant Captain Jesse Beamish, the 159th ranked player among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

And finally, rigamarole looks at two astonishing results from the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Where would the Habs be if they didn't have PK Subban for Hal Gill and Andre Markov and the Flyers if Michael couldn’t take over Leighton game 5?

Big thanks to Jesse Beamish for joining us this week on the program. All the best at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft Jesse!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs reaches the tipping point with one team already through to the next round and three more poised to join. We’ll touch on each of the four series and some of the biggest stories to emerge from them to kick start the Redline Report.

Later, Quick Hits looks at the progress of Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships and the nominees for two more NHL Awards. Should countries be allowed to use players born in other countries but have changed citizenships on their teams? The Italian team is using nine Canadian born players. A good debate on the topic ensued.

In On The Bubble, we turn the show over to you and focus on Listener Contributions from Twitter, Email and the Insiders Group. Wrapping the segment, the Gong Banger returns from a week’s hiatus with another Troubling Fact of the Week.

Shockingly, down three games to one in their series against the Chicago Blackhawks, rigamarole takes a look at why the Vancouver Canucks are facing some real problems in the future. It’s the Mother’s Day Edition so today we say to all the mothers out there something we just don’t say enough. Simply, thank you. This is Episode 5.34 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs is underway and so is another edition of AFITC. This week, the Maple Leafs sign yet another netminder. We`ll tell you who and how he fits into the future plans to kick start the Redline Report. Later we take a look back at the first round and tee up what to expect in the second round.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on the coaching situations in New Jersey and Buffalo along with the nominees for the Masterton, Adams, NHL Foundation and Hart Trophies. In On The Bubble, we feature Listener Contributions from Twitter, email and the Insiders Group.

Leafs TV Host Paul Hendrick is our guest this week as he helps us take a look back at the Maple Leafs season that was. Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at why Montreal Canadiens fans should be pleased with their team regardless of their result in round two against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stick around, lots coming your way right here on Episode 5.33 of AFITC.

Big thanks go out to Paul Hendrick for taking some time to join us on this week’s program!

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It’s our second show of the playoffs. Today on Episode 5.32, we get you caught up on the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, all the surprises, all the disappointments, all the triumphs, it’s all right here. Leaf Notes will kick start the Redline Report though with news on the further augmentation to the Leafs goaltending situation.

It’s playoff talk after that followed by Quick Hits with news on Daniel Alfredsson as well as the nominees for the Calder, Selke, Vezina and Lady Bing Trophies. In On The Bubble, we feature Listener Contributions from the Twitter account, the Insiders Group and Email. To wrap the segment, the legend himself, the Gong Banger stops by to ring in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally, rigamarole wraps the show with a look at where some order has been restored after a confusing start to the first round.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway and so is our coverage on AFITC. Coming up this week, we get you up to date on some Leaf Notes regarding Jonas Gustavsson, Dion Phaneuf and the status of impending free agents to kick start the Redline Report. Later, we address the progress of the eight first round match ups and look at a few of the bigger stories from the early part of the playoffs including Andy Sutton`s controversial hit on Jordan Leopold.

Quick Hits wrap the Redline Report with news on firings in Atlanta and Tampa Bay, the end of an era in the Dallas Stars’ net and some rather strong feelings from Edmonton Oilers’ Head Coach Pat Quinn. On The Bubble brings Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email, the Junior Hockey Report that wraps our coverage of the Buckland Cup Championship and an appearance from the Gong Banger in a head scratching edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Remarkable parity through the early part of the first round of the playoffs. We’ll tell you just how close it has been in the segment that we call rigamarole. Stick around. All that and more coming your way when Episode 5.31 of AFITC begins now!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

It’s a quick turnaround for us this week as Episode 5.30 comes just five days after our last show. This week, we’ll wrap up the Toronto Maple Leafs regular season with a look back at their two final games and assess the prospects heading into next season. Quick Hits will wrap the Redline Report with news on the 2011 All Star Game, Keith Tkachuk and Alex Kovalev.

On The Bubble brings a few brief Listener Contributions along with the Junior Hockey Report in which we’ll update the progress of the Buckland Cup Championship between the Newmarket Hurricanes and the Oakville Blades. The Gong Banger wraps the segment with another edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally rigamarole brings an end to the program with a look at the play of the enigmatic Christian Hanson. No Leaf again for the next six months but really, isn’t everybody used to this feeling by now? This is Episode 5.30 of AFITC.

Dave's "Round One Playoff Picks" available in the AFITC Insiders Group. Check them out and give us your opinions!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

A day late and a dollar short with this week’s episode, we intend to make up for our tardiness with a jam packed show. Kicking off the Redline Report, we’ll take a look back at four Toronto Maple Leaf games against the Atlanta Thrashers, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Notes regarding new jerseys, an award nomination for Jonas Gustavsson and the alleged drama between Ron Wilson and Tomas Kaberle concludes Leaf Notes.

The Revolving Door follows with news on the injury situations of Phil Kessel and Mike Van Ryn. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on two signings and two suspensions from around the NHL. On The Bubble features some solid Listener Contributions via Twitter and Email before the Junior Hockey Report updates the progress of the CCHL Champion Newmarket Hurricanes on their quest for the Buckland Cup.

You can follow The CCHL on Twitter for regular updates on the progress of the Buckland Cup Championship.

As usual, the Gong Banger stops by with the Troubling Fact of the Week at the end of On The Bubble. Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at why it is time for the Leafs to say goodbye to Tomas Kaberle.

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Ahead this week on AFITC, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ late season surge continues with two wins in three games. We’ll guide you through the results of those games against the Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and New York Rangers to begin the Redline Report. Later, the Leafs are looking at bringing Mats back from Europe. Good idea? We’ll opine on that before concluding the segment with Quick Hits featuring news on Darcy Tucker, Marc Savard’s reaction to the blindside hit he took from Matt Cooke and the playoff races in both the Eastern and Western Conference.

On The Bubble brings Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email, an update on the progress of the CCHL Final between the Newmarket Hurricanes and Bowmanville Eagles and an appearance from the Gong Banger in another edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap, we look at two players who have had a big hand the Leafs’ solid March and why their strong play might not be all good news at this point. Stick around, lots to come right here on Episode 5.28 of AFITC.

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Coming up this week on AFITC, the Toronto Maple Leafs turn in a perfect week with three wins in three games. We’ll take you through wins against the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens to open the Redline Report. News on Leaf prospects Jerry D’Amigo and Jesse Blacker follows before we get to a brief edition of the Revolving Door with an update on one minor injury.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on some more ugly incidents from the past week around the NHL along with a key injury and a note worthy contract signing. On The Bubble will offer up some more Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email and the Gong Banger stops by at the end of the segment with another edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the show, rigamarole takes a look at whether this season’s late surge should be viewed any differently than the past four seasons and how we might be able to tell what it means. All that and lots more right ahead here on Episode 5.27 of AFITC.

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Today on Episode 5.26 of AFITC, the Leafs begin their usual late March surge, displaying some downright acceptable hockey over the past week that saw them pick up three wins in four games. We’ll guide you through the details of those four games against the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders to begin the Redline Report.

Later we spin through the Revolving Door to update the injury situation before concluding with Quick Hits featuring new legislation to cut down on head shots and the return of Chris Chelios to the NHL. On The Bubble brings more Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email as well as the return of the Gong Banger with the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the show, we take a further look at the Leafs disturbing trend to finally figure things out in the month of March and the suddenly red hot Lee Stempniak in the segment we call rigamarole. It was daylight savings time in the Eastern Time zone on Saturday night where the clocks jumped an hour ahead. If you forgot, I guess our show is over then. Thanks for listening. This is Episode 5.26 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on the bicentennial edition of AFITC, we resume our focus on the NHL after the delightful two week distraction of the Olympic Games. Three Leaf games this past week, we’ll guide you through those results before breaking down the trades consummated by Brian Burke at the deadline. An injury update on Mikhail Grabovski follows in the Revolving Door.

Quick Hits concludes the Redline Report with news on some contract signings, suspensions and other notable trades from around the league. Those were hard to find! In On The Bubble, Listener Contributions come your way from Twitter and Email. It’s a week off for the Gong Banger this week as we make room for Michael Landsberg, the Host of Off the Record on TSN and the Host of Whistler Olympic Daytime on CTV.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at NHL participation in future Olympic Games and why hockey fans shouldn’t worry about missing the chance to see the best players in Sochi, Russia in 2014. How the hell did we last for two hundred shows without driving each other insane? Who knows, this could be the day. This is Episode 5.25 of AFITC.

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As the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games wind to a close, let’s call this the Gold Medal edition. Ahead this week on AFITC, we’ll guide you through the triumphs in both men’s and women’s hockey and what triumphs they were. Later in the Redline Report, we’ll look at other medal performances from Canadian athletes and there were certainly a lot of them.

Quick Hits will touch on a few NHL notes as we gear back up for the restart of the NHL schedule next week. On The Bubble features some tremendous Listener Contributions from both email and the twitter account and another Olympic themed Troubling Fact of the Week.

In rigamarole, we take one last retrospective look at all that was great about the last two weeks of Olympic competition in Vancouver. It became known as the slogan of the Olympics, of sportsmanship, of courage, of accomplishment, of passion. One last time, I believe, I believe, I believe. This is Episode 5.24 of AFITC.

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This week on AFITC, we shift gears from the NHL to the Olympics with the Vancouver 2010 Games well underway and into the second week of competition. We’ll take you through the progress of Team Canada on both the men’s and women’s side of hockey tournament to kick start the Redline Report. Later we’ll take a look at the pinnacles of Canadian achievement thus far with eight medals won. Quick Hits shifts back to the NHL with dubious news on a pair of Maple Leafs.

In On The Bubble, Listener Contributions come your way with some great Tweets and Emails. The Junior Hockey Report follows with news on the playoff run for the St. Michael’s Buzzers and later, the Gong Banger stops by to ring in an Olympic edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the program, rigamarole explains that there are no longer just six countries capable of winning medals at the men’s Olympic Hockey Tournament. It just doesn’t feel like the Olympics without a Brian Williams time check so in that case we’re recording live at 2pm EST, that’s 11am Pacific and 3:30pm in Newfoundland. This is Episode 5.23 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

This week on AFITC, we shift gears from the NHL to the Olympics with the Vancouver 2010 Games well underway and into the second week of competition. We’ll take you through the progress of Team Canada on both the men’s and women’s side of hockey tournament to kick start the Redline Report. Later we’ll take a look at the pinnacles of Canadian achievement thus far with eight medals won. Quick Hits shifts back to the NHL with dubious news on a pair of Maple Leafs.

In On The Bubble, Listener Contributions come your way with some great Tweets and Emails. The Junior Hockey Report follows with news on the playoff run for the St. Michael’s Buzzers and later, the Gong Banger stops by to ring in an Olympic edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the program, rigamarole explains that there are no longer just six countries capable of winning medals at the men’s Olympic Hockey Tournament. It just doesn’t feel like the Olympics without a Brian Williams time check so in that case we’re recording live at 2pm EST, that’s 11am Pacific and 3:30pm in Newfoundland. This is Episode 5.23 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, we take you through the final two Maple Leafs games before the Olympic break against the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues. A new player comes to the Leafs from the Calgary Flames, this time via waivers. We’ll tell you who it is during the Leafs Note portion of the Redline Report. Later, we wrap the Report with Quick Hits featuring more injury news from Montreal, two trades including one involving a former Maple Leaf and a demotion for a one time Maurice Richard Trophy winner.

On The Bubble brings Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email, the Junior Hockey Report which discusses the progress of the St. Michael’s Buzzers in the first round of the Central Canadian Hockey League playoffs and an Olympic edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally, we conclude the show with rigamarole and take a look at what faces Team Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team. I’m going to be sad when the Olympics are over, I might never hear the word consortium again. This is Episode 5.22 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs have looked renewed and reenergized since the trades that shocked the Leafs Nation last week with two wins in three games this past week. We’ll take you through the details of two games against the New Jersey Devils as well as a meeting with the Ottawa Senators to begin the Redline Report. The Revolving Door brings bad news on Olympic dreams for a pair of injured Leafs.

We finish with Quick Hits featuring news on Mike Cammalleri, the blockbuster Ilya Kovalchuk trade and a minor transaction between the Wings and Flyers. On The Bubble brings contributions from Listener Email and the Twitter account along with another edition of the Junior Hockey Report with news on the last three St. Michael’s Buzzers regular season games and of course the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally to wrap the show, rigamarole takes a look at the recently improved play of Luke Schenn. The Olympics begin in less than a week, I’m feeling very Olympic today, how ‘bout you? This is Episode 5.21 of AFITC.

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This week on AFITC, a cataclysmic shift in the bedrock of Leafs Nation as Brian Burke says goodbye to six roster players while bringing in four new faces including big names Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere in two separate transactions. Good deals? Where does it leave the Leafs and will it usher in a new more successful era? We`ll opine to kick start the Redline Report before taking you through losses to the LA Kings, New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks last week.

Injury updates on a pair of players follow in the Revolving Door. Quick Hits features news on Anaheim Ducks netminder Jonas Hiller. On The Bubble brings some good Tweets for the Twitter account, the Junior Hockey Report and another Troubling Fact of the Week with more drama in Montreal.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at the Maple Leafs’ proficiency in a very dubious area of their game.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, if there were any further questions remaining as to whether the Maple Leafs might jump back into the playoff race one more time, they were answered quite clearly with a paltry one and four road trip. We’ll take you through those games to begin the Redline Report followed by a spin through the Revolving Door. Can fortunes be looked at as any brighter for this time next year? We’ll opine on that as well.

Quick Hits featuring Mike Peca, Georges Laraque, Eric Staal and Alex Ovechkin. On The Bubble delivers Listener Email, a brief addition of the Junior Hockey Report and a video clue for the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at the potential for not one but two active trading days this year and the chips that the Maple Leafs have to play with. All that and more right on Episode 5.19 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Coming up this week on AFITC, three games last week for the Toronto Maple Leafs and only one victory, albeit a very convincing one over the Philadelphia Flyers. We’ll revisit each game to kick start the Redline Report. Are the Olympics saving Ron Wilson’s job? We’ll tell you what Brian Burke had to say regarding his coach’s future before spinning through the Revolving Door with another injury update.

Quick Hits takes a look at a big loss for the surging Anaheim Ducks and what could turn out to be a loss for Team Finland, along with a staggering night of netminding in a game last week between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. On the Bubble brings more Listener Contributions, the Junior Hockey Report and an absolutely staggering Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show as we weigh in on the Alex Burrows Stephan Auger saga that broke early last week. With still much uncertainty as to what was actually said in that infamous conversation between Burrows and Auger during the pregame skate, it would be nice for them to finally clear the air. They must have missed that day in grade one when you learned it’s not nice to keep secrets from the rest of the class. This is Episode 5.18 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

This week on AFITC, another dismal week for the Toronto Maple Leafs sees them lose three of four games and fall back out of legitimate contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. We’ll guide you through games against the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins to start the Redline Report. Later, an injury update follows with news on Mikhail Grabovski and Wayne Primeau in the Revolving Door.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on Boyd Deveraux, Nazem Kadri and Dan Carcillo. On The Bubble continues the show with Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email, the Junior Hockey Report with news on a pair of St. Michael’s Buzzers games and an appearance from the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

As always, rigamarole wraps the program, this week taking a look at the likely fate of the 2009-2010 season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stick around, lots to come here on Episode 5.17 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs started strong with a win over the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins on the first leg of their road trip but then limped through Alberta with two lousy efforts. We’ll take through those three games to start the Redline Report followed by a look at six Leafs that will be representing their countries at the Olympics.

A spin through the Revolving Door updates the status of a newly injured Leaf and Quick Hits features news from the Winter Classic and Team Canada’s Olympic roster. On The Bubble bring the Junior Hockey Report with news on the St. Michael’s Buzzers and Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. As usual the Gong Banger wraps with a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole brings up the rear with a final look at the Winter Classic from Fenway Park in Boston. It’s the first show of 2010. Here’s too many more! Happy New Year everyone! Episode 5.16 starts now!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs got in the giving spirit of the Christmas season and gave away four of a possible six points this week against the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens. Through those games we’ll take you to kick start the Redline Report before we spin through the Revolving Door with an update on some fallen Leafs.

Quick Hits follows with news on Mike Fisher, Martin Brodeur, Alex Semin and some surprising omissions from the Russian Olympic hockey team. On The Bubble features Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report and the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the decade, rigamarole takes a look at some of the best and worst from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009. All that and more coming up right ahead here on Episode 5.15 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on the Christmas Edition, Jonas Gustavsson – The Grinch – stole Christmas from the Boston Bruins in his return to the lineup but two earlier losses left the Maple Leafs with only a five hundred record on the week. Concluding the Redline Report is a pair of Quick Hits on Sidney Crosby and Jason Spezza.

On The Bubble features lots of Listener Contributions from Twitter and Email. The Junior Hockey Report takes a look back at a pair of St. Michael’s Buzzers games before we conclude with a flaming hot Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole looks back at the Maple Leafs’ season thus far, how they got to where they are and what needs to happen for them to make the playoffs. Sit back; roast those chestnuts on the Minnesota Wild’s open fire. This is the Christmas Edition of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Coming up this week on AFITC, three wins in four games for the Maple Leafs this week has them sitting right back in the thick of the playoff hunt, only four points back of eighth place Montreal. We’ll take you through the four games against the Thrashers, Islanders, Bruins and Capitals to begin the Redline Report. An injury update will follow in the Revolving Door before we wrap the Report with a Quick Hit regarding Brendan Witt, and by saying quick hit, we’ve never meant this more literally.

On The Bubble follows with some listener contributions from Twitter and email. The Junior Hockey Report takes you through an update of two St. Michael’s Buzzers games from the past week and announces the second annual “Battle of Ontario.� The Gong Banger wraps the segment as he usually does with a Troubling Fact of the Week.

And in rigamarole, we take a look at why the Maple Leafs fortunes have dramatically improved since the beginning of December. All that and more ahead on Episode 5.13 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs bookended two solid efforts in the middle of the week with two rather poor efforts at the start and the finish. We’ll take you through the four games to begin the Redline Report. A minor Leaf transaction was consummated, we’ll tell you who’s out and who’s in before getting you to update on the injury situation in the Revolving Door.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on a coaching change in Philadelphia and a suspension for Alex the Great. On The Bubble brings Listener Email from Michael and Aaron, an ambitious edition of the Junior Hockey Report and a very, very troubling Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally to wrap the show, rigamarole takes a look at how the Maple Leafs have become masters of excelling when the pressure is off. Stayed tuned, lots right ahead here on Episode 5.12 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs turned in one of their best weeks of the season with an overtime loss followed by two wins on a Florida road trip. We’ll take you through each of those games to begin the Redline Report. A fine week for Niklas Hagman has him drawing interest from other teams. Should the Leafs trade him? We’ll give you our thoughts. The Revolving Door follows with an update on a trio of injured Leafs.

Quick Hits will wrap the Redline Report with news of a key injury for the Edmonton Oilers. In On The Bubble, we bring you a Tweet from the Twitter account, the Junior Hockey Report with updates on two St. Michael’s Buzzers games from the past week and of course, another Troubling Fact of the Week.

And finally rigamarole wraps the show with a look at why the Maple Leafs play has improved of late. All that and more ahead on Episode 5.11 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on Episode 5.10 of AFITC, a week that started out with a whimper ends with a bang in a win over Washington. We’ll take you through the three Maple Leaf games this past week against Ottawa, Carolina and Washington to begin the Redline Report.

Gary Roberts think the Leafs aren’t fit. We’ll tell you why before concluding the Redline Report with a Quick Hit on Brendan Shanahan. On The Bubble brings Listener Email from Brian, Mark, Michael and Dave followed by the Junior Hockey Report and an appearance from the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Wrapping On The Bubble is this week’s guest, NHL on TSN Insider Bob McKenzie as we discuss his new book “Hockey Dad – True Confessions of a (Crazy?) Hockey Parent.� As always, rigamarole concludes the program as we wonder why it has taken Brian Burke so long to shake up the comfort level of an underachieving team. It’s all right ahead right here on Episode 5.10 of AFITC.

Big thanks go out to Bob McKenzie for coming back on the program and discussing his new book. It is always a pleasure having Bob on the show!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

A nearly perfect week last week gave way to a much more familiar result this week for the Toronto Maple Leafs: downright mediocrity. Three games this week, all losses. We get you caught up in the Redline Report. The Maple Leafs want their hands on some big games, we’ll tell you which ones along with taking a spin through the Revolving Door to update the injury situation.

Quick Hits wraps the program with news regarding a potential NHL destination for Chris Chelios and some news out of the General Managers meetings that took place last week. On the Bubble features Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report and the return of the Gong Banger with the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally to wrap the show, we look at why the next three weeks of action present a fork in the road for sophomore defenseman Luke Schenn. Stick around, it’s all ahead right here on Episode 5.9 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead on Episode 5.8 of AFITC, a near perfect week for the Maple Leafs as they earned five out of a possible six points. We’ll discuss a pair of wins coming against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Detroit Red Wings as well as an overtime loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning to kick start the Redline Report. News on an award bestowed on Tomas Kaberle and some heady praise for Jonas Gustavsson follows later on. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with a look at the H1N1 vaccine controversy surrounding the Calgary Flames.

On The Bubble follows with Listener Email and the Junior Hockey Report in which we will discuss two St. Michael’s Buzzers games from the past week and the much talked about hit a week ago in the OHL on Ben Fanelli.

To conclude the segment, we are happy to welcome back Jeff Brown of the Oshawa Generals to the program for his second appearance on AFITC. We discuss the importance of defining a role on a team, how to figure out what role you play best, the respect level players have for their opponents in the OHL, head shots, the Ben Fanelli hit, what message Michael Liambas' suspension sends him as a player in the league and much more.

Wrapping the show of course is rigamarole. In said segment, we’ll tell you how the fortunes in Leafs Nation have suddenly turned on a dime. Keep your head up kids. Here comes Episode 5.8 of AFITC.

Big thanks to Jeff Brown for coming back on the program this week!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead on Episode 5.7, the Maple Leafs concluded their five game road trip with a busy week including four games. Was there improvement? We’ll discuss as we take you through the four contests to kick start the Redline Report. Also, news on some minor roster adjustments and a thoroughly noteworthy individual performance earns a mention. An injury update follows in the Revolving Door as Phil Kessel closes in on a return date to the Leaf line up.

Quick Hits wraps the segment with a look at the vulnerable position the Detroit Red Wings are in and a salute to the fiftieth anniversary of the goalie mask. In On The Bubble, we feature listener contributions from twitter and email, stop in at the Junior Hockey Report and wrap the segment with the return of the Gong Banger after a week’s hiatus in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally, rigamarole looks at why despite just the one win on the five game road trip, there is plenty to be pleased with for both the team and fans alike. The Maple Leafs look like they’ve at least started to turn the corner. Let’s hope they don’t skid off the road when they get back on home ice. Episode 5.7 of AFITC starts now.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Another week gone by and still no Maple Leafs wins to discuss on the program. Just one game this past week against the Canucks, we’ll take you through that contest to begin the Redline Report before examining some controversial comments made by General Manager Brian Burke.

The Revolving Door follows with a report on the Leafs injury situation and Quick Hits wraps the segment with news on a pair of key injuries in the Eastern Conference, the continuing drama that is Sergei Kostitsyn and a major distinction for a friend of the podcast. In On The Bubble, we feature listener contributions from Twitter, Listener Email from James, Michael and Aaron and the Junior Hockey Report.

At the end of the segment, Lake Superior State University Lakers forward and former St. Michael’s Buzzers Captain Fred Cassiani joins us to discuss the importance of leadership on a team, the differences it can make and much more. Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at the recent string of vicious hits in the NHL and whether they are necessary for the quality of the game.

Big thanks to Fred Cassiani of the Lake Superior State University Lakers for joining us on the show this week. It was a real treat to have him as a part of the program!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Two more games this past week and still nothing positive to grab onto as the Maple Leafs prepare to enter their eighth game of the season next Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, still in search of win number one. We'll take you through the pair of 4-1 losses at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers to open the Redline Report. Tributes to returning players during games? Good thing, bad thing? We'll discuss that too along with where Brian Burke is laying the blame for the poor start. The Revolving Door follows with updates on a number of the Maple Leafs' walking wounded.

Quick Hits discusses, get ready for this, a positive reaction from the NHL to Canadian interest in becoming home to an NHL team. In On The Bubble, we come at you with more great listener contributions from Twitter and Listener Email; the Junior Hockey Report with a look at the progress of the St. Michael's Buzzers over the past week and the unveiling of Team Canada East's roster for the upcoming 2009 World Junior A Challenge; and of course, the Gong Banger stops by at the end of the segment with a Troubling Fact of the Week.

And finally, with so many different attempts to right the ship thus far, all to no avail, we'll examine what really has to be the last option in rigmarole. All that and more coming up on Episode 5.5 of A Foot In The Crease – The Toronto Hockey Podcast.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Well if you think rock bottom is as low as you can go, that sound you here is the Maple Leafs hitting rock bottom and starting to dig. Three utterly unacceptable efforts this past week against the Senators, Penguins and Rangers has seen the Leafs get off to their worst start since 1917. We’ll take you through those games to kick start the Redline Report. Is Ron Wilson’s job in jeopardy? We’ll address that too along with the tampering charges laid on the Leaf coach this past week.

The Revolving Door follows with news on injuries before Quick Hits featuring Sergei Kostitsyn, Pat Quinn and Johan Franzen wraps the Redline Report. In On The Bubble, we bring more of your contributions to the show with Twitter and Listener Email, check in with the Junior Hockey Report with news on the St. Michael’s Buzzers and where Lucas Lessio will play NCAA hockey. To conclude the segment, the Gong Banger stops by in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Thanks to umgoblog.com for their link to our show. If you want to find out more information regarding all University of Michigan sports, be sure to check out this fine blog!

Finally, team toughness is one thing but is it really making the difference that it should be? Obviously not, but we’ll tell you why in rigamarole. Stick around. Episode 5.4 of AFITC starts now.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Finally, the regular season is underway for the Maple Leafs after a hope-fostering six wins in nine preseason games. Would the Maple Leafs inspired play continue on into meaningful hockey? Well, now two games in and so far, the answer is a resounding no. Through the first two games against the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals we will take you as we search for the answers on why things went south.

Also included in the Redline Report is an injury update in the Revolving Door and Quick Hits featuring news on turmoil in Montreal, a big resigning in Carolina and a new General Manager for the Florida Panthers. In On The Bubble, we get three more Listener Emails on the program and check in with activity on the Twitter account. The Junior Hockey Report follows up the interactive portion of the show before the Gong Banger stops by to conclude the segment in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Arguably the biggest story of the week was the official retirement of Mats Sundin. To wrap the program, we take one final look at the great career of the Leaf legend in our critically acclaimed segment, rigamarole. Is it time for “the Monster,� Jonas Gustavsson, to get the chance to be the number one netminder in Toronto? Just remember, if Jonas Gustavsson is “the Monster,� the Jonas Gustavsson is the reason Waldo is hiding. Episode 5.3 of AFITC starts now!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

All the pieces are starting to fall into place as the beginning of the regular season quickly approaches on October 1st. The Maple Leafs have kept rolling right along in the preseason now with a record of 6-2 with one game remaining. Will this success carry over into meaningful games? We’ll address those chances along with the four games in the past week, a goaltending controversy brewing, Viktor Stalberg, more training camp cuts and spin through the Revolving Door in the Leaf Note portion of the Redline Report.

Quick Hits will discuss the report of an apparent job offer from Brian Burke to Steve Moore in 2005, and the results of Theo Fleury’s comeback bid along with news on Wayne Gretzky, Rob Niedermayer and former Leaf Justin Pogge. On The Bubble brings a generous helping of Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report and the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole will wrap the show and examine the shift in the balance of power in the Northeast Division. Said Head Coach Ron Wilson, “This training camp he’s not fat. Last year he was. So there it is in a nutshell.� Find out who he’s talking about when Episode 5.2 of AFITC begins now.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

After a relaxing midsummer hiatus, the long awaited return of AFITC is upon you as season five gets underway today. A busy first week of training camp saw the Leafs play four games in four nights. We’ll get you caught up on those four games to kick start the Redline Report. Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs as Brian Burke made a big splash on Friday. Did the Leafs give up too much? We’ll address that as well as the comeback attempt of Jason Allison and the first round of training camp cuts.

Quick Hits continues the show with a look at another comeback attempt, the bizarre firing of NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly and an addition to the NHL on TSN broadcast team. On The Bubble follows with Listener Email featuring AFITC’s next great emailer, the Junior Hockey reports featuring the St. Michael’s Buzzers next great star and the Troubling Fact of the Week featuring the San Jose Sharks next great whiner.

And to conclude the show, Rigamarole looks at why there’s a lot to get excited about this year when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keep the foot on the pedal and keep driving to that light. That light you see is the one at the end of the tunnel.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Already, it is that time once again, the time each August when we take a few minutes to reflect back on the previous season’s body of work and honour some of the best from AFITC by giving ourselves and a few others awards.

So after much anticipation, we present the annual Year End Awards Gala for Season Four of A Foot In The Crease – The Toronto Hockey Podcast. Once again this year we present awards in the following categories: Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Moonlighter of the Year, Irreverent Moment of the Year, Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year.

Our sincere congratulations go out to all those who picked up awards in this year’s edition of the Gala. After earning one of these renowned awards, it indeed really is difficult to reach a higher point in one’s career.

Season five of the program will begin in earnest on September 21st, 2009. Be sure to continue sending us emails throughout the summer time at afootinthecrease@gmail.com and following us on Twitter @AFITC. Become an AFITC Insider as well at A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

That was fast! Forty two weeks seemed to come and go like nothing and here we are at the end of Season Four of AFITC. Before we embark though on summer vacations how about one big slam bang finish? On the Season Finale of AFITC, we address the Maple Leafs activity at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and on July 1st for the start of the free agency period. Some reasonable moves but not quite the all world activity Brian Burke had been promising.

Quick Hits takes a look at other key signings and trades of note around the league over the past week. If one thing is clear, the NHL economy doesn’t seem to be feeling the crunch.

On The Bubble kicks off with two Listener Emails from Andre and Aaron before the Junior Hockey Report with great news for Reilly Smith, our guest on Episode 4.36. Wrapping the segment will be the one and only Michael Landsberg, the host of “Off The Record� on TSN as he joins us for the second straight season on our final show.

Rigamarole takes a look at why free agency isn’t what it used to be and why franchise altering players rarely make it to the open market.

With season four now in the books, there are many people who have helped us out and given us their time throughout the season that deserve recognition. Our guests who were so generous with their time helped make our show better so to two time guests this season Michael Landsberg and Tom Fitzgerald, Team Canada East World Junior A Challenge bronze medalists Greg Miller, Reilly Smith, Nick D’Agostino, Jeremy Franklin, Marty O’Grady and David Pratt, along with Kyle Pereira, Matt Marquardt, James Duthie, Jeff Brown, Paul Hendrick, Andy Frost, Cam Stewart, Reilly Smith and Jennifer Hedger, thank you all so much!

Thanks to everyone who took time to send us an email, post in the AFITC Insiders Group or tweet with us on Twitter throughout the season. Hearing from and interacting with listeners on our program quite frankly makes the show so much better. That’s your contribution and we are thankful for it!

To all those who were content to just download the show each week and listen; thank you to all of you. Knowing so many people rely on, expect and look forward to each week’s episode makes it very easy to put in the work to make it happen. Thanks to all of you for the incredible support you give to our program!

Ahead this week on AFITC, after a thrilling Stanley Cup Finals, the hockey world convenes this weekend in Montreal to welcome the next generation of stars at the NHL Entry Draft. We’ll touch on news originating from the floor at the NHL Entry Draft but we aren’t ready to let go of the Cup Finals yet as we are honoured to welcome back to the program Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant Coach Stanley Cup Champion Tom Fitzgerald. He talks to us about the Penguins turnaround over the final quarter of the regular season, the journey through the playoffs and takes us onto the bench with his thoughts on game seven.

Before that though, Leaf Notes kick off the Redline Report with news on Jonas Gustavsson, potential interest in pending free agent Jay Bouwmeester and Tomas Kaberle possibly on the move. Quick Hits features the Hockey Hall of Fame induction class of 2009, along with news on who will guide Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics, whether you can expect to see Mats Sundin suiting up for Sweden at those Olympics, Chris Chelios’ plans for next year, a new coach in Calgary, new owners for the Montreal Canadiens and if you can expect two outdoor games on New Year’s Day 2010.

On The Bubble brings you some great Listener Emails before we get to Tom Fitzgerald at the end of the segment. Rigamarole looks at why the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a very good position to get better at the NHL Entry Draft.

Special thanks to Tom Fitzgerald for giving us some of his much sought after time this past week and agreeing to come back on the program. What a treat for the show to get a Stanley Cup Champion on so soon after the Finals!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Well last week was certainly a week of highs and lows for the NHL. Game seven between the Red Wings and Penguins was a classic, one that we will remember for a long time to come. To culminate the NHL season, the Awards Show from Las Vegas, well that would be the low. What was that anyway? We`ll take you through game seven in the final edition of the Playoff Report after touching on some Leaf news on Brian Burke and Luke Schenn to kick start the Redline Report.

Quick Hits looks at the winners of the NHL Awards, news from front offices around the league, a possibility of another outdoor game and the contract demands of the Sedin twins. On The Bubble reveals the decision of Judge Baum in the bankruptcy hearing for the Phoenix Coyotes, features two Listener Emails and Troubling Fact of the Week to wrap the segment.

Rigamarole looks at the decision to move the NHL Awards to Las Vegas and explains whether the result was a good one for the NHL`s image.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

To open the show last week, we said, “It didn’t start out looking like a series to remember but it certainly could finish that way.� Well once again it didn’t look good after game five but we ended up right and we’ll take that whenever it happens. Game seven Friday night for all the marbles and we’re all over it today on the program. We’ll take you through games five and six in our Playoff Report and preview what to expect in game seven.

Before that though, the Redline Report begins with Leaf Notes regarding news on the future of the Toronto Marlies coaching staff, Curtis Joseph and a new goaltending consultant in town. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on two new coaching vacancies, a former Ottawa Senator and a soon-to-be former Ottawa Senator.

On The Bubble brings you Listener Email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Be sure to check the AFITC Insiders Group on Facebook to read Aaron Balsillie's email in the discussion board section. We received it too late to get it on the show but it deserves a read neveretheless!

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at some of the key storylines heading into game seven. We know who is going to win game seven and if you’re listening to other people’s opinion, well they are wrong…unless they’re picking Pittsburgh.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

It didn’t start out looking like a series to remember but it certainly could finish that way. Tied two games apiece heading back to Detroit for game five, we take you through the first four games of the Stanley Cup Finals in our playoff report. Before that though, we kick off the Redline Report with a look at some Leaf news including the signing of three prospects, a goaltender who is coming to town and the progress of Mikhail Grabovski’s contract situation.

Quick Hits wraps the segment with news from the front offices of the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche along with the possible return to the NHL of notorious former Ottawa Senators netminder Ray Emery. In On The Bubble, we will feature several Listener Emails and a Troubling Fact of the Week before welcoming TSN Sportscentre Anchor Jennifer Hedger back to the program.

Finally, with the Stanley Cup Finals all tied up after four games, rigamarole quite simply explains what each team must do to win it. As the Red Wings leave the igloo to go back home, all of a sudden they’re on a slippery slope.

Special thanks to Jennifer Hedger for joining us this week on the program! As always, she did a great job and helped make our show better!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

The Stanley Cup Finals are set and for the second consecutive season, the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins will battle for hockey supremacy. We take you through the conclusions of both Conference Finals and set the stage for what promises to be an epic matchup. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on where Patrick Roy will be next year, the return of Pat Quinn to the NHL, a firing in Calgary, a retirement in New Jersey, the departure of two Capitals to Russia and sad news on the passing of popular former Maple Leaf Peter Zezel.

In On The Bubble, we bring you two Listener Emails from Stephen and Aaron, Stephen’s featuring an interesting take on the Phoenix Coyotes saga. The Junior Hockey Report follows with news on awards for two previous AFITC guests before the return of the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally, rigamarole takes a look at the light that may very well be at the end of a dark tunnel for the Phoenix Coyotes.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Conference Finals are underway and our predictions from last week are holding true. The Cup Finalists from 2008 have jumped out and have taken control of their series; we’ll break it all down in the Playoff Report to kick start the Redline Report.

We’re not usually ones to monger rumors but there have been some absolute beauties out there this past week, so on a slow news week we thought, why not? Rumors regarding the brothers Niedermayer, Patrick Roy and Vincent Lecavalier are up for discussion at the end of the Redline Report along with news on the new General Manager of the Minnesota Wild.

In On The Bubble, we’ll provide a brief update on the march of the Coyotes situation, or at least as best an update that two people without law degrees or finance degrees can provide. Of course, we’ll fit in a Listener Email or two and then welcome former St. Michael’s Buzzers forward Reilly Smith to the program to wrap the segment.

Rigamarole takes a look this week at why it is likely to be awfully stressful being Steve Yzerman these days. If you were angry with the amount of days off in between games one and two of the Penguins Hurricanes series, well that’s just tough for you. We loved it! It meant less work for us.

Big thanks go to Reilly Smith for taking some time to join us in the studio on this week’s program. All the best to him as he heads toward the NHL Entry Draft in June.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Photo Courtesy of CentralConferenceHockey.com

This week on AFITC, round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs is in the books and round three is set. We’ll get you caught up on how it all transpired, kicking off the Redline Report with our playoff overview. Before concluding, we’ll also set the third round and revisit our picks from the second round.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on Mats Sundin, Rick Tocchet and two Maple Leaf trade rumors. On The Bubble will be brief today, featuring Listener Email and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

As always, rigamarole brings an end to the show, this week looking a little deeper into what to expect in the third round of the playoffs. All that and more ahead this week on Episode 4.35 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

This week on A Foot In The Crease, the second round of the NHL playoffs is well underway and it’s looking like we could be in for some long, long series. We take you through the progress of each of the four series in the Redline Report. The Maple Leafs have been finished for a while now but that doesn’t mean some of their players aren’t still playing. We spin through the Revolving Door with news on injuries to two Maple Leafs in the past week. To wrap the segment, we finish with Quick Hits featuring news on the nominees for the Lester B. Pearson Award and a player to announce their retirement.

In On The Bubble, we fit in a Listener Email along with the Troubling Fact of the Week. At the end of the segment, we welcome former NHLer and Head Coach of the St. Michael’s Buzzers Cam Stewart to the program to get his insight on the playoffs, how the game has changed since he played, his thoughts on Luke Schenn and much more.

Rigamarole concludes the show with a look at Jim Balsillie’s most recent attempt to purchase an NHL team, this time the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes. It doesn’t look good for Mr. Balsillie though. Perhaps if he lived in a house of cards instead of a mansion, he’d have a better shot with the NHL. See former Predators owner “Boots� Del Biaggio.

Thanks to Cam Stewart for joining us on the program this week and offering some great insight into a variety of different topics.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Ahead on the May Day edition of AFITC, with round one of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs complete, we’ll take you through the results, touch on some of the top storylines and tee up the second round to kick start the Redline Report. In Quick Hits, we unveil the nominees for the Vezina Trophy, Selke Trophy, Hart Trophy, Masterton Award and Jack Adams Award, give our picks and then finish with news on Dan Bylsma and Richard Zednik.

In On The Bubble, we bring you three more Listener Emails including an in depth discussion regarding the possibility of a second NHL team in Toronto, wrap up the Toronto Marlies postseason journey and conclude with the return of the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the program, rigamarole examines the top three surprises from the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s May 1st: Mayday Mayday. I wonder who from the San Jose Sharks can still be found yelling that phrase.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

Today on Episode 4.32 of AFITC, the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is winding down with three series already decided. We’ll take you through progress of the first round, touch on which team won the Matt Gilroy sweepstakes, and finish with Quick Hits featuring the nominees for the Calder, Norris and Lady Byng trophies as well as news on a possible comeback for Dominik Hasek.

In On The Bubble, we fit in a Listener Email, bring you up to date on the progress of the Toronto Marlies in the AHL playoffs and conclude with an interview with the public address announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre, Andy Frost, bringing a close to the Maple Leafs 08/09 season postmortem.

In rigamarole, following the epic demise of the Montreal Canadiens in their hundredth anniversary season, we examine whether things were moved too quickly for Carey Price. All that right ahead here on A Foot In The Crease – The Toronto Hockey Podcast.

Big thanks to Andy Frost for joining us on the program this week!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

The Maple Leafs season has officially come to a close albeit in positive fashion with another win over the Ottawa Senators. We begin the postmortem this week on the program, looking at the good, the bad and the ugly from the season that was. We’ll also tell you where the Maple Leafs are positioned to select in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Maple Leafs heading to the World Championships and the latest recruitment target of Brian Burke.

We conclude the Redline Report with a look at the action thus far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Quick Hits with news on Johan Franzen, and firings in Minnesota, Colorado and Edmonton. In On The Bubble, we’ll fit in two Listener Emails, tell you how the Toronto Marlies have fared in their playoff series so far and then welcome the host of Midweek Leaf Hockey, Paul Hendrick back to the show to continue our overview of the 2008-2009 Maple Leafs campaign.

With the Maple Leafs hot on the tail of another netminder, rigamarole explains what Justin Pogge has to do to play himself back into the good books of Leafs management. This is Episode 4.31 of AFITC and it starts…right now.

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A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

This week on AFITC, the show comes your way on the eve of the end of the Maple Leafs season, one that will not feature a post season appearance for the fourth year in a row. We’ll bring you up to date on four games over the past week against the Flyers, Habs, Devils and Sabres to kick start the Redline Report. The Revolving Door will feature updates on the status of Vesa Toskala’s rehabilitation from hip surgery and news as well on Jonas Frogren.

Lots of Quick Hits to wrap the Redline Report featuring news on Ron Wilson, Doug Weight, Cory Clouston and the potential site for the 2010 Winter Classic. On The Bubble brings you four Listener Emails from Colin, Jay, Alan and Aaron and finishes with a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show and looks at a big gamble by the Florida Panthers that does not appear to have turned out well. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter as @AFITC. Follow our show for hockey news and updates on the show itself.

The Maple Leafs have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, the end of the season is in sight but believe it or not, it’s actually been a somewhat positive week in Leaf Nation. Two games this past week including a wild loss to Boston and an impressive victory over Philadelphia. The Revolving Door will be relatively quiet with Tomas Kaberle and Nik Hagman having made their returns to the lineup.

Quick Hits will conclude the Redline Report with a variety of news including two college signings by the Maple Leafs, Toronto’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Award, league imposed punishment on the Maple Leafs and a milestone for Capitals defenseman Mike Green. On The Bubble features three great Listener Emails, the Junior Hockey Report with news on how the OJHL Semi Finals between the Wellington Dukes and the Oakville Blades played out and an explanation of the real purpose of Junior A hockey and of course, a Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the program, rigamarole will explain how solid direction and leadership at the top of the Maple Leaf organization has already begun to benefit the team.

To view the video of the controversial hit in game six of the series between the Wellington Dukes and the Oakville Blades, go to the Link Section in the AFITC Insiders Group.

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NOTE: A Foot In The Crease is now on Twitter. Follow our show at http://twitter.com/AFITC.

Ahead this week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs continued to roll along picking up a pair of victories against the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals. Almost makes you wish they’d been able to piece together a few more wins earlier in the year doesn’t it. With the playoffs all but a pipe dream, we’ll take you through the Revolving Door with updates on two players who would still like to get into a few games before the end of the season.

Quick Hits features news on a suspension to Martin Gerber and the return of a familiar face to the Maple Leaf organization. In On The Bubble, we start with Listener Email followed by the Junior Hockey Report in which we check on the progress of the OJHL’s semi finals involving the Central Division champion Wellington Dukes and the Oakville Blades and announce another honour for Louie Caporusso of the University of Michigan Wolverines.

And he needs your help too! We’ll tell you what to do at the end of the Junior Hockey Report. The Gong Banger returns with a Troubling Fact of the Week to wrap On The Bubble before rigamarole concludes the show with a look at Alex Ovechkin and his “antics� that have upset so many. If you don’t think Ovechkin’s hot, go stand by some fire and you’ll get the idea.

Do not forget to vote for Louie Caporusso by reading the story below and clicking on the attached link.

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Ahead on Episode 4.27 of AFITC, the Maple Leafs continued, to the dismay of many fans, to play themselves out of the John Tavares sweepstakes with two wins in three games this past week. Through the details of those contests we go to kick start the Redline Report, before updating the Maple Leaf injury situation in the Revolving Door. Quick Hits follow with news on a Maple Leaf prospect signing and harsh words from Head Coach Ron Wilson towards Justin Pogge.

On The Bubble brings you Listener Email this week from Clayton, Alan, and Aaron and the Junior Hockey Report with an update on the OHA Central Division playoffs and news on three NCAA distinctions. To wrap the segment, Jeff Brown of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals joins us on the program to discuss a variety of topics from his jump to Major Junior Hockey to fighting in the game and much more.

Rigamarole concludes the show with a look at how the potential goaltending situation for Team Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics has changed drastically in the past three months. If you’re sad the Leafs won’t likely lay their hands on John Tavares, just wait till you hear what his former teammate Jeff Brown says about him.

Big thanks to Jeff Brown for taking time and joining us in the studio for Episode 4.27 in what turned out to be an outstanding interview (on his part at least, we’ll let the listeners judge Dave and Jeff)!

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This week on AFITC, four Maple Leaf games since our last episode – two wins, two losses, we’ll give you all the details on the games against the Capitals, Oilers, Senators and Islanders to kick start the Redline Report. A lengthy edition of Revolving Door follows with updates on Nik Hagman, Vesa Toskala and Erik Reitz along with news on two new members to make their entry into this dubious club. In Quick Hits, we bring you news of the seventh NHL Head Coach to lose his job this season and the retirement of an NHL legend.

In On The Bubble, we feature Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report and the long awaited return of the host of the NHL on TSN, James Duthie to the program in which we discuss the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs, the Montreal Canadiens, fighting and much more.

Rigamarole wraps the show as always and this week explains why the last month of the NHL’s regular season promises to be so exciting.

Many thanks to James Duthie for coming on the program this week for what turned out to be a great interview!

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It's the A Foot In The Crease - trade deadline edition however, unlike TSN's unprecedented ten hour coverage with twelve in-studio commentators and another six roaming correspondents following each of the six Canadian teams, we can only offer you two: Dave and Jeff. Nevertheless we'll touch on all the moves made by the Maple Leafs in the Redline Report as we assess Brian Burke's first major test as Maple Leafs' general manager. Of course, to kick things off, we look at the past two Maple Leaf games from another successful week of action and spin you through an important Revolving Door segment.

In Quick Hits, we look at other significant moves that took place around the league although there were not as many as in previous years. Also news on a suspension to Brendan Witt for an elbow to the head of Niklas Hagman, a Wild goaltending signing, the return of Sean Avery and the demotion of Miro Satan follow to conclude the segment. On The Bubble, as always, features Listener Email and an abbreviated edition of the Junior Hockey Report.

Wrapping On The Bubble is the return of Matt Marquardt of the Providence Bruins to the program. In his first year as a professional after completing his Junior Hockey career at the end of last season, we discuss the adjustments he has faced moving up to the pro level, his role with the Providence Bruins and the benefit of being involved with a successful organization among many other topics.

Rigamarole wraps the show with one final overview of a very cautious trade deadline in the NHL.

Big thanks to Matt Marquardt for taking time to come back on the program for a second time earlier on Wednesday before his team took on the Toronto Marlies at Ricoh Coliseum. To read Matt's self-written account of his experience last summer running a hockey camp with fellow Bruins prosepct Jamie Arniel for children in Waskaganish - a town in Northern Quebec, click here.

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Photo Courtesy Of The Providence Bruins

With less than a week to go before the NHL’s Trade Deadline, the trade market is starting to heat up and so too are the Toronto Maple Leafs. Several deals were consummated this past week while the Leafs have picked up points in each of their last five games including winning the past three. Don’t worry though folks, the Leafs will still be sellers at the deadline. Four game recaps, roster news, the Revolving Door and Quick Hits including news on two trades and a coaching change are all jammed into a very busy edition of the Redline Report.

In On The Bubble, Listener Email comes your way, this week from Lars, Andre and Aaron. In the Junior Hockey Report, we discuss the conclusion of the St. Michael’s Buzzers first round playoff match up and set the Central Division Semi Final series. To conclude the segment, the Troubling Fact of the Week touches on a shuffling of the New Jersey Devils goaltending situation with the return of Martin Brodeur.

In rigamarole, we look back at the return of Mats Sundin to Toronto and examine a fitting response to a world class player. The Leafs have won three in a row, if they should ever win a fourth, look out people they’re going to the Cup Finals.

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This week on AFITC, the Maple Leafs reached both ends of the success spectrum in games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. We take you through both of those contests to kick off the Redline Report before updating you on more roster movements that took place over the past week. The Revolving Door follows with news on Tomas Kaberle and Vesa Toskala. We finish the Leaf Note portion of the show revealing the results of the Maple Leafs’ skills competition.

Quick Hits concludes the Redline Report with news on a coaching change in Pittsburgh, a newly set record for NHL defensemen, and a shakeup in Montreal. In On The Bubble, we bring you Listener Email from Colin and Aaron, the Junior Hockey Report with complete coverage of the first four games of the St. Michael’s Buzzers vs Toronto Jr. Canadiens Central Division quarter final series and concludes with a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Be sure to check out centraldivisionhockey.com for highlight videos on games two and four.

To wrap the program, rigamarole looks at the future of the Maple Leafs goaltending situation and examines whether or not it will include Justin Pogge.

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Road trip week for the Maple Leafs as they visited the Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning with decreasing success as the trip went on. We’ll fill you in with the details of the past three games to kick off the Redline Report. The Revolving Door updates you on the status of Tomas Kaberle and welcomes this year’s legacy member Mike Van Ryn. Some roster and waiver moves and a discussion on Brian Burke calling out Nik Antropov wrap the Leaf Note portion of the Redline Report.

Quick Hits this week feature news on Andy McDonald, Sergei Gonchar and the resurfacing of Sean Avery. We’ll tell you where he’s playing and where he could end up by the NHL’s Trade Deadline on March 4th. On The Bubble brings you Listener Email from Kevin, Andre and Aaron, the Junior Hockey Report and the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To wrap the program, we take a look at the current plight of the Montreal Canadiens and how their expectations have gone from Stanley Cup contender to just wanting to make the playoffs. I would say stay with us, but we know you’re not going anywhere.

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Less than one month to go until the annual NHL’s trade deadline appaloosa, the day where common sense among NHL General Managers goes to die. Given the way the Maple Leafs continue to play, you can expect their roster to look much different. We’ll get you up to date on their four games this past week to kick off the Redline Report, take you through the Revolving Door and finish with Quick Hits featuring news on Robert Lang of the Montreal Canadiens, Brian Burke, Peter Forsberg and a coaching change in Ottawa…funny I thought according to Mr. Melnyk there was nothing wrong in Ottawa.

On the Bubble brings you Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report with news on three St. Michael’s Buzzers games from the past week and an appearance by the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

And finally, rigamarole explains the importance of the upcoming trade deadline for Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs to wrap the show. Many fans are still angry with Mats Sundin for not letting the Maple Leafs trade him last season; however, if he was still a Leaf and playing as poorly as he is right now, the whole notion would be moot. Nobody would want him. This is Episode 4.21 of AFITC.

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This week on Episode 4.20 of AFITC, just one Maple Leaf game since we spoke with you last and what a disaster it was. We’ll get you caught up with what happened when the Maple Leafs made their first visit to the XCEL Energy Centre in Minnesota since the 05/06 season.

Later in the Redline Report, we spin through a nearly empty Revolving Door, discuss the All Star Game and relating topics and finish with Quick Hits, today featuring news on a lucky fan in Chicago, Hendrik Zetterberg, Ray Emery, and the future of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

In On The Bubble, we check in with Listener Emails from Andre and Aaron, take you through the Junior Hockey Report with news on the St. Michael’s Buzzers last week of action and play you back a sit down interview with Buzzers’ Head Coach Cam Stewart.

To conclude the program, rigamarole justifies why Doug Gilmour deserves to have a banner raised to the rafters at Air Canada Centre, who should be next and then what to expect in terms of honouring players in the upcoming years.

Alex Ovechkin won the shootout skills drill at the All Star Skills competition because he put on a hat with a Canadian flag and wore sunglasses. We’re both wearing hats and sunglasses right now so I guess that make us the best hockey podcast there is. Thanks for coming out people but we’ll take it from here.

Check out the official website of the Central Division and click on Highlight Videos to watch “Where Hockey Began� – a feature with Nick D’Agostino and Dave Stevens of the St. Michael’s Buzzers and Glen McCarron of the Newmarket Hurricanes discussing how their passion for the game of hockey began on backyard rinks.

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Ahead on Episode 4.19 of AFITC, the Maple Leafs headed into the All Star Break on the heels of a win, a loss, a shootout loss, and an overtime loss. We get you caught up on the games in the Redline Report. Stajan wants noise! We’ll tell you why before we spin through the Revolving Door and provide an extensive update on the condition of Mike Van Ryn. Quick Hits concludes the Redline Report with news on a Leaf trade, a Leaf firing, Martin Gerber and Claude Lemieux.

On The Bubble features Listener Email, and the Junior Hockey Report with an extensive look back on the inaugural Battle of Ontario that took place on Saturday January 17th in Pembroke, Ontario featuring All Stars from the OHA Central Division and the Central Junior A Hockey League. The Gong Banger wraps the segment with a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally in rigamarole, we explain why even though the Maple Leafs say they are not purposefully trying to lose games, the situation that they are in may just be leading to losses anyway.

Check out the official Central Division Hockey website for more on the “Battle of Ontario� including a full event report and highlights in the Highlight Videos section of the HD Media Centre.

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All of a sudden after surprising everyone at the beginning of the season with an ability to play a high octane offense style of game, the goals have dried up. Just three goals scored in the Maple Leafs’ past three games against Montreal, Philadelphia and Nashville. We get you caught up on all three games to kick off the Redline Report. The Revolving Door follows with updates on Mike Van Ryn, Nik Kulemin, Jeremy Williams and Jeff Finger.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on the All Star Game, Marco Sturm and Ilya Kovalchuk. In On The Bubble, Listener Email comes your way followed by the Junior Hockey Report and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

And finally, rigamarole wraps the show with a look at why Wade Belak likely will be the only returning former Leaf this season to have received a warm, welcoming ovation. Leaf Nation: it’s alright if you turn on Bryan McCabe and Mats Sundin, just don’t turn on us because remember, Wade Belak is a friend of the podcast.

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This week on AFITC, has the first half magic run out for the Maple Leafs? Three games this past week: two more rather discouraging losses…and one win over the Ottawa Senators. We get you caught up on the action to kick off the Redline Report. Later, Brian Burke pulled the trigger on his first move, we’ll tell you who the Maple Leafs acquired and who they sent to the Marlies to make room on the roster. The Revolving Door follows with updates on Mike Van Ryn, Matt Stajan and Jeremy Williams.

Quick Hits concludes the first segment with a look at news on Leaf prospect Chris DiDomenico, Marian Gaborik, the Ottawa Senators and Mats Sundin. In On The Bubble, we feature an infusion of Listener Email from Andre, Nathan, Colin, Jay, Will and Aaron along with the Junior Hockey Report with news on the St. Michael’s Buzzers’ last two games and Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at what the last stretch of games beginning with that ugly loss to the Dallas Stars before Christmas represents for the Maple Leafs.

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It’s the New Year’s Edition of AFTIC. Episode 4.16 on the way to you today with news on three Maple Leaf games from the past week: losses to the Islanders and Capitals and a win against the Thrashers. The Revolving Door updates you on a plethora of injured Leafs including a bizarre one for leading scorer Matt Stajan. Now that Mats Sundin is officially off the market, we weigh in on whether it’s time for the Maple Leafs to pick a captain as we wrap the Leaf Note portion of the Redline Report.

Quick Hits features news on Paul Kariya, the aforementioned Mats Sundin and World Junior Team Canada netminder Dustin Tokarski. On The Bubble brings you Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report with news on the Central Division Showcase and the progress of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. We wrap On The Bubble with the return of the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

For more information on the Central Division Showcase including articles, reports, highlights and interviews, check out the official website of the Central Division.

Finally in rigamarole we lay out some New Year’s Resolutions for the Toronto Maple Leafs. To be sure, 2008 was not the best year for the Maple Leafs, will 2009 be any better? Find out coming right ahead in the next 365 days!

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Ahead on the Christmas Edition of A Foot In The Crease, we take you through the last week of Maple Leaf action: two downright impressive games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Atlanta Thrashers bookended by two atrocious outings against the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars. As well we update you on the statuses of injured Maple Leafs including Mike Van Ryn, Luke Schenn, Jamal Mayers and Vesa Toskala in the Revolving Door.

Mats Sundin finally rendered a decision. We weigh in on his decision to return to the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks to conclude the Redline Report.

Listener Email, the Junior Hockey Report which includes news on the St. Michael’s Buzzers and the CJHL vs OHA Central Division “Battle of Ontario� tournament along with a fireside chat with Brampton Battalion defenseman Kyle Pereira follow in On The Bubble.

In rigamarole, we hand out glasses of holiday cheer and lumps of coal to the best and worst from the first portion of the Maple Leafs schedule.

Big thanks to Kyle Pereira of the Brampton Battalion for joining us for an interview (fireside chat) on today’s edition of the program!

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Ahead on Episode 4.14 of AFITC, the Maple Leafs were cruising this past week, picking up a pair of victories over the Sabres and Devils to stretch their winning streak to three games. All of a sudden they are playing too well again according to some members of Leaf Nation. The Revolving Door brings you some progress a number of injured Leafs including Schenn, Hagman, Frogren and Mayers. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on a further injury to Joe Sakic and the conclusion of the Sean Avery saga in Dallas.

In On The Bubble we feature more Listener Email from Simon, Stuart and Aaron; the Junior Hockey Report with a look back at two St. Michael’s Buzzers games from the past week; a Troubling Fact of the Week pertaining to Peter Forsberg and an interview with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Director of Player Development, Tom Fitzgerald.

Rigamarole concludes the show with a look at why Jeremy Williams has never been able to stick with the Maple Leafs and why this time around, he may have a better to do so. All that and more ahead this week on A Foot In The Crease.

Big thanks to Tom Fitzgerald for joining us this week on the program!

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After a solid start to a three game western road trip in Los Angeles last Monday, the trip went downhill from there with two disappointing losses to San Jose and Phoenix. We’ll cover those games as well as the two the Maple Leafs played since returning home to kick off the Redline Report. In the Revolving Door, we tell you about two more Maple Leafs to go down with injuries and update you on the statuses of Jamal Mayers, Mike Van Ryn and Jonas Frogren. News on two front office changes concludes the Leafs Notes portion of the show.

In Quick Hits, we focus on news pertaining to Joe Sakic, Daniel Briere, Paul Maurice and Wade Belak. On The Bubble brings you Listener Email from David, Andre and Alan along with the Junior Hockey Report and a delicious, albeit Troubling Fact of the Week.

Now that it’s clear the Maple Leafs won’t be a team competing for the playoffs once again this year, rigamarole wraps the show with a look at who is likely to be the first Maple Leaf traded. We’ll try not to say anything stupid during the show; we’ll leave that to Sean Avery.

For the complete roster for the 2009 Team Canada World Junior Selection Camp, click here.

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And stop the clock. Some eleven months after John Ferguson Jr. was relieved of his duties as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the worst kept secret in hockey became a reality last week as Brian Burke was officially introduced as the new President and General Manager. What does this mean for the Maple Leafs? We’re all over it in the Redline Report after we take a look back at four games from the past week against Atlanta, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Spinning you through the Revolving Door, we update the Maple Leafs’ injury situation and conclude the Redline Report with a Quick Hit featuring former Maple Leaf Wade Belak. On The Bubble brings you Listener Email as always along with the Junior Hockey Report.

At the end of the segment we welcome back to our program the host of Off The Record on TSN, Michael Landsberg to discuss the hiring of Brian Burke, the first quarter of the Maple Leafs season and much more.

Finally to wrap the show, rigamarole looks at the play of Curtis Joseph thus far this season and explains why it is time for him to call it a career.

Big thanks to Michael Landsberg for joining us on the program this week!

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Today on Episode 4.11 of AFITC, the Maple Leafs were not busy on the ice this past week playing only one game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Most of the action came in the front office when Cliff Fletcher sent a pair of former first round picks (Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo) to St. Louis in exchange for a former All-American College player (Lee Stempniak). We’ll tell you who was involved and who got the better end of this deal. Also in the front office, as Fletcher continues to wheel and deal, he’s also preparing to step aside for Brian Burke. How close is the deal to being done? We’ll have those answers too coming up in the Redline Report.

To wrap the Redline Report, we take you through the Revolving Door with updates on a pair of injured Leafs and focus on news regarding Brendan Morrow of the Dallas Stars and the injury situation of Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo in Quick Hits. On the Bubble brings you a healthy crop of solid Listener Emails from Simon, David, Andre, Alan, Aaron followed by the Junior Hockey Report and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Not surprisingly, rigamarole wraps the show with a controversial look at the decision to raise Wendel Clark’s number 17 to the rafters at Air Canada Centre. We don’t think he should be up there and we’ll explain why in rigamarole.

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Ahead on Episode 4.10 of AFITC, the Maple Leafs struggled through a difficult week, winning only once in four games. We’ll cover the week of action, examining the highpoints and the low points from their trip to Western Canada and their return home Monday against Boston along with spinning you through the Revolving Door to kick off the Redline Report.

Brian Burke steps down as GM in Anaheim. How soon will he be in Toronto or is it still even the right move for the Maple Leafs? We’ll examine the possibilities coming up in Quick Hits. News on Ducks’ defenseman Francois Beauchemin, a coaching change in Tampa Bay and the departure of Doug Gilmour from the Toronto Marlies follow to conclude Quick Hits.

In On The Bubble, we feature a Listener Email followed by the Junior Hockey Report with an exciting announcement and an appearance from six of the Team Canada East bronze medalists from the World Jr. A Challenge. Greg Miller, Reilly Smith, Nick D’Agostino, Jeremy Franklin, Marty O’Grady and David Pratt discuss their experiences representing Canada on the international stage and a whole lot more. Check out the official Central Division Hockey website for more information.

Finally rigamarole wraps the program with a look at the most concerning aspect of the Maple Leafs play through the first six week of the regular season. Stick around, all that and more coming your way on Episode 4.10 of AFITC.

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Episode 4.8 of AFITC comes to you today after a week of Maple Leafs action that featured four relatively impressive games. Two wins, two losses but it was how the Maple Leafs played that left many pleased with the continued improvement this team seems to show. We will talk extensively about the four games against the Lightning, Devils, Rangers and Hurricanes and then jump into Quick Hits where we will feature news on the trade deadline, Ken Klee and Daniel Alfredsson.

In On The Bubble, Listener Email comes your way from Andre, Alan and Aaron followed by the Junior Hockey Report where we will look back at the last week of St. Michael’s Buzzers action and fill you in on the progress of Ottawa Senators prospect Louie Caporusso with the University of Michigan Wolverines and then wrap up the segment with another Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at some of the qualities this year’s edition of the Maple Leafs possess that previous editions of the team have not.

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Episode 4.7 of AFITC on the way today after a very successful week of Maple Leaf action that saw them pick up five of a possible six points, leaving some to say they are playing too well? We cover the games against Anaheim, Boston and Ottawa to kick off the Redline Report and then jump into Quick Hits featuring Luke Schenn, Carlo Colaiacovo, Fabian Brunnstrom and the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship.

In On The Bubble, we feature three great listener emails, the Junior Hockey Report including news on the 2008 World Junior A Challenge in Camrose, Alberta and a Troubling Fact of the Week with a political twist.

Finally in rigamarole, we explain why the Maple Leafs are playing too well, at least in the opinion of some.

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Well we’re past the first week of games and after a parade-planning worthy victory (to some at least) over the Detroit Red Wings on opening night, the Maple Leafs’ season is beginning to pan out in the way most people predicted: not so great. We’ll cover two losses this week at the hands of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins to kick off the Redline Report, followed by just one spin through the Revolving Door and news on the punishment handed out to Ryan Hollweg for yet another board major penalty on Thanksgiving Monday against St. Louis.

In Quick Hits, we discuss Steve Yzerman’s appointment as Executive Director for Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics, news on Kyle Wellwood and Mike Peca and tell you which Head Coach was the first to get the axe this season. On The Bubble features Listener Email from Mitch and Aaron, the Junior Hockey Report and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

To conclude the show, rigamarole looks at the strong starts of the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues and how that could bode well for the Maple Leafs in years to come.

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Apologies for the delayed posting. Some technical errors/mistakes held the posting up until today. This show was recorded yesterday, Tuesday October 14th.

With the first week of Maple Leaf regular season action complete, we got a taste of the best, the worst and the somewhere in between. Not a dominant start, but certainly there were some things to be optimistic about. We’ll cover in depth the three games against Detroit, Montreal and St. Louis to kick off the Redline Report along with taking a spin through the Revolving Door, looking at the Leafs injury situation.

In Quick Hits, we share news on Daniel Alfredsson, Jack Johnson (the defenseman not the musician), Bryan McCabe and tragic news out of Russia. On The Bubble features Listener Email from Andre, Alan and Aaron, another installment of the Junior Hockey Report, and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

In rigamarole, we look at the disappointing start from newly acquired agitator Ryan Hollweg.

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Not a great week of preseason action for the Maple Leafs: only one win in four games but hey, it’s all about development right? We will tell you if there was any of development noticeable as we cover the four games on the docket, as well as update you on a multitude of injuries in the year’s first edition of the Revolving Door.

Concluding the Redline Report, we discuss the start of the NHL regular season in Europe, the ludicrous notion of Roberto Luongo as Canucks’ Captain, problems on the Penguins’ blueline, the status of the netminding in Chicago, the comeback attempt of Jeff O’Neill, another trade from Anaheim and an injury to Chris Chelios.

On The Bubble features Listener Email this week from Stuart, Andre and Aaron, a look back at the St. Michael’s Buzzers last week of action in the Junior Hockey Report, and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole wraps the program with a look at how trading their first round draft pick in 2009 could have been a good thing for the Maple Leafs last week.

Be sure to check out a video report of the Buzzers vs Spirit game Friday October 3rd on the Hightlight Video page at www.centraldivisionhockey.com.

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The Maple Leafs kicked off a busy week of preseason action with four games: two each against the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. We’ll take you through all the action of those four contests as well as some of the stories that have developed as Maple Leafs’ camp wears on. To conclude the Redline Report, Quick Hits discusses a rather amicable separation between the Anaheim Ducks and Mathieu Schneider, a new job for John Muckler, and why golf has now likely been added to a list of extreme sports that NHL clubs would rather their players not participate in.

On The Bubble brings you more Listener Email, this week’s Junior Hockey Report in which we examine the St. Michael’s Buzzers inability to close the deal after good starts in two games this past week and an appearance from the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally, in rigamarole, after hearing numerous seats went unused at the Coca Cola Fans First Game, we take a shot at those who let their tickets go to waste.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. Also, be sure to check out the brand new, spectacular website for OHA Central Division hockey.

At long last, we hit the eve of the return of NHL action as training camps across the league are officially underway with Maple Leaf preseason competition set to begin on Monday. Leaf Notes in the Redline Report bring you the news from the first weekend of workouts at Leaf camp including thoughts from Ron Wilson, Luke Schenn’s chances of cracking the roster, the battle for spots on defense and a Wellwood who was invited to training camp.

In Quick Hits, we feature news on the participation of NHL players at international tournaments in future years, Mathieu Schneider’s status with the Anaheim Ducks, new contracts with the Sabres for Jason Pominville and General Manager Darcy Regier and the return of JFJ to the NHL. On The Bubble is jam packed this week with the Junior Hockey Report that includes live coverage from the Governors’ Showcase Weekend in the OPJHL, Listener Email, and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

With still no sign of Mats Sundin, in rigmarole, we examine who the logical choice to become the next captain of the Maple Leafs.

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Nine weeks off and in that time, much has transpired in the world of hockey. We’ll kick off the show with the conclusion to the Bryan McCabe saga as well as the latest on Mats Sundin. Also in the Redline Report, we will touch on a depth signing on defense for the Maple Leafs, new honours for Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour, Cliff Fletcher’s season outlook and new additions to the coaching staff.

Quick Hits brings you the biggest news from around the league: this week featuring Eric Staal resigning with the Hurricanes, and Joe Sakic and Chris Chelios deciding to continue their NHL careers. In On The Bubble, we feature the first installment of the Junior Hockey Report discussing the new Central Division within the OPJHL and the return of the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps up the inaugural episode of Season 4 explaining why despite all the doom and gloom, there is still much to be interested in about the Maple Leafs this season.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

At long last, the highly anticipated, glitz and glamour, red-carpet conclusion to Season Three of AFITC is upon you with the second of its kind, “Year End Awards Special.� Throughout the show, we take a look back at the year that was on the program while handing out awards in the following categories: Email Of The Year, Emailer Of The Year, Moonlighter Of The Year, Irreverent Moment Of The Year, Whipping Boy Of The Year, AFITC Leaf Player Of The Year, Rigamarole Of The Year, Guest Of The Year and Songs Of The Year.

Congratulations to all of the award winners (no doubt the crowning jewel in their particular careers) and thanks to all of our listeners who took the time to cast their votes in a variety of categories over the last few months.

As mentioned at the end of the program, Season Four of AFITC will begin on September 14th, 2008, a week later than normal as NHL training camps open a week later than usual as well. Again thanks to all of our listeners for their support this season in helping us make Season Three the best yet! So from us to you, a summertime treat, enjoy the Year End Awards Special for Season Three of AFITC!

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Feel free to continue sending listener email along throughout the summer to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. We will respond to each one we get and feature as many as possible on Episode 4.1 of AFITC to be released during the second week of September.

After forty four straight weeks, Episode 3.44 brings to a close Season Three of AFITC. Before we pack it in for the summer though, this week’s program is jam packed with all of the player movement including trades and signings that have taken place in the last week. The Maple Leafs were busy signing a trio of players – Jeff Finger, Niklas Hagman, Curtis Joseph - and trading for another – Mikhail Grabovski. We’ll tell you whether these were good deals and what roles these players will take on come next season to kick off the Redline Report.

After a year of holding his tongue, Oilers GM Kevin Lowe finally let his opinions of Brian Burke be known. We’ll tell you exactly what he said as we begin Quick Hits, followed by news on all the notable trades and signings of the past week. On The Bubble, as always, features Listener Email, and the Gong Banger’s final appearance of the season in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To conclude the segment, the host of Off The Record on TSN, Michael Landsberg joins us as we get his take on the Maple Leafs moves, Mats Sundin’s future, salary inflation and much more. Finally, rigamarole wraps the show by explaining why it really is not all about the money for Mats Sundin.

The second edition of the AFITC Year End Awards will be released in early August. As a result, the polls will remain open accepting votes in the following categories until the end of July: Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year! Check back on our site early in August for the awards show!

As we reach the end of our third season there are numerous people that we must thank for their contributions and support of our show. First of all, each of our guests who have taken time over the past year for our show has helped immensely in furthering its credibility. Thanks go out most sincerely to Dr. Pat Graham, Damien Cox, Shredder, Russell and StooLi from Sens Underground, two-time guest Paul Hendrick, four-time guest James Duthie, John Iaboni, four-time guest Michael Landsberg, Corey Landsberg, Louie Caporusso, Wade Belak, John Scrymgeour, three-time guest Bob McKenzie, three-time guest Andy Frost, three-time guest Jennifer Hedger, Nick D’Agostino, Brandon Burlon, Justin Hodgman, two-time guest Matt Stajan, and Matt Marquardt, all of whom appeared this season on AFITC.

Secondly, thanks to everyone who took the time to correspond with us throughout the season on the program. Whether it is a comment about the show, an opinion on a team, player, coach, or manager or just somebody wanting to talk hockey, hearing from our listeners is what makes doing the show worthwhile for us! Thanks to all of you!

Finally, we cannot express enough how fortunate our show has been to have such incredible support through each of its three years of existence and especially this season as the new levels of listener interest it has received has been staggering. We do not say this often enough but today we will: without each and every one of our listeners, there would be no show! The show is for you and we could not appreciate your support more than we do!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Feel free to continue sending listener email along throughout the summer to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. We will respond to each one we get and feature as many as possible on Episode 4.1 of AFITC to be released during the second week of September.

Ahead on Episode 3.43, the penultimate edition for Season Three of AFITC, we bring you up to date on a variety of Maple Leaf roster moves made in advance of the kick off to free agency on July 1st. GM Cliff Fletcher continues to live up to what he said back in January about significant changes before next season. We will tell you who is gone and who can still expect to call themselves a Maple Leaf come September.

Quick Hits features lots of news regarding the Tampa Bay Lightning, news from Anaheim including Scott Niedermayer’s decision for next year and a departure from the Ducks, a new contract for Jeff Carter, a trio of signings in Calgary and San Jose, a pair in Colorado and two departures from Ottawa. On The Bubble features Listener Email and the return of the Gong Banger in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole concludes the show by cautioning the Maple Leafs as to why it would be a good idea to tread carefully once the free agency market opens for business.

As we approach the end of Season Three of the show with the final episode to be released on July 6th, we would like to get your input for the AFITC Year End Awards in the following categories: Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year!

Refer to the “Guest List� to the right of this page for links to each program on which a guest appeared and to www.daveintoronto.blogspot.com for written transcripts of each edition of rigamarole. Send your votes along for each category to afootinthecrease@gmail.com and we will announce the winners near the end of our season.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Ahead on Episode 3.42 of AFITC, we bring you all the news from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and boy was there ever a lot to discuss including the Maple Leafs making a splash by moving up to 5th overall. We’ll tell you who is now property of the Maple Leafs, touch on another Leafs trade – the acquisition of Jamal Mayers, the status of Mats Sundin and the hiring of Al Coates as Director of Player Personnel.

Later in the Redline Report, Quick Hits brings you news on major trades involving Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen and Mike Cammalleri to go down at the Entry Draft, two signings in Nashville and one from Ottawa, who will guide the Thrashers behind the bench next season, and where the much sought after Dave Nonis is headed.

On The Bubble kicks off with Listener Email from Stuart, Mark, Will, Alan and Aaron and concludes with this week’s guest.

Boston Bruins’ prospect Matt Marquardt joins us to discuss his path to the NHL, his last year of junior hockey with the Moncton Wildcats and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL and much more. Rigamarole concludes the show by explaining why this year is the year of the defenseman in the NHL.

As we approach the end of Season Three of the show with the final episode to be released on July 6th, we would like to get your input for the AFITC Year End Awards in the following categories: Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year!

Refer to the “Guest List� to the right of this page for links to each program on which a guest appeared and to www.daveintoronto.blogspot.com for written transcripts of each edition of rigamarole. Send your votes along for each category to afootinthecrease@gmail.com and we will announce the winners near the end of our season.

Congratulations go out to Brandon Burlon and Nick D’Agostino, both of whom were selected at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Burlon, who appeared on Episode 3.38 of AFITC, was taken 53rd overall by the New Jersey Devils and D’Agostino, who joined us on Episode 3.37 of the program, was selected 210th overall by the Stanley Cup finalist Pittsburgh Penguins. All of us at AFITC wish to congratulate them on these outstanding accomplishments!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 3.41 of AFITC comes to you after a busy week in the NHL as teams begin the retooling process for next season. Starting off in Leaf Land, a new head coach was announced in advance of more front office moves planned by now permanent GM Cliff Fletcher. Also we bring back the Revolving Door to highlight a legacy member who is, once again, back in this dubious injury club. Later in the Redline Report, we discuss the NHL award winners and who took home the hardware from the Awards Gala last Thursday.

Quick Hits features news on the retirement of three more prominent veterans, contract signings by the Habs and Hurricanes, a coach’s contract extension, new head coaches for the Sharks, Panthers and Senators, a new head coaching vacancy, an update on the injury status of Tomas Holmstrom and a new home for “The Hockey Theme.� On The Bubble brings you listener email and an appearance by the host of the NHL on TSN, James Duthie!

Finally rigamarole looks at which player is becoming the most marketable asset for the NHL during a time of positive transition and interest growth in the United States.

Special thanks to James Duthie for joining us on today’s show! Always such a pleasure to talk to, James, as usual, was a great guest on the program!

As we approach the end of Season Three of the show with the final episode to be released on July 6th, we would like to get your input for the AFITC Year End Awards in the following categories: Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year!

Refer to the “Guest List� to the right of this page for links to each program on which a guest appeared and to www.daveintoronto.blogspot.com for written transcripts of each edition of rigamarole. Send your votes along for each category to afootinthecrease@gmail.com and we will announce the winners near the end of our season.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 3.40 of the program brings you all the news from the final week of action in the NHL. We wrap up games five and six of the Stanley Cup Final, tell you how Detroit won and what Pittsburgh needed to do differently. Beginning the Redline Report though, we start with news of who the next Maple Leaf Head Coach is likely to be as well as touching on a depth signing from the Finnish Elite League.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on a couple of retirements, a signing in Carolina, a coach getting the axe, and a minor trade. Also during this segment, all those rumors about Brian Burke becoming the GM of a new team were true. We’ll tell you which team it is and also touch on the fate of Canada’s second national anthem: the Hockey Night In Canada theme song. On the Bubble features more listener email, a Troubling Fact of the Week and this week’s guest.

We are pleased to welcome #14 Matt Stajan of the Toronto Maple Leafs back to the program as he makes his return to AFITC during On The Bubble.

Rigamarole, as always, will wrap up this week’s proceedings with a look at how a team, but perhaps not the one you may think of, from this year’s Stanley Cup Finals could be champions for years to come.

Big thanks to Matt Stajan for taking time for us this past week to make his second appearance on AFITC. What a treat to get him on the program!

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The Detroit Red Wings took a big step this past week toward securing their eleventh Stanley Cup by building a three games to one series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins. We will tell you how they did it and what Pittsburgh did not do well enough in our Stanley Cup Report. To kick start the Redline Report though, lots of Leaf News to discuss including a meeting between Cliff Fletcher and Mats Sundin, Fletcher’s status as GM heading forward, decisions on free agents and interest in former Leaf head coach Paul Maurice.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with the terrible news of the loss of Canucks prospect Luc Bourdon. Also in the segment, we touch on a trade involving the Bruins and Blue Jackets, a new contract for Stars’ defenseman Trevor Daley, and a front office hiring by the St. Louis Blues. On The Bubble features, as always, listener email. To conclude the segment, we welcome this week’s guest, #88 Justin Hodgman from the IHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, to the program.

Finally, rigamarole wraps the show with a look at how Mats Sundin’s legacy in Toronto will depend entirely on the next major decision he makes: what to do about next season.

Special thanks to Justin Hodgman for joining us this week on Episode 3.39 of AFITC! Check out Justin’s IHL championship winning goal in triple overtime.

Next week on Episode 3.40, #14 Matt Stajan of the Toronto Maple Leafs joins us. Be sure to listen to next week’s program!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

At long last, the Stanley Cup Final is underway and of course we are all over it here on Episode 3.38 of AFITC. Will Detroit’s experience be too much for the Penguins to handle? Will Pittsburgh be able to learn the ropes in the Finals quick enough to get back on track? We answer all those questions and more coming up in the Redline Report. Before that though, we start the show with news on John Pohl and the Toronto Marlies playoff run in the Leaf Notes portion of the show.

Quick Hits concludes the Redline Report with news on Jeremy Roenick, Alain Vigneault, Tony Granato, the coaching and GM situation in Dallas and this year’s deadline for Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne. On The Bubble brings you more listener email, a Troubling Fact of the Week, and at the end of the segment, we welcome this week’s guest to the program.

Joining us this week is St. Michael’s Buzzers defenseman #6 Brandon Burlon. Brandon is ranked 41st among North American skaters for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and we will talk to him about what got him to this position, what he expects heading toward the draft and look ahead to next year when he will skate with the University of Michigan Wolverines. And finally, rigamarole tells you which team the Pittsburgh Penguins resembled in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Thanks go out to Brandon Burlon for joining us on AFITC this past week! We wish him all the best as he goes into the NHL Entry Draft at the end of June.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook and check out the new Quotes section developed recently. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of St. Michael's Buzzers

The march of the Penguins has led Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup Finals where they await either the Detroit Red Wings. We will get you caught up on all the happenings regarding the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Redline Report. Before that, we open with Leaf Notes featuring news on the search for a new general manager, Mark Bell, Kyle Wellwood, Tomas Kaberle and Anton Stralman, along with the Toronto Marlies and their continuing quest for the Calder Cup.

Quick Hits brings the Redline Report to a close as we take our final look at Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships, and touch on news regarding Ron Wilson, Martin Erat, Chuck Kobasew and Jacques Martin. On The Bubble follows with Listener Email and this week’s guest: St. Michael’s Buzzers defenseman #8 Nick D’Agostino. He’ll join us at the end of On The Bubble.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at why the Pittsburgh Penguins have been so dominant thus far in the playoffs and surprisingly, it is not because of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Big thanks to Nick D’Agostino for joining us on the program this week! We wish him all the best heading toward the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Next week on Episode 3.38, we will welcome Nick’s teammate from this past season with the St. Michael’s Buzzers, #6 Brandon Burlon. In the final NHL Central Scouting Rankings, Brandon was ranked 41st among North American skaters. Among the topics we will discuss next week on the program are what it took to get to this position and what lies ahead including next season where he will be a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines and what he expects as the 2008 NHL Entry Draft draws near.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook and check out the new Quotes section developed recently. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of St. Michael's Buzzers

Just when it seemed like things were finally starting to cool off in Leaf Land, news picks back up to regain midseason form. After two years behind the bench, head coach Paul Maurice was fired this past week. Was this the right move? How does this affect the bigger picture of Maple Leafs management? We touch on all of that in the Redline Report. Also last week, the Maple Leafs signed a draft pick. We’ll tell you who and where he’s playing now along with updating the Marlies playoff run.

The NHL Playoff Recap follows Leaf Notes as we wrap up the second round and set the Conference Finals match ups including their progress thus far. Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on Team Canada at the Worlds, Wade Belak, Fabian Brunnstrom, Joel Quenneville and Olaf Kolzig. In On The Bubble, we announce the nominees for the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Jack Adams Award, feature Listener Email and welcome the Gong Banger in for another Troubling Fact of the Week.

And finally to wrap the show in rigamarole, we look at whether or not the Brian Burke to Toronto scenario really is as dead as it seemed two weeks ago.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook and check out the new Quotes section developed recently. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Ahead on Episode 3.35 of AFITC, Mats Sundin is no longer a free agent, at least not of the social kind. With Sundin engaged to be married, will that affect his playing future? We speculate on that, finally reveal the International Man of Mystery and take you through the continuing progress of the Toronto Marlies in the AHL playoffs to begin the Redline Report. Later, NHL playoff coverage and news on Team Canada’s first game at the World Hockey Championships will wrap the segment.

In On The Bubble, we announce the nominees and our picks for the Frank J. Selke trophy and feature more Listener Email. Concluding the segment, we are pleased to welcome TSN Sportscentre anchor Jennifer Hedger back to our program. Fresh off her trip to Afghanistan, we talk to her about the conditions she saw, what this trip meant to her, what hockey means for Canadian Troops as well as some NHL playoff talk.

Rigamarole wraps the show as it always does, this week with a look at which team Fabian Brunnstrom should sign with.

Special thanks to Jennifer Hedger for appearing on our program this week. What a treat it was for us to hear about such a remarkable experience!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook and check out the new Quotes section developed recently. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 3.34 of AFITC brings you big news regarding the next Maple Leafs general manager, well alright; we tell who it won’t be. As well, Cliff Fletcher thinks he knows which way Mats Sundin is leaning. We’ll let you know which way that is as well as getting you up to date with the progress of the Toronto Marlies playoff run. Also in the Redline Report, we conclude our coverage of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, set the second round and let you know the happenings in that round thus far.

To conclude the Redline Report, Quick Hits feature news on the new GM of the Canucks, Bruce Boudreau, Barry Trotz, Scott Niedermayer and Team Canada at the World Championships. In On The Bubble, we reveal the nominees for the Vezina, Norris and Calder Trophies along with our picks to walk away with the hardware. Also, we’ll quickly touch on the final NHL Central Scouting Service rankings released this week and of course feature more Listener Email.

Rigamarole concludes the show and explains how the Brian Burke speculation got right out of hand last week. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook and check out the new “Quotes� section developed this week. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 3.33 of AFITC hits the air today with the NHL well into the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Some surprises, some upsets, some teams cruising right on through. We’ll go in depth once again on all that has transpired thus far in the Redline Report. To kick off the segment though, we discuss more news on the Maple Leafs including potential buyouts, the Leafs’ draft position and the progress of the Toronto Marlies in the AHL playoffs.

Quick Hits wrap the Redline Report with big news out of the front office in Vancouver, along with the future of Ray Emery, the status of Jacques Martin, a new deal for Sergei Samsonov and the possibility of moving to an eighty four game schedule. On The Bubble follows with Listener Email featuring several quality emails touching on a variety of topics.

At the end of the segment, Andy Frost – the public address announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre and host of Psychedelic Psunday on Q107 among his various other responsibilities – makes his return to AFITC to offer his thoughts on the Maple Leafs and the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Rigamarole concludes the show with a look at why their could be so much on the line in game seven of the Montreal Boston for Carey Price, apart from just winning the series.

Big thanks to Andy Frost for taking time to join us on this week’s program! Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The Maple Leafs have been watching for over a week now but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to talk about. We get you caught up on lots of news regarding the Maple Leafs to kick start the Redline Report. Then it’s onto the playoffs as we take a look at the progress of each of the eight first round match ups including in depth looks at those involving Canadian teams.

Quick Hits bring the Redline Report to a close with news on Team Canada for the upcoming World Championships, the Edmonton Oilers, Jacques Martin, and Patrice Bergeron. In On the Bubble, we bring you more listener email and a playoff edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To conclude the show, rigamarole looks at why the Ottawa Senators are experiencing so much trouble in the playoffs and who is partly responsible for it. All that and lots more on the first playoff edition of the program for season three.

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The Maple Leafs bowed out with a curtain call this week of three more meaningless games: a shootout loss to Buffalo followed up with two more losses against rivals Ottawa and Montreal. We cover those games, hand out the final AFITC Player of the Week award for season three and talk about changes in the Redline Report– who must go, who should stay, the biggest surprise, the biggest disappointment, is Paul Maurice still the man to coach this team, among other things – all questions that must be answered for next season.

Quick Hits feature news on the Senators and Habs injuries, Vincent Lecavalier and Ken Hitchcock. In On The Bubble, we hear more final thoughts on the Maple Leafs season with Listener Email and deliver another Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look at the great story that is the Washington Capitals.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

In the words of the immortal Led Zeppelin, “Close the door. Turn out the lights. No they won’t be home tonight,� or rather this spring as in no playoff hockey at the ACC for a third consecutive season. Two losses last week in keys games against the Bruins sealed that fate. We explain what went wrong in the games with the season on the line and touch on the first meaningless game: a win Saturday over Montreal.

Later in the Redline Report, we hand out the AFITC Player of the Week Award, touch on the again murky future of Mats Sundin in a Maple Leaf uniform and tell you who Cliff Fletcher signed this week. To conclude the Redline Report, we touch on news regarding Pat Quinn and the injury statuses of the Canadiens, Bruins and Canucks. On the Bubble brings listener email from Stuart, Alan and Aaron along with another Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show looking at one playoff dream that died and another one that still lives after last week. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. Check out the article about AFITC in the Ryersonian newspaper.

Finally, after hearing the premiere of the three latest tunes by The Printing Press on each of the last three shows, be sure to visit the website to download your own copy of each of the songs.

A perfect week with wins against the Islanders, Sabres and Senators has left the Leafs four points out of the playoffs with six games left but with four teams to pass in the process. We’ll break down each of those games, hand out the legendary AFITC player of the week award to one of the several nominees this week, spin through a crowded Revolving Door and once again, address the chance the Leafs have at the playoffs in the Redline Report.

Busy in the front office too this week as Cliff Fletcher signed a goalie. We’ll tell you who and what plans are in store for him going forward. Quick Hits wraps the segment with news on Rick Dipietro, Tim Connolly and Kurtis Foster. On The Bubble brings you some more outstanding Listener Email and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole this week explains why it is so hard to see the Leafs miss the playoffs the way they have each of the past two seasons. We said last week nine wins in the last nine games would be necessary. Well three down, six to go.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Check out the article about AFITC in the Ryersonian newspaper.

Two wins for the Maple Leafs against Philadelphia this week likely will not be good enough in their quest for the playoffs after losing to Buffalo on Saturday night. Episode 3.28 of AFITC covers those three games, hands out a Player of the Week Award, as well as taking a dizzyingly long spin through the Revolving Door, touching on the absence of three keys players.

Quick Hits wraps the Redline Report with news on Sidney Crosby, and suspensions to Steve Ott, James Wisniewski, Georges Laraque, Andrew Peters and Chris Pronger. On The Bubble brings more listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show, this week with a look at whether the hill to the post season is too steep for the Maple Leafs to climb.

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

To view the article written about our show in the Ryersonian, click here.

Episode 3.27 of AFITC hits the air following two disappointing defeats at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. Now eight points back of eighth place Philadelphia, we cover in depth the two games the Leafs played against the Devils and the one against the Bruins while examining the chances the Maple Leafs still have at the post season. To conclude the Leaf block of the Redline Report, we award another Player of the Week Award and touch on news regarding Jason Blake.

The Redline Report wraps up with Quick Hits featuring Sidney Crosby, Corey Perry, Chad Kilger and Alexander Ovechkin. In On The Bubble we bring you more Listener Email, this week from Cathy, Chris, Stuart and Aaron along with the triumphant return of the Gong Banger and the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally, rigamarole concludes the show with a look at why the Maple Leafs must continue to try to win games down the stretch.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 3.26 of AFITC – the trade deadline wrap up show – comes your way on the heels of a busy week of player movement in the NHL. Some big deals, some minor deals, even some Maple Leaf deals were made this week. We get you caught up on everything you need to know about what happened before the NHL Trade Deadline throughout the show in the Redline Report and in On The Bubble with the help of NHL on TSN Insider Bob McKenzie.

On the Maple Leafs front, a four game road trip yielded an impressive seven points keeping the Maple Leafs in the hunt for the playoffs. We’ll review the games against Ottawa, Florida, Tampa Bay and Washington in the Redline Report along with naming the recipient of the heavily coveted AFITC player of the week award. Quick Hits conclude the Redline Report with notes on Ethan Moreau, Darren McCarty, Barret Jackman, Dan Boyle, Mike Comrie, Brad Richards, Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Brian Campbell.

Listener email will be included in On The Bubble along with an interview with Bob McKenzie. Finally, rigamarole looks at why the Ottawa Senators are starting to resemble the Canadian government.

Big thanks to Bob McKenzie for joining us on the show this week during one of his busiest weeks of the year!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

As the trade deadline approaches on Tuesday February 26th, we approach Episode 3.25 of AFITC wondering when all the action is going to start. Still no moves to speak of but that doesn’t mean we don’t have lots to discuss on this week’s program.

We cover the three games the Maple Leafs played this past week against Columbus, Buffalo and Atlanta; hand out a Player of the Week Award; touch on news regarding Alex Steen and Mats Sundin; spin through the Revolving Door with injury updates on Deveraux and Ponikarovsky and wrap the Redline Report with Quick Hits.

On The Bubble brings plenty of listener email this week. Later in the segment, Lake Superior State University forward John Scrymgeour joins us to discuss his season thus far with the Lakers. Finally, rigamarole explains why everybody should just get off Mats Sundin’s back.

Special thanks to John for appearing on our program this week! It was a pleasure having him on the show!

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Picture courtesy of St. Michael's Buzzers

Episode 3.24 of AFITC hits the air after yet another confusing week in the land of the Maple Leafs: one win in three games but the two losses were both one goal games. Nevertheless four important points were passed up in a very tight Eastern Conference. We discuss those games and hand out another Player of the Week award in the Redline Report.

To wrap the Maple Leaf portion, we touch on two significant quotes: one from Matt Stajan and one from an unnamed NHL executive. We conclude the Redline Report by discussing Richard Zednik and his terrifying injury along with news on Rod Brind’Amour, Sheldon Souray, Hendrik Lundqvist and the first trade of note before the deadline.

Listener email follows in On The Bubble. Later in the segment, #3 Wade Belak of the Toronto Maple Leafs joins us to discuss what to expect from the Maple Leafs over the last quarter of the season, the importance of toughness, and the possibility of wearing a neck guard among many other topics. Big thanks to Wade for taking time out of his day to come on the program!

Rigamarole wraps the show and looks at why so few transactions have been consummated thus far. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! Just when you think the Maple Leafs might still have playoff aspirations after an impressive win against Ottawa a week ago Saturday, an egg of all world proportions is laid at home against Florida on Tuesday followed up by impressive victories over Montreal and Detroit, yes Detroit! What do you make of a week like this? We try to come up with some sort of explanation in the Redline Report.

News regarding Andy Wozniewski, the Player of the Week Award and updates on injured Leafs Alexei Ponikarovsky and Darryl Boyce wrap the Maple Leaf portion of the Redline Report. Quick Hits conclude the segment with news on Steve Yzerman, Shawn Horcoff, the Montreal goaltending situation, Dion Phaneuf and John Ferguson Jr.

On The Bubble brings more listener email and an interview with the Ottawa Senators 3rd round pick in 2007, Louie Caporusso: a former St. Michael’s Buzzer and current star forward with the University of Michigan Wolverines. Rigamarole concludes the show with a look back at CBC’s annual Hockey Day in Canada.

We conclude the program with another major guest announcement during Parting Shots. If you are a fan of the Maple Leafs and a fan of good, solid physical play, you will not want to miss next week’s guest. Find out who in Parting Shots or become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Big thanks to Louie Caporusso for taking time to join us on the program! We discussed his career with the St. Michael’s Buzzers, his transition to the NCAA with the University of Michigan Wolverines, and his selection by the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft among various other things!

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Picture courtesy of St. Michael's Buzzers

Episode 3.22 of AFITC brings you news of a Maple Leaf victory over the Heatley and Alfredsson-less Ottawa Senators. Defeats earlier in the week though, at the hands of St. Louis and Carolina make this victory merely a sweet consolation prize for a season going nowhere. More injuries continue to pile up and we sort through all of them in the Revolving Door after handing out a Player of the Week award.

The Redline Report concludes with Quick Hits regarding Teemu Selanne, Peter Forsberg, Jordin Tootoo, JP Dumont and perhaps the first of many trades to come in advance of NHL Trade Deadline Day. In On The Bubble, we bring you more Listener Email and the Gong Banger checks back in for work with another Troubling Fact of the Week.

Finally in rigmarole, we take a look at the finest prospects the Maple Leafs have to boast.

On next week’s program, Episode 3.23, we will be joined by Louie Caporusso (3rd round selection, 90th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft) who is currently playing for the University of Michigan Wolverines. Currently in the midst of a fine debut season in the NCAA, Louie will join us to discuss his days as a member of the St. Michael’s Buzzers, his transition to NCAA hockey, how it felt to hear his name called by the Ottawa Senators last June and much more! Do not miss Louie Caporusso on Episode 3.23 of AFITC!

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The worst kept secret in Toronto sports was made public this week when the Maple Leafs fired John Ferguson Jr and hired Cliff Fletcher to be the general manager in an interim basis. Was this the right move? Will it make a difference? What else has to be done? Later in the show we welcome Michael Landsberg, the host of “Off The Record� on TSN, back to our program to help us answer these questions at the end of On The Bubble.

Before that though, in the Redline Report, we cover the games the Maple Leafs played this past week against New Jersey, and Washington. Three new members joined the Revolving Door club, all with the similar injuries. We tell you who’s on the shelf and conclude with Quick Hits featuring Ilja Bryzgalov and where the 2008-2009 NHL season will begin.

Finally in rigamarole, we tell you why the word rebuilding doesn’t have to be as dirty as it’s made out to be in Toronto.

Big thanks to Michael Landsberg for joining us on this week’s edition of AFITC!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.20 of AFITC hits the air today after get this, a perfect week for the Maple Leafs. Shockingly, the Maple Leafs managed three wins in three games against Carolina, Boston and Buffalo to keep them within striking distance of the final playoff spot in the East. Updates on Bryan McCabe, Carlo Colaiacovo and Mark Bell follow in the Redline Report along with more rumors of John Ferguson’s dismissal. We’ll tell you who the newest candidate is to fill a potential vacancy in the Leaf front office.

Quick Hits concludes the Redline Report featuring news on Curtis Joseph, Peter Forsberg, Michael Nylander and Sidney Crosby. In On The Bubble, we bring you more listener email, this week from Mark, Alan and Aaron. Also a Troubling Fact of the Week and an email to the gong banger follows at the end of the segment.

And in Rigamarole, we tell you if the Maple Leafs have done enough to turn their fortunes around or if significant changes still need to be made. Stick around and find out when episode 3.20 of AFITC starts now!

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Ahead on this week’s show, we bring you news of an utterly discouraging Maple Leafs road trip. Anybody who has any hope left for this season ought to give their head a shake because the Maple Leafs will not be making the playoffs this year. Three convincing defeats at the hands of Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose sealed their fate this season. Off the ice, the Maple Leafs claimed a forward off waivers and had their all star representative named. We’ll tell you who they were as well as finally connecting the dots in the Scotty Bowman saga.

To conclude the Redline Report, we examine Alex Ovechkin’s mammoth contract and touch on stories regarding Dany Heatley, Raffi Torres, Mike Ribeiro, Sergei Samsonov, Chris Osgood and Roberto Luongo.

In On The Bubble, we highlight Brandon Burlon of the St. Michael’s Buzzers who was slotted fifty seventh overall on the mid-season rankings for North American skaters released this week by NHL Central Scouting. More listener email comes your way as well along with a Troubling Fact of the Week again courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers.

In rigmarole, we shed some light on the underlying irony at this year’s all star game in Atlanta. What should the Maple Leafs do to turn this ship around? Stick around and we’ll tell you coming up on Episode 3.19 of AFITC.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

UPDATE: We apologize for a technical issue surrounding this episode. If you downloaded this before 5PM Monday January 7th, the last 27 minutes or so of the file are silence. Please try downloading again! Thanks go to listener Dave Fellows for pointing this out to us. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Episode 3.18 of AFITC struggles to bring any good news from Leafs Nation this past week. One shootout win against Tampa Bay was overshadowed by two convincing defeats at the hands of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia along with more injuries beginning to pile up. We have all the details on the three games the Leafs played as well as an update on the current membership in the Revolving Door Club.

Great ratings for the NHL’s Winter Classic in Buffalo on New Year’s Day. We will look at the viewership of this game, discuss the possibilities of the Leafs holding a similar game and find out what it was like in Buffalo at Ralph Wilson stadium from Corey Landsberg who was in attendance at the game. On The Bubble features more listener email from Mark, Andre, Will, Alan, and Aaron along with a discussion on the success of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Rigamarole looks at why the Maple Leafs are a different team in front of Vesa Toskala then compared with the other men who have tended goal for them this season.

Big thanks to Corey Landsberg for coming on the show to give us a first hand account of what it was like at the Winter Classic in Buffalo on New Year’s Day!

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.17 comes your way today on the final day of 2007. We look back at the past week in Maple Leaf action that saw them pick up only one of a possible six points in games against the Islanders, Flyers and Rangers. Updates on injured Leafs Vesa Toskala and Bryan McCabe follow in the Revolving Door. Also, we tell you why Anton Stralman is now in this dubious club.

To conclude the Redline Report, we touch on the Ray Emery soap opera in Ottawa and Quick Hits featuring Marc Denis, Sergei Samsonov, Alex Ovechkin and Chris Osgood. On the Bubble brings you more listener email and the Troubling Fact of the Week along with a look at the progress of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

And in rigamarole this week, we examine exactly what has to happen to prompt a significant shake up in the front office of the Maple Leafs. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Apologies for the technical difficulties experienced with this episode. If you downloaded the episode earlier today you will have only received a file a minute and some seconds in length. This new posting of this weeks episode should be the full version.

Episode 3.16 of AFITC – The Holiday Edition – arrives today with news on the continuing progress of the Maple Leafs’ road trip. Games against the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers this week yielded one win, one loss and one overtime loss. We tell you all about those games as well as filling you in on the status of Carlo Colaiacovo and his possible return to the lineup. Later in the Redline Report, we hand out the AFITC Player of the Week award and check in with news on two suspensions handed out this past week to Chris Simon and Craig Adams.

In On The Bubble, we feature listener emails from Mark, Alan and Aaron and look at how improved play of late for the Maple Leafs still manages to make the Troubling Fact of the Week segment.

Rigamarole wraps the show with a look ahead to what the Maple Leafs must do over the final two games of their road trip.

Best of the season and Happy Holidays to all our great listeners who continue to offer the show tremendous support!

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Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.15 of AFITC brings you news from the first two games of the Maple Leafs seven game road trip that could decide their season’s fortunes. We have recaps of stops into Atlanta and Montreal as well as the game the Maple Leafs played against Tampa Bay at home earlier in the week. Spinning through the Revolving Door, we have updates on Carlo Colaiacovo and a new member to this club along with news on Bates Battaglia and this week’s Player of the Week.

To conclude the Redline Report, we touch on news regarding Mike Richards, the Scott Niedermayer affair and another award for Sid the Kid. In On The Bubble, we look at more of your emails and check on this week’s Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole wraps the show as always and tells you this week why Bryan McCabe has had all the bad luck. Check out www.stmichaelsbuzzers.com for information on Homecoming Night on December 21st for the St. Michael’s Buzzers against the Durham Fury as promoted on this week’s show! Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

For Episode 3.14 of AFITC, we return to the studio after a week on location at the Shamrock & Thistle. After it looked like the end was near for both Paul Maurice and John Ferguson Jr. less than two weeks ago, the Maple Leafs rolled off four consecutive wins to ease the tension in Leaf land. We will look back at games against the Thrashers, Penguins, Predators, Rangers and Bruins and spin you through the Revolving Door with updates on Leaf injuries.

More Leaf news regarding Mats Sundin, Staffan Kronwall and Jiri Tlusty follow the game reports as well as an anointment of Maple Leaf player of the week will. Quick Hits conclude the Redline Report with news on Scott Niedermayer, Alex Auld, Sam Gagne and Mark Recchi. In On The Bubble, we feature listener email, a Troubling Fact of the Week and the return of Michael Landsberg, the host of OTR on TSN, on AFITC.

And in Rigmarole, we look at the continuing struggles of the Maple Leafs power play. Four wins in a row is a nice change of pace for Maple Leaf fans. Hey did I mention the Sens lost seven straight?

Big thanks to Michael Landsberg for joining us on this week’s edition of the program! As always, it is a treat to get him on the show!

Also check out www.stmichaelsbuzzers.com for information on Homecoming Night on December 21st for the St. Michael’s Buzzers against the Durham Fury as promoted on this week’s show!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.13 – The Return Engagement - comes to you live from The Shamrock & Thistle in downtown Etobicoke on the heels of the Grim Reaper being added to the speed dial of MLSE just in case they decide someone’s job must come to an end. We’ll discuss the game against the Montreal Canadiens this past Tuesday and how much time it may or may not have bought JFJ and Paul Maurice. Throughout the program, we also provide updates on the game against the Atlanta Thrashers taking place during our recording of this week’s episode. The Revolving Door keeps spinning as well with updates on Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jiri Tlusty.

To conclude the Redline Report, we will discuss a possible change to next year’s schedule format up for discussion at the upcoming Board of Governors meetings in California along with the potential for NHL participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics. In On The Bubble, we welcome you, the listeners, to the show with listener email, some fantastic comments from the audience and a few trivia questions as well. As always, a Troubling Fact of the Week concludes this segment.

And in rigamarole, we discuss Richard Peddie’s questionable admission regarding the hiring of John Ferguson Jr.

Special thanks to The Shamrock & Thistle – located at 4923 Dundas Street West in Etobicoke – for hosting another edition of AFITC Live and to everybody who joined us on the program to share their thoughts on the Maple Leafs! We look forward to our next visit after another great night!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

After three straight losses this week to the Bruins, Stars and Coyotes, rumors are swirling around Leafland about impending changes. How long does Paul Maurice have? Is JFJ’s job safe? Is Andrew Raycroft Marlies bound? We’ll opine on those issues as well as provide an update on injured Leafs including Pavel Kubina, Jiri Tlusty, Chad Kilger and Carlo Colaiacovo in the Revolving Door.

Quick Hits conclude the Redline Report with news on Glen Hanlon, Daniel Alfredsson, Matt Carle and the Tickets for Troops promotion in Edmonton. On the Bubble features more listener email, a Troubling Fact of the Week and a Babble of Ontario with the fellows from Sens Underground.

Rigamarole looks at some of the reasons why the Maple Leafs have struggled over the past few weeks.

Thanks to Shredder, Russell and StooLi from Sens Underground for another great Babble Of Ontario.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.11 of AFITC brings you news of a week that started out very discouragingly for the Maple Leafs but ended in spectacular fashion against the Ottawa Senators. In the Revolving Door Club, we welcome a new member and provide an update on a returning veteran of the club. After the disagreement in the warm up before a game over a week ago on November 10th against the Rangers, we discuss the punishment handed down by the NHL to all parties concerned. Quick Hits conclude the Redline Report featuring news on Fernando Pisani, Sheldon Souray, Ilja Bryzgalov, and Doug Armstrong.

In On The Bubble, we feature more Listener Email from Andre, Gregory, David, Alan and Aaron as well as a Troubling Fact of the Week Incidentally support seems to be growing for the oft-disgruntled Gong Banger in the form of a Facebook group started by listener and regular contributor Alan Bass. Join that group if you sympathize with the Gong Banger.

To wrap the segment, we welcome John Iaboni to AFITC for the first time. John is the current editor of Leafs Nation Program at Air Canada Centre and has been covering the Maple Leafs for over thirty years. He brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge to the show during our twenty minute talk. Big thanks to John for taking sometime for us last week!

Rigamarole tells you what needs to happen for the Maple Leafs to get their power play back on track.

AFITC Live @ The Shamrock & Thistle is coming up in less than two weeks on November 29th, 2007. The Maple Leafs will take on the Atlanta Thrashers in a Leafs TV exclusive on that night and we welcome you to come out and join us for a great evening of Maple Leafs hockey at a tremendous bar and restaurant. Check out all the details in our AFITC Insiders group on Facebook where the Event Profile is listed. To hear some of the fun from our last engagement at The Shamrock & Thistle, go back and listen to Episode 3.2.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

After a long wait, it’s finally here. We’ve hit the century mark on AFITC. Episode 3.10 comes your way today on Remembrance Day 2007. Today on the program, we review the Maple Leafs three games from the past week: a loss against Ottawa, a win against Buffalo and a shootout loss against the New York Rangers. Just when the Maple Leafs thought they were fully healthy, a new player joins the Revolving Door club. We’ll tell who that is and how bad his injury is coming up in the Redline Report.

Additional Leaf notes this week feature Anton Stralman and Simon Gamache. Former Leaf Eric Lindros retired from the NHL this past week. A great career, but is it Hall of Fame worthy. We’ll answer that question and conclude the Redline Report with Quick Hits featuring Mike Modano and Jeremy Roenick. On the Bubble features our most ambitious portion of listener email yet and another Troubling Fact of the Week, this week featuring Kevin Bieksa again.

To conclude the segment, James Duthie – the host of the NHL on TSN joins us to discuss a variety of topics pertaining to the Maple Leafs and issues around the NHL. A great guest as always, you won’t want to miss James Duthie near the end of the program. Big thanks go out to James who took time out of his very busy week to join us on the program!

Rigamarole will conclude the show and touch on what Mark Bell will bring to the Maple Leafs.

Thanks to everybody who sent us an email on the program this week. It’s great to know where the show is being heard! Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

The Maple Leafs week progressed from horrendous against Washington to impressive against Montreal with elements of both in between in New Jersey. We will have all the details of those games in the Redline Report along with injury updates on Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, Kyle Wellwood, and Carlo Colaiacovo in the Revolving Door. Mark Bell is eligible to return Tuesday in Ottawa. What will he bring to the lineup? Simon Gamache now has some security but will he stay once others return? We’ll answer both those questions as well. Rick Tocchet’s ban for his role in an illegal gambling ring now has an end in sight. We’ll tell you when it ends and if it was long enough. Quick Hits this week feature news on Randy Jones, Miikka Kiprusoff, Peter Bondra, Jason Spezza, Patrick Kane and Scott Niedermayer.

In On The Bubble, listener email comes your way along with another Troubling Fact of the Week, this week featuring an erratic gong banger and a gruesome injury.

In rigamarole, we will look at whether or not the Leafs are deserving of their current spot in the Eastern Conference Standings.

Next week will mark out century episode as AFITC will reach one hundred shows in its history. On that show, James Duthie – the host of the NHL on TSN – will be along with us as our special guest. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.8 of AFITC comes your way today bringing light at the end of the tunnel for Maple Leaf fans. Six possible points this week; the Maple Leafs picked up five in wins against the Penguins and Rangers and a shootout loss to the Thrashers. Injuries continue to abound with two more regulars out of the lineup in Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe. As well, the latest updates on Kyle Wellwood and Carlo Colaiacovo in the Revolving Door.

The Toronto Marlies lost a player after he decided to go home. We’ll tell you who won’t be making an appearance in a Leaf uniform anytime soon. To conclude the Redline Report, we touch on stories focusing on Danny Markov, Alexander Semin, Dominik Hasek, Jesse Boulerice and the NHLPA. Lots of listener email this week featuring a variety of thought provoking ideas on visors, a suspension cap and whether the Maple Leafs actually have incentive to win the Stanley Cup. We’ll spend a good chunk of time discussing your thoughts in On The Bubble and wrap with another Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole will wrap the show with a look at John Tavares and his chances of becoming a Maple Leaf in the not too distant future. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.7 of AFITC comes to you today on the heels of a disappointing week in the world of the Toronto Maple Leafs. We will look at the three games the Maple Leafs played in the past seven days: one each against the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Revolving Door brings bad news regarding Kyle Wellwood and Carlo Colaiacovo along with an update on the recently injured Boyd Deveraux. The Redline Report continues with a look at the Atlanta Thrashers’ situation and concludes with Quick Hits featuring Jonathon Bernier of the LA Kings, Sheldon Souray of the Edmonton Oilers, and Jochen Hecht of the Buffalo Sabres.

In On The Bubble, we feature Listener Email and a Troubling Fact of the Week: this week looking at the New York Rangers. To wrap this segment, Paul Hendrick of Leafs TV makes his return to the program and joins us to discuss Mats Sundin’s recent accomplishments and other issues surrounding the start of the Maple Leafs season.

Rigamarole looks at why the Maple Leafs cannot seem to play effective hockey in the third period of play.

Special thanks to Paul Hendrick for taking time to come on the program this week. It’s always a pleasure speaking with him! Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Episode 3.6 of AFITC comes your way today as we venture to get the show back to our regular recording time of Sunday. In today’s program, we discuss the back and forth efforts of the Maple Leafs to establish some consistency in their play. This week, two discouraging losses at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins bookend an impressive victory over the New York Islanders. We pass along injury updates pertaining to Kyle Wellwood, Carlo Colaiacovo and Alexei Ponikarovsky in the Revolving Door. We saw more on-ice nastiness this week, this time care of Jesse Boulerice. He was handed a significant suspension and we discuss its ramifications in the Redline Report. To conclude that segment, we feature two Quick Hits pertaining to the business side of the game: one on the possible announcement of Paul Kelly as the new Executive Director of the NHLPA and the other on Jim Balsillie’s renewed interest in the Nashville Predators.

On The Bubble has more Listener Email along with a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole discusses the continuing plight of Bryan McCabe.

On the program, we also announce the second edition of “A Foot In The Crease Live @ The Shamrock & Thistle� slated to take place on November 29th, 2007 when the Maple Leafs take on the Atlanta Thrashers. The Shamrock & Thistle is located at 4923 Dundas Street West in Etobicoke, Ontario. For more information on this upcoming event, see its Event Profile on Facebook.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

For post game articles and analysis, check out daveintoronto.blogspot.com.

Next Week on AFITC
We just got word after recording the episode that Paul Hendrick is set to guest on next week's episode of AFITC!

Episode 3.5 of AFITC brings you the first edition of this year’s Babble Of Ontario with the boys from Sens Underground. As always, we spend more time than planned discussing all things Leafs and Senators. You will hear it at the end of this week’s edition of On The Bubble.

Before that though, we look at the first three regular season games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Redline Report. Jason Blake received some very tough news this week but seems to be taking it positively. We discuss his situation and how it will affect him going forward. We also provided updates on the status of both Kyle Wellwood and Carlo Colaiacovo and revisit the situations of last players cut from training camp last week. To conclude the Redline Report, we tell you about two more Leaf demotions and feature a variety of Quick Hits pertaining to Steve Downie, Ladislav Smid, Karel Pilar, Kevin Lowe, Rory Fitzpatrick and Dany Heatley.

Lots of listener email as always in On The Bubble as well as another Troubling Fact of the Week, this episode featuring Ducks GM Brian Burke. In rigamarole, we explain to you the value of good goaltending.

Thanks go out to Shredder, Russell and StooLi from Sens Underground for a great first edition of the 2007-2008 Babble of Ontario. Also, thanks to Billy Wood for designing a fabulous promotional poster for the Babble of Ontario! Finally do check out www.daveintoronto.blogspot.com for our post game articles and analysis! Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The dawn of a new regular season brings with it the final preseason edition of AFITC. For Episode 3.4 of the program, we conclude our Maple Leaf training camp coverage by recapping the team’s final three preseason games played last week against the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, spin through the Revolving Door of injuries, tell you who broke camp with the big club and preview the line combinations likely to be in place for the first regular season game October 3rd against the Ottawa Senators.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on Steve Downie’s hit on Dean McAmmond and we will tell you what we think regarding said incident during the Redline Report. Also we highlight several young players looking to make their mark with Canadian teams this season and tell you who will wear the “C� for the Philadelphia Flyers.

On The Bubble, also known this week as the Shameless Plug portion of the show, brings you more listener email, some breaking news regarding Mark Bell, Ron McLean and Harry Neale and a Troubling Fact of the Week. As mentioned on the show, check out Jeff’s band’s website at www.theprintingpress.ca for information on the band’s latest release Exhibit A among other things. Also have a look at Dave’s columns at www.stmichaelsbuzzers.com along with tuning into Rogers Television, Channel 10 in Toronto or online on the website Fridays at 7:30pm to see the Buzzers in action! If you are in Halifax, Nova Scotia looking for a place to watch Wednesday’s Maple Leaf season opener, consider The Grawood Campus Pub at Dalhousie University. See the Facebook Event for all the details.

Rigamarole provides you with a look at our predictions of the results of the 2007-2008 NHL regular season.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

For Episode 3.3 of the program, we return to our familiar digs and bring the show back inside the studio after recording Episode 3.2 live from The Shamrock & Thistle. With just over a week to go until the regular season begins October 3rd against the Ottawa Senators, we look at how the Maple Leafs are taking shape in advance of that date. We touch on injuries to Kyle Wellwood and Boyd Deveraux, a variety of cuts made by Paul Maurice over the weekend and which young players are still in the running for big league work. The Redline Report concludes with a look at the popularity of the upcoming outdoor game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Day 2008 and the admission from Gary Bettman that the NHL’s schedule is in need of revision. Stop the “obstinate clock" at a season and a half. That has to be some kind of record.

On The Bubble features a variety of email, some held over from last week and several we received this week as well. The alliteration is in full force this week with emails from Alex, Andre, Anthony, Alan and Aaron as well as Stooli and Travis. The Troubling Fact of the Week makes its return this week documenting what seems to us like laziness on the part of the NHL.

Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox joins us on this week’s program to look ahead toward the upcoming season and to offer his opinion on a variety of issues going on around the league. Many thanks to Damien for taking some time for us this past week to make his inaugural appearance on the show!

Rigamarole explains why eight preseason games is just too many to have to put up with, whether you are a fan, broadcaster, player or really anyone who has anything to do with the game of hockey. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

What a night! Episode 3.2 of AFITC comes to you today after recording live at The Shamrock & Thistle on Tuesday evening during the Maple Leafs first preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers. We deviate from our regular format slightly making the show more interactive with patrons at The Shamrock & Thistle but still include our staple segments. In the Redline Report, we discuss a variety of news pertaining to Maple Leaf training camp including Paul Maurice’s vision for the season, early line combinations, and what to expect during the early part of the preseason. Our medical correspondent Poste joins us to discuss in depth the ailments of Boyd Deveraux and Anton Stralman, and why their situations must be taken very seriously in order to prevent them from easily becoming more severe. We also look further at the fifteen game suspension handed down to Mark Bell earlier last week and news out of Ottawa including the Senators potential interest in former Maple Leaf Jeff O’Neill, Mike Fisher’s new contract and what this contract means for them financially going forward.

On The Bubble includes listener email from Alan and Aaron. Those that we did not get to on today’s show will be featured on next week’s program. In the interest of brevity, we decided to pre-empt the Troubling Fact of the Week, but fear not those for whom this segment is their favourite; it will return next week on Episode 3.3! Rigamarole looks at how solid the ground is that John Ferguson Jr. is standing on when it comes to retaining his job as Maple Leaf general manager.

There’s the usual stuff, now comes the bonus material. We were lucky enough to be joined by former Maple Leaf Pat Graham for ten minutes or so as he dropped by our booth. We talked to Pat about his role with the 1983-1984 Leafs, the style of play today compared with the style he saw first hand during his playing days and the Mark Bell affair among other things. Pat also shared a few stories from back during his playing career; the result of one is still being felt in the NHL today. Being a former St. Michael’s Buzzer, Pat also discussed with us the quality of hockey in the OPJHL and the league’s ability to produce quality prospects as good as those developed in the CHL. Big thanks to Pat Graham for spending some time with us on Tuesday night!

We also walk around and chat with a few patrons at The Shamrock & Thistle to find out their opinions on a variety of topics including the expectations of this year’s Maple Leaf team. Thanks to some fabulous prizes that were donated for the event, we played some Maple Leaf trivia with the patrons at The Shamrock & Thistle and handed out several great prizes!

We would like to thank everybody who attended the event and helped make our first foray out of the studio relatively smooth and successful. Also, to Andre and the entire staff at The Shamrock & Thistle, thank you so much for making us feel so welcome and giving us this opportunity. It was certainly a great night for the show!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

After a fifty seven day hiatus, AFITC is back as we kick off Season Three of the program. Thanks off the top for sticking with us over our break and continuing to support the show as Season Three begins.

The Redline Report looks at the Leafs’ signing of Tony Salmelainen, the promotion of Jeff Jackson to Assistant GM and Director of Hockey Operations, the continuing legal issues facing Mark Bell and where to find the Maple Leafs this year on television. If you do not have Leafs TV, get ready to open your pocketbook. Former Maple Leafs Mike Peca and Ed Belfour are both seeking hockey refuge elsewhere and we will tell you where you can see them play this season. We also check in on some San Jose Shark news pertaining to Jeremy Roenick and Patrick Marleau and encourage Scott Niedermayer to make a decision one way or the other on whether he wants to continue playing.

On The Bubble features Listener Email and the season’s first Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole looks at John Tavares and the special treatment he feels he deserves.

Do your best to make it out to The Shamrock & Thistle, 4923 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, Ontario, on September 18th at 8:30pm when AFITC records live during the Maple Leafs first preseason game of their schedule against the Edmonton Oilers. We would love the chance to meet some of our tremendous listeners and get them on the show! All the details are on our website or on our AFITC Insiders Group on Facebook. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Forty four weeks in a row, forty four shows and with that Season 2 of AFITC comes to an end. On today’s episode of the program, we evaluate the signing of erstwhile Devils netminder Scott Clemmensen, discuss the benefits of the Maple Leafs possibly adding a senior executive to their management team and look over the key dates in the 2007-2008 schedule for the Maple Leafs. The Redline Report continues with Quick Hits where we examine the signings of Sidney Crosby, Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Sean Hill, Hendrik Lundqvist, Brendan Shanahan and Sheldon Souray. We also look at the unhappiness of Alexei Yashin and the two coaching positions filled this week: John Paddock in Ottawa and Brent Sutter in New Jersey.

On The Bubble features our final segment of Listener Email this season with comments from Travis, Andre, Alan, and Aaron. Rigamarole looks at the “Thomas Vanek Affair.�

Thanks go out to everyone who made themselves a part of the program anytime throughout Season 2. All of our emailers, we mentioned some by name on the show but undoubtedly, we did not get to everybody. To all of you, thank you!

Thanks to our fellow podcasters, Crazy Ivan, Shredder and Russell from Sens Underground for several outstanding editions of the Babble of Ontario. Here’s to many more next year! Also, thanks to Scott and Jay from the Dallas Stars Podcast and to Dave Chochla from NHLanalysis.com for their contributions to our program this year!

To all of our guests: Michael Landsberg, James Duthie, Jennifer Hedger, Bob McKenzie, Paul Hendrick, Andy Frost, John Ondrasik, Brendan Smith and Matt Stajan, thanks to all of you for adding so much more credibility to our program this season! Your time could not have been anymore appreciated!

And finally, to you. Thanks to each and every single one of you who took the time to download and listen to our show. Whether you heard one or all of our shows this season, it is our listeners that make the show what it is. Thank you!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Please continue sending listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com throughout the summer. We will feature all of them on Episode 3.1 of the program to come your way at the beginning of September.

The penultimate edition of AFITC comes your way today as we examine all of the significant wheelings and dealings around the league in one of the busiest weeks of player movement all year long. The Redline Report begins with a look at the Maple Leafs big signing in Jason Blake and the contract extensions of Vesa Toskala and Bates Battaglia. Next we go Across The Country to check in with all the Canadian teams detailing their important moves. To conclude, we examine the remaining deals of note including those relating to Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Ryan Smyth, Brian Rafalski, Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi in the Quick Hits portion of the Redline Report.

On The Bubble features Listener Email as always. Rigamarole discusses the winners and losers since the start of the NHL’s silly season.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

After a three day break to allow Jeff to safely make his way home from a rigorous canoeing trip, Episode 2.42 of AFITC – The Draft Wrap Edition, comes your way today. We start the Redline Report with Leaf Notes discussing the acquisition of Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell. Also we announce the contract extensions of Carlo Colaiacovo, Jay Harrison and the newly signed 2001 CHL player of the year Simon Gamache. Finally we have a look at what the Maple Leafs did at the draft once they got around to making selections in the third round.

The Redline Report continues with an update on the Nashville Predators situation regarding their potential sale to Jim Balsillie. Concluding the opening segment of the show, we have Quick Hits discussing Sergei Samsonov, Claude Julien, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Tomas Vokoun, Scott Walker, Sean O’Donnell, Kent Huskins, JS Giguere and Ray Emery.

On The Bubble features talk of Scott Niedermayer’s potential retirement and another great segment of listener email. Rigamarole looks at the long term impact of the Vesa Toskala deal.

Congratulations go to Brendan Smith, who appeared on Episode 2.41 of AFITC. He was chosen in the 1st round, 27th overall in last Friday’s NHL Entry Draft moving up a staggering 41 places from his final Central Scouting Bureau ranking. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The NHL's off season is in full swing now but as most things are starting to slow down, we at AFITC are only picking up more steam. Episode 2.41 of the program looks back at the NHL Awards from this past Thursday at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto and tees up the 2007 NHL Entry Draft six days from today at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

In the Redline Report, we begin with news regarding Mats Sundin's contract situation. From there, we move onto the NHL Awards and discuss the winners of each individual trophy. The Hamilton Predators appear to be a hot sell and we touch on the wild success of ticket sales for the potential team west of Toronto. The Quick Hits portion of the Redline Report involves news bits regarding George Parros, Randy Carlyle, Chris Chelios, Lindy Ruff, Darcy Regier, Bryan Allen, Chris Gratton, Chris Higgins, Mike Komisarek and Dave Lewis.

To wrap up the Redline Report, NHL on TSN Insider Bob McKenzie joins us on the program to discuss the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, the NHL Awards, the Stanley Cup Finals, and the off season game plan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On The Bubble features more great listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Concluding this segment of the show is Brendan Smith of the St. Michael's Buzzers, ranked 68th overall by NHL Central Scouting for this year's draft. He stops by to discuss his expectations heading toward the draft, his off season schedule and his plans going forward over the next few years.

Rigamarole will conclude the show with a look at why Roberto Luongo walked away empty handed at the NHL Awards.

Tremendous thanks to Bob McKenzie for joining us on this week show! The knowledge, expertise and credibility he provides our show with simply cannot be valued. We cannot thank him enough!

Also, we thank Brendan Smith for joining us on today's program. For a young guy, he was an outstanding interview and is clearly on the right track to accomplish some pretty special things. Best of luck Brendan at the NHL Entry Draft next Saturday!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "Call This Quits" by Assembling The Empire and "So Far Over You" and "Personal Style" by AM Stereo

A lengthy edition of the show comes your way today as we bring you our 40th of season two but that was to be expected with lots to discuss from the past week in the NHL. We begin the Redline Report with Leaf Notes featuring Nik Antropov, Staffan Kronwall and Mats Sundin. Our final Playoff Recap of the season breaks down games four and five of the Stanley Cup Final which saw the Anaheim Ducks emerge victorious! We also offer some suggestions as to why the series played out the way it did. Later, we discuss John Ferguson Jr.’s comments relating to Sean Hill and conclude the Redline Report with Quick Hits regarding Alexei Yashin, Dominik Hasek and Niklas Backstrom.

On The Bubble features a tremendous edition of Listener Email as many of our listeners were eager to opine on the demise of the Ottawa Senators. Thanks to a posting on our forums, we pass along some of the best books relating to the Toronto Maple Leafs available. Share yours on our AFITC Insiders Group on Facebook.

Rigamarole looks at what the Ottawa Senators accomplished this season and what impact their playoff ride will have going forward.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "Hey Warden!" by 7 Shot Screamers and "Fog" and "Insomnia" by Wintersleep

The Stanley Cup Finals finally got underway at the beginning of last week and so far the Ducks hold a 2-1 series lead through three games. We recap the first three games of the finals in the Playoff Recap portion of the Redline Report and touch on some controversy involving Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Pronger. Later on Sunday afternoon after we had finished recording the show, it was announced that Chris Pronger was assessed a one game suspension for his hit on Dean McAmmond in game three of the series. As a result, Pronger will not be in uniform for the Ducks when Ottawa attempts to tie the series at two games apiece in game four on Monday evening.

Also in the Redline Report, we have Leaf Notes regarding Mats Sundin and rookie defenseman Phil Oreskovic along with an update on the wanderings of Jim Balsillie. To conclude the Redline Report, we touch on several Quick Hits relating to Cam Ward, Glen Wesley, Andre Markov, Taylor Pyatt, Matthew Lombardi, Marcus Nilson, Dan Maloney and Craig Hartsburg.

On The Bubble feature another portion of Listener Email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole looks at the issue of potentially allowing goals kicked into the net. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "Goodbye Farewell" by Dead Heart Bloom, "Keep The Kid" by Bellevue and "Gates" by Brimstone Howl.

Episode 2.38 of AFITC comes your way today and we can safely say this week’s program cannot stack up to Episode 2.37. After having Matt Stajan on last week’s program, it was virtually impossible to do one better this week, so we did not even try. Such are the breaks of setting the bar high. Not to mention that there has been nearly a week since game action and as a result, in the eighty four weeks of doing this show, never before have we had such a struggle to assemble some solid content.

Nevertheless, we feature two Leaf Notes to begin the Redline Report which discuss the departure of Aleksander Suglobov and the imminent arrival of Nikolai Kumelin. The Playoff Recap discusses Game 6 of the Western Conference Final and tees up the Stanley Cup Finals. We mull over Jim Balsillie’s intent to purchase the Nashville Predators and the possibility of moving the team to Kitchener-Waterloo. To conclude the Redline Report, its Quick Hits featuring information on Jordan Leopold, Kurt Sauer, Ryan Kesler and Brian Leetch.

In On The Bubble, we have more listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole focuses on Wayne Gretzky’s unwavering loyalty. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music featured in this week's episode includes "Hand of Glory" and "It Hurts When I Do This" by 7 Shot Screamers and "Wish It Well" by Dead Heart Bloom.

Episode 2.37 comes your way today with the Eastern Conference Final having finished this past weekend leaving the Ottawa Senators victorious and the Western Conference Final heading toward game six tomorrow in Anaheim. We cover it all for you in this week’s edition of the Playoff Recap in the Redline Report. To begin the Redline Report, we discuss two Leafs Notes pertaining to Mats Sundin and the newly signed Anton Stralman. Two Quick Hits conclude the segment as we discuss the signings of Johan Holmqvist in Tampa Bay and Nicklas Backstrom in Washington.

On The Bubble brings with it a solid edition of listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week where we question a decision made by NBC during the coverage of game five of the Ottawa vs Buffalo series. To conclude the segment, we are honoured to welcome Matt Stajan, #14 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to the program to discuss a variety of different topics.

Rigamarole takes a look at the collapse of the Buffalo Sabres.

Huge thanks to Matt Stajan for joining us on this week’s program. What a treat it was to get him on the show! Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode include "Sound Scientist" by Bill, "Here Comes The Night" by Club Stella Bowling Team and "Strictly Ballroom" by Dead Smiling Pirates

Another jam packed edition of AFITC comes your way today with Episode 2.36 of the program. The third round of the playoffs is well underway and we get you caught up with the progress of both the Eastern Conference Final, involving the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators and the Western Conference Final, involving the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks in the Playoff Recap portion of the Redline Report. To being that segment, we discuss a host of Leaf Notes including a conclusion to Sundin's hip drama, the signings of Alexei Ponikarovsky and Ian White, and the results of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's annual Board of Directors meeting. To conclude the Redline Report, we celebrate the gold medal victory of Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships and touch on a Quick Hit regarding upcoming editions of the World Junior Hockey Championships.

On The Bubble features an interview we conducted this past week with Andy Frost, the public address announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre, the host of Psychedelic Psunday on Q107 and Leaf Talk on AM 640 Toronto Radio among his many other duties. Also, we have another great portion of listener email! Thanks goes out to all of our listeners for continuing to send great emails now longer after the Maple Leafs season ended!

Rigamarole discusses the upcoming Victoria Cup tournament slated to begin in the fall of 2008.

Special thanks go to Andy Frost for taking some time out of his busy schedule to join us on the program for his second outstanding appearance this season!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "Mr. Lovely" by Beth Thornley "Panacea" by bill and "Waste Another Night" by My Little Radio

Episode 2.35 of AFITC comes your way today with a more jam packed show than perhaps ever. Alright, well we did not go back and evaluate the previous eighty shows for their degree of jam packed-ness but it is safe to say we cover a lot in a busy week in the world of hockey on today's program.

The Redline Report begins with three Leaf Notes regarding Carlo Colaiacovo, Staffan Kronwall, and Mats Sundin. In the playoff recap, we examine all four second round series: two still in progress at the time of the show's recording included the Sabres vs the Rangers and the Red Wings vs the Sharks and the two concluded series which saw the Ducks defeat the Canucks and the Senators defeat the Devils. Buffalo eliminated the New York Rangers this afternoon with a 5-4 victory in game 6. Later we update you on the progress of Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships and pass our judgment on the Shane Doan fiasco. We quickly examine the finalists for the NHL Awards that were announced this past week and conclude the Redline Report with a few Quick Hits.

On The Bubble features the results of a poll conducted by TSN last week regarding the possibility of switching to 4 on 4 during overtime in the playoffs. As always we also have another good dose of listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole discusses how the Devils have fallen since their championship years. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this weeks episode included "Venus Rising" and "Save It All" by Lee Alexander and "Time Comes" by Kevin Merritt.

Episode 2.34 of AFITC brings you continuing coverage of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. We wrap up the remaining first round series not concluded at the time of the previous show and outline the progress of the four second round series currently underway. Also in the Redline Report, Leaf Notes kick off the segment with news on Boyd Deveraux. To conclude the Redline Report, we fill you in on the progress of Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships in Moscow, Russia.

In On The Bubble, we make a major guest announcement for a show coming up in mid to late May. Tune into that segment to find out who it is! We also feature listener email from Josh, Dave, Alan and Aaron. Wrapping up this segment, it is another edition of the Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole debates whether this year's version of the Ottawa Senators are any different than the teams that failed year after year in the past. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode includes "Esteem" by 8stops7, "On My Way" by Strut McFearson and "Change Your Mind" by Till Bill Vivino Band.

Episode 2.33 comes your way today and on this edition of the program, Jennifer Hedger, host of Sportscentre on TSN, joins us for the her second appearance of the year. At the end of On The Bubble, Jennifer joins us to discuss the end of the Maple Leafs season as well as a variety of issues pertaining to the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Before her interview, in the Redline Report, we discuss the state of affairs in each of the eight first round playoff match ups, the firing of Doug MacLean, the bizarre chain of events that happened to Alexander Semin, and we offer some further news on the upcoming World Hockey Championships.

Rigamarole looks at Sean Hill's positive drug test.

We have lined up a tremendous guest who will join us sometime on the program over the next few weeks. Find out who it is by becoming an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "LIttle Way" by Chi'Hoda, "Doctor" by Bloom and 'The Wayfarer" by A Beggar's Opera.

Episode 2.32 marks the beginning of our playoff coverage on AFITC. Without the Maple Leafs to centre the show around, this week's program takes on a bit of a change in format compared with our regular season shows. Nevertheless we begin the Redline Report with news from the aftermath of the Maple Leafs' season. We relate comments from the mouth of Mats Sundin concerning his future with the team, discuss Carlo Colaiacovo's most recent injury and let you know which Leafs will be participating in the upcoming World Hockey Championships beginning at the end of April in Moscow, Russia. We also update you on the progress of the eight quarter-final matchups and share some Quick Hits to conclude the Redline Report.

In On The Bubble, we read some more exceptional email received this past week through our email afootinthecrease@gmail.com and through our Facebook group, A Foot In The Crease Fans. This week's Troubling Fact of the Week is inspired by the bizarre decision by the NHL to give NBC first right of refusal for scheduling instead of the CBC.

Rigamarole looks at the potential interest in expanding the playoffs to include extra teams at the end of the regular season.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network included "Wind and Wings" by Derek Clegg, "Alleluia" by Colie Brice and "Weekend" by 8stops7.

Episode 2.31 of AFITC marks the end of the Maple Leafs season after they failed to make the playoffs despite a valiant effort down the stretch, in the end falling out of the top 8 on the final afternoon of the regular season due to an Islander victory. In this edition of the program, we recap the game this past week against the Rangers, Flyers, Islanders and Canadiens. What To Be-Leaf attempts to put a spin on what transpired this season. We discuss the significance of the Maple Leafs home and road records as the season went on and give our thoughts on what the near future will hold for this team including decisions on Mats Sundin, Michael Peca, Bates Battaglia, Jeff O'Neill, Boyd Deveraux, Travis Green, Yanic Perreault and J-S Aubin: all unrestricted free agents come July 1st. We also examine who should take the blame for another year absent from the postseason. Later in the Redline Report, we quickly tee up the first round matchups and offer our predictions and give you the news on Pavel Datsyuk.

On The Bubble features more listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week inspired from a comment made on Episode 2.30 of the program. Rigamarole takes one final shot at rationalizing the year that was in Leaf Nation.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network included "Singularity" by Invictus, "The Knight-Mare" by Wonderhorse and "Faithful Guide" by Wintersleep.

With the season coming down to the results of three games that will take place this weekend, we bring you a special edition of AFITC featuring the perfect guest to help us tee up tomorrow’s crucial game. Paul Hendrick, Host of Molson Canadian Leaf Hockey mid week broadcasts joins us and provides some outstanding insight into a variety of issues.

We discuss the plane ride home after a disappointing effort against the New York Islanders, the real story on Kyle Wellwood and Darcy Tucker, the reasons that could be plaguing the slumping Mats Sundin and news out of Friday morning’s practice. Paul also reveals Montreal’s starting netminder at this point for tomorrow’s game and fills us in on Maple Leaf lineup decisions including whether Jeff O’Neill is in or out.

To conclude the show, Jeff and I go over what needs to happen to see the Maple Leafs reach the playoffs and let you know when Episode 2.31 will be released. Thanks go out to Paul Hendrick for taking time to join us for today’s special edition of AFITC!

The music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network, included "Nerves Normal, Breath Normal" by Wintersleep and "The Past" by Matt Mays.

Send along email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

After an official recount determined that we had lost count of the total number of shows, today we bring you bring Episode 2.30, actually our 76th show all time. So for those of you who had planned special 75th Edition of AFITC listening parties with popcorn, cake, chips, pretzels and brews, we are afraid you will have to go back and re-listen to last week's show. Terribly sorry if this has ruined your week!

The play of the Maple Leafs this past week though should serve as pleasant news in the wake of this unfortunate discovery. Five out of a possible six points this past week in games against the Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers and Pittsburgh Penguins leaves the Maple Leafs in control of their own destiny as their drive toward the 2007 playoffs continues. To begin the Redline Report, as always we recap said games and provide an update on the statuses of Michael Peca and Karel Pilar in the Revolving Door. What To Be-Leaf explains the necessary course of action this week for the Maple Leafs to secure a playoff spot and discusses why Mats Sundin's goalless drought is concerning but not detrimental. To conclude the Redline Report, we tell you the award Carlo Colaiacovo was nominated for; discuss the injury situation of Rick Dipietro and finish with some quick hits regarding Jack Johnson of the LA Kings and Martin Biron of Philadelphia Flyers.

On The Bubble features perhaps one of the best editions of listener email this season. A Dominik Hasek is scattered somewhere within this segment as well.

Rigamarole discusses the unrivaled greatness of Tomas Kaberle. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "The Sons Of Cain" by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, "Jaws of Life" and "Danse Macabre" by Wintersleep

Episode 2.29 comes your way today with everything you need to know to get caught up with the happenings regarding the Maple Leafs' drive to the playoffs. To begin the Redline Report, we recap the three games from this past week: a win against the New Jersey Devils and a split of the home and home series with the Buffalo Sabres. The Revolving Door takes its fewest spins in recent memory as the Leafs, save for Michael Peca, are entirely healthy for the first time in months. What To Be-Leaf focuses on the importance of the upcoming head to head games against the Rangers, Islanders, Hurricanes, and Canadiens as well as how Carlo Colaiacovo makes Bryan McCabe a better player. We also touch Kris Newbury's contract extension, a change in the entry draft format, and tee up the race for the Vezina Trophy.

On The Bubble features listener email as always. To conclude the segment, James Duthie, the host of the NHL on TSN, drops by and offers his insight to a variety of issues including fighting in hockey, the fortunes of the Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames and much more! Big thanks to James for taking this past week to join us!

Rigamarole looks at why the Maple Leafs are in as a good a position as any to make the playoffs this season.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music in this episode included "Brittle" by Aaron English, "I'm Going Home" by Lee Maddeford, and "..Words.." by Asheleyroad.

We're back in the studio for Episode 2.28 as Jeff makes his triumphant return from the land of fun and sun. Unfortunately, it was not a triumphant week for the Maple Leafs as they picked up only three of a possible six points this past week against really the last of the weaker opponents from here on in, save for the second last home game of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers.

We recap those games against Tampa Bay, Washington and Montreal to kick off the Red Line Report. We update you on the statuses of injured Maple Leafs including Tomas Kaberle, Michael Peca, Carlo Colaiacovo, John Pohl and Kyle Wellwood in the Revolving Door. What To Be-Leaf explains why Mats Sundin and Andrew Raycroft will need to do the brunt of the damage to see the Leafs make the playoffs. We bring a conclusion to the epic Flight of the Penguins Saga when we detail the announcement by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell that took place this past week. Also, we discuss the punishment handed to Jordan Tootoo for an incident that took place in a game between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators on Saturday. Finally we set the odds on who we feel should walk away with the Calder Trophy come the NHL Awards this June.

On The Bubble features more listener email and the third edition of the Babble Of Ontario with Shredder, Russell, and Crazy Ivan from Sens Underground. This one gets heated; you will not want to miss it.

Rigamarole looks at why fans are still not showing Andrew Raycroft any love. There is also another John Ferguson Jr. impression tucked away somewhere in this week's episode!

If you would like to hear Dave give the play by play call of Game 2 of the St. Michael's Buzzers vs Wellington Dukes series this coming Sunday March 25th at 2:00pm ET, tune in by going to www.stmichaelsbuzzers.com and clicking on Live Broadcast.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

A day later than normal, we bring you the first remote edition of AFITC – Episode 2.27 – as Jeff checks in from sunny Sarasota, Florida and Dave keeps an eye on things up in Etobicoke, Ontario. Still we manage to bring you the news from Leafs Nation and around the NHL on today's edition of the program.

The Redline Report recaps the three Maple Leaf games from this past week, a win against Washington and Ottawa and a loss in Ottawa to the Senators. The Revolving Door brings good news on two fronts. Firstly, this door is finally starting to slow down as more players make their way out of it, most recently Kyle Wellwood on Saturday against the Senators. Secondly, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Tomas Kaberle, Kris Newbury, and Mike Peca. Tune in to hear the details of the positive updates for each player. What To Be-Leaf sets the magic number at 9 wins for the Leafs to make the playoffs and explains where the wins will come from. We also updates the Flight of the Penguins Saga, rationalize the punishment for Chris Simon's irrational behaviour and touch on the equally irrational behaviour of Ted Saskin and his executives at the NHLPA. Jeff updates us on the kind of interest he has noticed pertaining to hockey since arriving in Florida a few days ago.

On The Bubble features a bevy of listener emails, three of which came from new emailers on the program. Our gong banger fell out of Jeff's van en route to Florida so the Troubling Fact of the Week goes gongless, but carries on all the same this week. Kicking off the segment, we offer a suggestion to improve the benefits of the jump from Eastern Standard Time to Daylight Savings time and back again.

Rigamarole discusses the profound impact of Darcy Tucker. Would you believe us if we told you we recorded that segment this past Wednesday? Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Music featured in this show from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Emm and May" by Craig Cardiff, "850 Commando" and "When The Angels Make Contact" by show favorite Matt Mays.

It's Episode 2.26 of AFITC – The Trade Deadline Wrap Up Edition because it certainly is not the “feel good� edition when we recap the Maple Leaf action from the past week that saw losses against Montreal and two to Buffalo. The Maple Leafs only win came on Friday in thrilling albeit costly fashion against the New Jersey Devils.

We spin through the Revolving Door as we look at the growing list of Leaf injuries. Tomas Kaberle is the newest member of this club after sustaining a concussion on a vicious head shot from Cam Janssen of the Devils. We also have updates on Pavel Kubina, Kyle Wellwood and Karel Pilar.

What To Be-Leaf features a look at the importance of the Leafs remaining home games and how their home record as it currently sits is the reason why they are on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

An update on the Flight of the Penguins Saga, Darcy Tucker's new contract and extensive coverage of the significant transactions consummated at the trade deadline concluded the Redline Report.

On The Bubble has more listener email from a variety of new and old contributors. Rigamarole looks at the sudden collapse of the Edmonton Oilers. Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Songs in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network include "Vandalise" by Miss The Occupier, "Circus" by Craig Cardiff and "Ignite" by Dusty Hughes.

Another edition of AFITC hits the air today. It's episode 2.25 – the Deal or No Deal Edition as we discuss a number of trades and trade scenarios sitting less than 48 hours away from the NHL Trade Deadline.

The Redline Report consists of three game recaps from the past week of Maple Leaf action: games against the Bruins, Islanders and Flyers. The Revolving Door updates the statuses of all the injured Leafs: Tucker, Peca, Wellwood, Newbury and new members of this dubious club, Pavel Kubina and Boyd Deveraux. Not that any upcoming game for the Maple Leafs is unimportant but in What To Be-Leaf, we stress the particular importance of the upcoming week with key games against the Canadiens, Devils and Sabres twice. We also weigh in on the Brawl in Buffalo this past Thursday, report on the GM's meetings and discuss a variety of trades consummated this past week.

We serve up an ambitious portion of listener email during On The Bubble and welcome some new emailers to the program! Rigamarole puts forth an explanation as to what Kerry Fraser might have been thinking when he decided to call off Mats Sundin's goal on Thursday night.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Blur" by PunchTube "A New Place" by Lori Malvey and "Goobye" by Lost In Rome.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 2.24 of AFITC – The Reunion Edition comes your way today on the heels of another successful week of Maple Leaf action. This week we saw the Buds accumulate five of a possible six points with wins over Philadelphia and Edmonton and a shootout loss to the Islanders.

We recap those games to begin the Redline Report and provide updates on Darcy Tucker, Kris Newbury, Mike Peca and Kyle Wellwood in the Revolving Door. What To Be-Leaf separates the contenders from the pretenders in the battle for the final playoff positions in the Eastern Conference. An update on the Flight of the Penguins Saga and discussions on the Forsberg trade, the Nagy trade and the Emery suspension as well as some quick hits conclude the Redline Report.

On The Bubble features another outstanding edition of listener email and comments from our forums part of A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. You will also see the return of the Troubling Fact of the Week as we go guestless for the first time in three weeks.

Rigamarole features coverage of the Reunion of the 1967 Toronto Maple Leaf Stanley Cup champions held Saturday night prior to the Maple Leafs vs Oilers game at Air Canada Centre including the type of reaction that Dave Keon received.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "All We Need" by Collectors, "I Don't Like It" by Johnny Brickhouse and "Sliding Glass Door" by Elsinor.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Episode 2.23 of AFITC is upon you as the race for arms builds along with the race for the playoffs. With sixteen days to go until the NHL trade deadline, the rumors continue and some deals are already starting to be made. Calgary has made the biggest splash so far by picking up coveted defenseman Brad Stuart from the Boston Bruins yesterday along with Wayne Primeau in exchange for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew. That deal will surely be usurped in stature though as the trade deadline draws closer, perhaps by the likes of Peter Forsberg and his newest suitor.

On today's edition of the program, we recap the Maple Leaf games against the St. Louis Blues, the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. We update the statuses of those who are injured in the Revolving Door including an update on Darcy Tucker and the condition of Kris Newbury. The Redline Report concludes with another edition of What To Be-Leaf featuring Andrew Raycroft's even keel and some scuttlebutt regarding Brendan Bell.

On The Bubble brings some more fantastic listener emails and installment number 2 of The Babble of Ontario with Russell, Shredder and Crazy Ivan from Sens Underground. We omit the news from around the league portion of the Redline Report as we discuss a number of these types of issues as part of The Babble.

Rigmarole looks at the NHL's 'Quiet Star'.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Drive" by Common Ground, "Surround Sound" by Crystal Hutchens and "Shuffle Sing" by David Henderson.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

It’s the “triple two� edition of AFITC: Episode 2.22. For this week’s program, the “feel good� version, we bring you all the jubilant news from Leafs Nation as the Maple Leafs recorded a perfect week and then some stretching their winning streak started last Saturday against Montreal to four games with wins against Carolina, New York (Rangers) and Ottawa. The Revolving Door includes updates on Darcy Tucker, Andy Wozniewski and the newest edition to this club, Boyd Deveraux. What To Be-Leaf looks at and makes sense of the five round playoff war the Maple Leafs are apart of this season. The Redline Report is concluded with yet another update on the Flight of the Penguins Saga, a discussion regarding Brendan Shanahan’s displeasure toward the referees and Sheldon Souray’s tom foolery against Pittsburg, and some Quick Hits on Craig Conroy and the AHL All Star Game.

Listener email kicks off On The Bubble with a look at your thoughts on a variety of topics. Bob McKenzie, NHL Insider on TSN, drops by at the end of this segment and discusses what to expect as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches and tells us which players may in fact be on the bubble. Rigamarole explains why jersey retirement ceremonies are too long and what can be done to correct them for the benefit of both the honoured player and the proceeding game.

Special thanks to Bob McKenzie for spending some time with us on the program this week despite his tremendously busy schedule! You will not want to miss what he has to say regarding the Maple Leafs, Sundin, Tucker, the Hurricanes, the Ducks, and Forsberg at the trade deadline among other topics discussed.

Do not miss next week’s program as it will feature The Babble Of Ontario #2 with the fellows from Sens Underground.

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Music in this episode from The Podsafe Music Network includes "Is This The Life" by Funktree, "Put It On" by Cokie Jonez and "Like Smoke" by Aaron English.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The show of shows! Episode 2.21 of AFITC features an interview with John Ondrasik, the force behind the platinum award winning band Five For Fighting and hockey columnist for SI.com. The state of the NHL in the US, announcements and events surrounding the All Star festivities from this past week in Dallas and the Los Angeles Kings were among some of the topics discussed. You will not want to miss this interview on this week’s program at the end of On the Bubble. Listener email and excerpts from forum postings on A Foot in the Crease Fans on Facebook round out this week’s portion of On The Bubble.

In the Redline Report, we welcome Scott and Jay from the Dallas Stars Podcast to help us breakdown and discuss the All Star Game itself as both Scott and Jay were in attendance. We recap the lone Maple Leaf game from this past week against the Montreal Canadiens, spin through the Revolving Door with injury updates on Darcy Tucker, Kyle Wellwood, Ian White and Andy Wozniewski and discuss the importance of the upcoming road trip in What To Be-Leaf. Another update regarding the Flight of the Penguins Saga, a back checking note on Aleksander Suglobov and some Quick Hits conclude the Redline Report.

Rigamarole discusses what the Maple Leafs must do to ensure they make the playoffs this spring.

Huge thanks are due to John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, for joining us on this week’s program and sharing some great responses to a variety of questions!! And do not forget Bob McKenzie will join us next week for a discussion regarding the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline coming at the end of February.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "To Be An Angel" and "Little Pieces" by Uncle Seth and "What Are We Gonna Do Come the Month of September?" by Matt Mays & El Torpedo.

Send along any listener email or questions for upcoming guest Bob McKenzie to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

We have reached the All Star break which will see the Maple Leafs get a week off after a two for three week which saw wins against Tampa Bay and Florida and a loss in Pittsburgh. We recap each those three contests and take a spin through the Revolving Door with updates on Darcy Tucker and Kyle Wellwood. What To Be-Leaf features a disturbing trend of lackluster play on Saturdays and why this might be detrimental to the Leafs going forward. A note on Dave Keon, another update on the Flight of the Penguins Saga, and some quick hits conclude the Redline Report on Episode 2.20 of AFITC.

In On The Bubble, we feature more listener emails and postings from our discussion board in A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook. Search for A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook and join the group to become an AFITC Insider. Rigamarole explains why the Leafs should be happy with their place in the standings at this point in the season.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Blue and Red" by Mezzrow, "On The Hood" by Matt Mays & El Torpedo and "Down" by Lost In Rome.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Episode 2.19 of AFITC comes to you on the heels of a somewhat mediocre week for the Maple Leafs that sees them on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture looking in after losses to Carolina and Vancouver and puzzlingly enough, a win against Buffalo. We recap each of those three games and provide injury updates on each of the injured Maple Leafs in the Revolving Door. In What To Be-Leaf, we look back at the season series so far between the Maple Leafs and the Sabres. An update on the Flight of the Penguins Saga, a discussion on the LA Kings goaltending situation and a run down of the All Star rosters concluded the Redline Report.

In On The Bubble, we feature more listener emails and some posts from our discussion board on “A Foot In The Crease Fans� on Facebook. This week’s Troubling Fact of the Week goes gong-less as our gong banger was on vacation but fear not, he will return in time for next week’s show after a brief retreat. Rigamarole discusses how goaltending is beginning to lose games for the Maple Leafs.

Songs in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network include "Burning Up" by Magnifier, "Aint No Reason" by Brett Dennen and "Cocaine Cowgirl" by Matt Mays & El Torpedo.

Send along email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

It’s Episode 2.18 – AFITC and an epic episode it is. This week we recap a rather positive week for the Maple Leafs which saw them pick up two crucial victories against the Boston Bruins but drop a game to the Sabres on Saturday night. Updates on each of the injured troops are featured in the Revolving Door. What To Be-Leaf discusses the contribution of the players singled out on last week’s edition of this segment. All but one stepped up! An update on the Flight of the Penguins, a discussion regarding the ceremony honouring Steve Yzerman this past Tuesday night at the Joe Louis Arena and some Quick Hits conclude the Redline Report.

In On The Bubble, we recap the triumph for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships, feature some more strong listener emails and play back the inaugural edition of The Babble of Ontario: a roundtable discussion pertaining to the Maple Leafs, the Senators and a variety of other topics around the NHL with Russell, Shredder and emergency call up Stooli from Sens Underground.

Rigamarole discusses the remarkable parity being seen so late into an NHL season.

Do not forget to join the group “A Foot In The Crease Fans� if you are a member of Facebook to get involved in some discussions regarding the Maple Leafs in the discussion boards and to get updates on upcoming segments on the show before anybody else!

Songs featured in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network include "Can't Knock You Out" by JetVicious, "The Midas Brush" by Poundcake and "A Villain" by LoveRunner.

Send along email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

It’s our first show of 2007 and with it brings all the usual segments. We recap the games the Leafs played between Christmas and New Year’s Eve: a win against the Minnesota Wild, two losses against Pittsburgh and Ottawa. The Revolving Door continues to spin, this week reaching ludicrous speed. We update all the injuries the Maple Leafs are facing right now and in What To Be-Leaf, we discuss what the call ups will be responsible for going forward. The Redline Report also includes an update on the “Flight of the Penguins� saga, an injury report in Anaheim and a discussion on Steve Yzerman Day in Detroit.

An ambitious segment of On The Bubble includes World Junior coverage, Spengler Cup coverage, listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole looks at the suspensions handed out this week in a fight filled game between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "She's Tellin' Lies" by American Heartbreak, "Fever In My Heart" by Jann Klose and "Roll The Wheel" by Freightrain Jones.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

It’s Episode 2.16 of AFITC – The Christmas Edition. What we hoped would be a warm and fuzzy show was not helped by the Maple Leafs poor play this past week. We recap three losses against Florida, Chicago and Washington, get dizzy as we spin through the Revolving Door more times than we would like and discuss more consistency issues in What To Be-Leaf. We have the details on the potential for a Maple Leaf outdoor game on New Year’s Day 2008, more notes about the Flight of the Penguins Saga and we discuss another new schedule format and the proposed new nets.

On the Bubble features a discussion on Team Canada’s entry into the Spengler Cup, another edition of Listener Email and a Troubling Fact of the Week, this week discussing Rory Fitzpatrick and the campaign to get him into the all star game. Rigamarole explains why the next week will be crucial for future Leafs success.

This week we feature versions of Christmas classics from the Podsafe Music Network including "The Christmas Song" done by Calvin Owens, "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Jill Parr, "I Saw Three Ships" by Dusty Hughes and "Sleigh Ride" by thehipcolal.

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

It’s Episode 2.15 of AFITC and compared with last week, it’s a much more positive affair. Three Leaf games, three Leaf wins. We recap the action from this past week against Tampa Bay, Carolina and New York, spin through the Revolving Door and explain the difference between this week and last in What To Be-Leaf. Also in the Redline Report, we tell you about the reunion of the ’92-’93 Leafs, the cleaning of the Blues’ Kitchen, where Peter Bondra signed and how this could be a tell-all week for the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On The Bubble features a preview of the World Junior Hockey Championships, more listener email that includes a radical suggestion for the revamping of the schedule, and of course a Troubling Fact of the Week.

Rigamarole discusses further evidence of the changing of the guard in the NHL in favour of a youth movement and in Parting Shots, we play you back another memorable “Errors Roll�. That’s AFITC for the week of December 11th through the 17th. Don’t miss it!

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network included "Learn To Crawl" by Black Lab, "Life From Afar" by Oswald and "Tell Me What You Want pt2" by Moonchild Louis.

Send along email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

We apologize for any sharp cuts or bad sound quality in a few portions of the show. We had some pretty significant technical difficulties and a good portion of the show was corrupted and had to be salvaged - a process which led to a few moments not being as smooth as usual.

The Maple Leafs losing streak reached seven games with a loss Saturday night in Detroit. There was no heart, no determination, no passion all week long but that is anything but an accurate way to describe Episode 2.14 of AFITC.

We cover the Maple Leafs’ three disappointing results this past week against Atlanta, Boston again and Detroit. We tell you who has spun back into the Revolving Door and discuss some of the reasons for this stretch of deplorable hockey in What To Be-Leaf. Joe Nieuwendyk called it a career this past week and we pay tribute to his career in the Redline Report as well. The schedule format is still on the minds of many and we take an in depth look at the decisions that came out of this week’s board of governors meetings. To conclude the RR, we look at how Peter Schaefer’s towel waving gesture may be more than just an isolated protest but rather an indication of what is becoming of the officiating in the NHL.

On the Bubble features another shocking story of indifference to hockey in the Southern US as well as an outstanding portion of listener email. Our listeners are not happy with the Maple Leafs play of late and they tell us all about it on the show. Rigamarole discusses the age old question of whether stars get different treatment than average players, an issue brought back into the light over the past week.

Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "The Next Side" by Jealous Mike, "Out Of Control" by JetVicious and "Tremble" by Lost In Rome

Send email along to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

On Episode 2.13 of AFITC, we discuss all the Maple Leaf action from the past week, as disappointing a week as it may have been. The Revolving Door features an injury update on Carlo Colaiacovo. Also this past week, Mikael Tellqvist was traded, Pat Quinn got a job, Evgeni Malkin won another award and Chris Pronger made his way back to Edmonton. We tell you all about these stories in the Redline Report. On The Bubble shares an interesting anecdote regarding a conversation Marian Hossa had with a waiter at a restaurant and features more listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole examines whether the Maple Leafs are getting full value for their value pricy defense corps.

This week's songs from the Podsafe Music Network include "Guess What" by Dakota "Blanks" by Brian Buta and "70m" by Atomic Jo

Send us along any email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

On episode 2.12 of AFITC, we bring you all the notes for the past week of Maple Leaf action that included four games: two wins against the Islanders and Capitals and two losses against the Sabres and the Bruins. Further into the Redline Report, we tell you about Columbus’ new Head Coach, a new deal for a Red Wing and look ahead to Chris Pronger’s return to Oil Country.

On The Bubble brings you more listener email and Troubling Fact of the Week. Jennifer Hedger of TSN’s Sportscentre wraps up the segment as we get her thoughts on a variety of issues around the NHL. She had some really interesting things to say. Don’t miss it!

Rigamarole looks at the return of Mats Sundin to the Maple Leaf lineup.

Thanks again to Jennifer Hedger for taking some time to join us on Episode 2.12 of AFITC!

Song's in this week's episode from the Podsafe Music Network include "Easy" by Life Has Teeth, "Thin Wall" by Friction Bailey and "Freedom For My Soul" by Mark Harold

Send along listener email to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

This week's episode recaps the lone two Leaf games of the week against Boston and New Jersey. In the Redline Report we take a spin through the Revolving Door, look at some ex-Leafs in Finland and other assorted topics from around the league. On The Bubble features some listener email, the Troubling Fact of the Week and a great conversation with David Chochla of NHLanalysis.com. Rigamarole looks at the mini-slump the Leafs find themselves in.

Next week on AFITC look out for an interview with TSN's Jennifer Hedger.

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Once again on this week's episode we welcome a special guest - James Duthie, the host of the NHL on TSN. Our interview with him features some great insight on issues around the league as well as some monkey business. The Redline Report looks at all the Leafs games from the past week, Leaf injury troubles, the Hall of Fame inductions, the GM meeting, the ups of the the Ducks and the lows of the Sens. On the Bubble features some listener email and Rigamarole looks at what could potentially take the Leafs' streak off the rails.

Our thanks go out to James Duthie for speaking with us this week!

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In this week's episode of A Foot In The Crease we recap the Leaf's games this week against Atlanta, Tampa, Florida and Buffalo. In other Leaf notes we review ongoing injury troubles on the blueline ad the young talent on the team drafted under Pat Quinn. Notes from around the league include Jordan Staal staying in Pittsburgh, Malkin tying some nice records, Hitchcok's situation with the Flyers, and the upcoming GM meeting. On The Bubble features a huge and excellent amount of listener email along with the Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole looks at why it was a good move for the Leafs to changes coaches for this season.

Music in this show from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Don't Let Me In" by The Sleepers, "Whatever You Want" by Arlis Moon and "Angeline" by George Fletcher - Bourbon Renewal.

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Episode 2.8 of AFITC brings you all the news and notes from around the NHL. The Redline Report recaps the Leaf action from the past week, discusses the changing of the guard in Philadelphia and looks at the injury woes of the Chicago Blackhawks. On The Bubble features more listener email, the Troubling Fact of the Week and an interview we did with the PA announcer of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Andy Frost, in which we asked him everything from his thoughts on Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe to the unbalanced schedule and the possibility of bringing back wooden sticks. Rigamarole looks at the whining coming from Sergei Samsonov in Montreal this past week.

Thanks go out to Andy Frost for taking time out of his busy schedule to join us on the program. We really appreciate it!

As always we love to receive emails at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Music in this episode included "I Will Destroy You" by The Sleepers, "Every Color" by Matthew Ebel and "In My Bunkbed" by Lejeune.

It’s Episode 2.7 of A Foot In The Crease and despite a light week for the Leafs, we still bring you a full show of news and notes from around the league. Ian Kubitza from Hearts of Fire – The Calgary Flames Hockey Podcast joins us to discuss the Maple Leafs vs Flames game from a week ago and to touch on some of the early season concerns the Flames are experiencing.

In the Redline Report, we recap games against the Avalanche and Blue Jackets, update the injury status of a variety of Leafs and feature another edition of What To Be-Leaf. We also have the details on some roster moves by the Flyers, the debut of Evgeni Malkin and the early season struggles of the Ottawa Senators.

On The Bubble features more listener email and a Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole discusses potential lineup moves when Nik Antropov returns from his injury.

Music from the Podsafe Music Network in this episode includes "Bad For Me" by The Sleepers, "Six Eight" by The One You Love and "That's Why" by Giles.

We, as always, love listener email at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Already six shows into season two on AFITC and ironically enough, the Maple Leafs are six games into their regular season schedule. In the Redline Report, as always, we bring recaps of four of those six games to be played last week. In the recap of the Flames against the Maple Leafs this past Saturday at ACC, we include some bonus audio clips to give the summary a more first hand feel.

Also in the RR, we feature the second edition of What To Be-Leaf, take a spin through the Revolving Door, discuss the possibility of seeing Brian Leetch in a Leaf uniform this season, take a look at the early season success of the youngsters on the Penguins and regret the early season success of Eric Lindros. The Sticky Moment of the Week concludes the Redline Report.

On The Bubble brings you more listener email and The Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole takes a look back at the career so far of Mats Sundin in a Leaf uniform.

This week we have two songs from the Podsafe Music Network - “Window Stains" by Lima Charlie and “Fallen Angel" by Giles

We also include a song by Jeff’s band The Printing Press called “What Have You Done With The Rain?"

As always, send along your emails to afootinthecrease@gmail.com"

Today, we bring you episode 2.5 of A Foot in the Crease, the first since the commencement of the regular season, and what a show it is.

Two interviews to preview and make sense of the Leafs first two regular season games against the Ottawa Senators: one with Shredder, Russell and Crazy Ivan from Sens Underground and another with the host of TSN’s Off The Record Michael Landsberg.

The Redline Report recaps those first two contests and in a new segment, What To Be-Leaf, we suggest what the results from games one and two of the season might mean for the Maple Leafs going forward. Also discussed in The RR is the trade involving Janne Niinimaa and Mike Riberio, Jordan Staal’s future in the NHL this season and the purchase intent agreement signed by James Balsillie to take over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On The Bubble features more listener email and the debut of another new segment, The Troubling Fact of the Week. Rigamarole pays tribute to the legacy Borje Salming left both on the Maple Leafs and the National Hockey League.

Special thanks again to Michael Landsberg for generously agreeing to come on AFITC to share his thoughts on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Send along your emails, as usual, to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The songs featured in this episode from The Podsafe Music Network include “Connectionless" by Francine, “Over My Head" by Christopher Dallman, “Light of Day" by Beyond 7 and “Bring Out The Hook" by Aerosol Halo.

The start of the NHL regular season is less than four days away, training camp is winding down and we are all over it on the 50th Episode of AFITC. We recap the past three preseason games against the Habs and two against the Sens and discuss who have been standouts, disappointments and bubble boys throughout training camp.

We also backcheck as we follow up on stories covered in Episode 2.3 including Zherdev’s contract, Malkin’s injury status and Brendan Morrow. The Redline Report concludes with a variety of stories elsewhere around the NHL.

On The Bubble features listener email and an interview with Ian Kubitza from Hearts of Fire – The Calgary Flames Hockey Podcast. Rigamarole discusses who needs to get in gear prior to the season opener on October 4th.

We also did an interview with Scott and Jay of the Dallas Stars Podcast regarding Eastern Conference predictions, Eric Lindros and the Maple Leafs among other topics. Tune into to hear that interview on their show starting Monday morning.

We love to get email at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

With the preseason well under way, we bring you recaps off the Leafs first three exhibition contests against Buffalo, Ottawa and Montreal as well as the rest of the stories coming out of Leaf training camp. We also share our thoughts on Leafs TV’s coverage of the preseason so far. A few contract signings and a report on Evgeni Malkin’s first NHL action round out the Redline Report. On the Bubble features more listeners email and a discussion regarding some of the atrocious jerseys teams are debuting. Rigamarole takes a look at how the Leafs will carry on without Tie Domi.

Don’t forget to get your emails in quickly to sign up for the AFITC Fantasy Hockey Pool. The first twelve people to email us at afootinthecrease@gmail.com prior to Thursday September 28th will get in so don’t sit back if you want in. Draft day for the pool is Saturday September 30th at 7:00pm EST. Do not sign up if you will not be available at that time as you will not be able to choose players. It should be a lot of fun as the season rolls on. The winner will guest host a segment come the end of the regular season.

The music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes “Hittin The Road� by Legend Killers, “Adventures of the Deaf Dreamer� by Josh Woodward and “Bringing Me Down� by Jen Elliott and Bluestruck.

With training camp underway throughout the NHL, we bring you the details from the first two days of workouts. We backcheck in the first part of the show following up on a variety of issues discussed in Week 1. Among them, the contract statuses of Stajan, Gagne and Carter, and the state of Saku Koivu’s vision after his first heavy workouts are reviewed. In The Redline Report, we discuss Rick Dipietro’s landmark contract, Bobby Clarke being Bobby Clarke and a few items relating to last year’s Stanley Cup finalists. On the Bubble features some more listener email along with an interview with David Chochla of NHLanalysis.com. Rigamarole takes a look at the lunacy on Long Island.

We love to receive your emails at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The songs in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Arrow" by Leaving Rouge, "You Said Nothing" by Fall of Snow and "A Hundred Days" by From Satellite.

And we're back! Season 2 of A Foot In The Crease begins today with a full episode of information on the upcoming season, including information on the Malkin saga, some Leaf notes, honoring of some great former Leafs, and information on other players around the league. On The Bubble profiles Evgeni Malkin and Rigamarole predicts the top line for the Leafs this coming season.

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Music in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Liberate" by Agency, "This Is An Introduction" by Broken Spindles and "Magic Portion" by Dennis Janglov.

Well, we've reached the end of Season 1 of A Foot In THe Crease. To wrap up the year we have many Leaf notes on Antropov, Battaglia, assistant coaches, and a potential deal for Peca. We also cover many other signings, moves and trades around the league. We feature one last great segment of listener email for the season and Rigamarole looks at who has improved their team the most so far this season.

The songs in this episode included "Bellville" by Perfuma, "Silence" by Rhys Downing and "Past Tense This" by Sleep Machine

We'd still love to hear from our listeners about our last episode and over the summer to talk about the show, hockey or whatever. We'll be sure to respond. afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Thanks are in order for all our listeners who have followed us since we began and all those who have joined along the way. Thanks for listening and giving us your time and thoughts. Thanks also must go out to all those we had on our show this year - Ian of Hearts of Fire, Dave and Scott of Lets Talk Hockey, Scott of The Dallas Stars Podcast, Russell, Shredder and Crazy Ivan of Sens Underground, Mark Vandenberg, and our good friend and injury/medical correspondent Poste.

Stay subscribed and be prepared for the show to start up again in a couple short months.

For this penultimate episode of the first season of A Foot In The Crease we have a wide range of topics including some Leaf acquisitions. Over the past week the Leafs signed Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill while finally signing a contract with McCabe. Other topics include Yzerman's retirement, the trades and signings around the league, and the woes of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Rigamarole. This week we feature our conversation with listener Mark Vandenberg on the new CBA and it's implications for teams around the league.

The songs in this episode included "Back Again" by Glow Stars, "Our Reality" by Joe Stevens and "Sometimes I Mind" by Herman The Great

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Today we have a jammed packed show featuring our wrap up of the Stanley Cup Finals, The NHL Awards, All Stars, Many Trades, and the Draft. It's quite the show, and we hope you enjoy it!

The music in this episode included "We Had Pleasure" by Foreign Born, "Just Letting You Know" by Faze, "Into The Sun" by Dreaming Blue, and "El Ten Eleven" by El Ten Eleven.

We always love to receive emails at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

As the Oilers head into Game 7 against the Hurricanes we have our last show of the Stanley Cup Playoffs featuring all the regular segments. We have a special defining moment in Oilers history for this episode. The Redline Report features some Leaf notes on Domi and Belfour, some coaching changes around the league, other signings and our playoff overview. On The Bubble features some listener email and a profile of Edmonton's Raffi Torres. Rigamarole looks at how Edmonton got to this place and why they really shouldn't be by any rational thought.

The music in this episode included "You Knew Better" by Sierra Dawn, "Water" by Haruo and "Need" by Echograph.

We always love to receive emails at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Today's show features two players from the Edmonton Oilers in the Hot and Not columns, a defining moment, some Leaf notes ons Tellqvist and McCabe and other assorted notes from around the league. Wrapping up the Redline Report is our playoff overview. On The Bubble features some listener email and profile of Justin Williams. Rigamarole looks at Cory Stillman, the Stanley Cup winner that nobody wanted.

The music in this episode included "Black Ice" by Like Clockwork, "Are You Scared?" by Little Glitches and "Just Fine" by SeasonStream.

We always love to receive emails at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Preparing for the Stanley Cup finals we have a jam packed show featuring Who's Hot, Who's Not and Defining Moments. The Redline Report has some Leaf Notes on McCabe's signing, Sundin's future in Toronto, and a possible Lindros deal. Other topics include the Salary Cap, Gretzky in Phoenix and an overview of the last few games of the Buffalo-Carolina series. We are joined by Scott of the Lets Talk Hockey podcast for some discussion of the upcoming series between Edmonton and Carolina. On the Bubble features some listener email and profiles Andrew Ladd, while Rigamarole looks at the rule changes of this past season.

The music in this episode included "Maybe Tomorrow" by Secondhand, "The Scene" by Ann Lynn and "Crying In The Rain" by Seismic Anamoly.

We always love to receive emails at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

This week's show features all the regular segments, including Who's Hot, Who's Not and Defining Moments, which features Tim Horton. The Redline Report includes some Leaf Notes on prospects, Eric Lindros, McCabe and Tucker's ribs. We update some signings and injuries around the league, look at Operation Slapshot, laugh over an incident on Coaches Corner and go over the playoff semifinals. On The Bubble features some listener email and profiles Dustin Penner. Finally we take a look at all the Rigamarole surrounding Owen Nolan.

The music from the Podsafe Music Network included "Fell Out of the Sky" by State Shirt, "Leave A Clue" by Peter Rooney, and "Con Trick" by Paul Rose Band.

As always, send along your emails to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

MP3

We have an extra long show this week featuring all our usual segments plus an interview with the guys from Sens Undgerground. Defining Moments features the remarkable rookie season of Gus Bondar, The Redline Report includes some Leaf, an outrageous guarantee coming from Ottawa, some singings and hirings around the league, and a playoff overview. On the Bubble features some great listener email and profiles Jason Pominville. Rigamarole wraps up the show looking at the different playoff picture we're seeing this year.

The music featured in this week's episode includes "Clever" by Corey Andrew, "Release Me" by Kevin Burdick, and "Don't Let Go" by Coppermine

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In this week's episode we feature all our usual segments for quite a packed show. Who's Hot Who's Not looks at two teams – one very hot, one very much not. Defining Moments looks at the 1942 Leafs and their rally from a 3-0 series deficit. The Redline Report looks at the hiring of a new Leaf coach, takes a spin through the revolving door of injuries, and looks around at all the playoff series. On The Bubble profiles Joffery Lupul and Rigamarole looks further into the Leafs coaching decision.

The music in this weeks show from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Candy" and "Machiavillain" by Kinaeda and "Tell Everyone" by Katie Davis

As always we love to get emails from our listeners about hockey, our show, or whatever you wish to say. Send them along to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The second round of the playoffs has begun and our coverage continues on episode 37 of A Foot In The Crease. Who’s Hot, Who’s Not looks at the suddenly inspired play of the Carolina Hurricanes and discusses why the Montreal Canadiens fell apart in such a hurry.

Our fifteenth Defining Moment in Leaf History looks at the last legacy of Ace Bailey and how an injury he suffered in 1933 inspired the first ever NHL All Star Game.

A very extensive version of the Redline Report includes some Leafs notes regarding the futures of Mikael Tellqvist and Luke Richardson with the team and a report on a variety of injuries including those pertaining to Peter Forsberg and Saku Koivu. As well we discuss some topics from an episode of Coach’s Corner from about a week ago. The World Championships are just underway in Riga, Lativa and we discuss Team Canada’s roster. The host city was announced this past week for the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships and we have a report on that as well along with of course, extensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In On The Bubble, we profile Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes and Rigamarole takes a look at what took place in game 7 of the Flames Ducks series. We are not sure if it was a hockey game that we saw….

The music from this week’s episode from the Podsafe Music Network included “Train Set Nightmares� by Negative Sleep Machine, “I Don’t Care� by Emprie Under Attack and “My Land� by neogene.

We always love to hear feedback from our listeners and we respond to them on the show. This week for some odd reason we got incredibly high listener numbers, but no emails! If you have any hockey-thoughts, send them along to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The playoffs are well under way as is our playoff coverage on week 36 of A Foot In The Crease. The format has changed only slightly with the Maple Leafs no longer available to provide the backbone for our show but all the usual segments are still included.

In the Redline Report, we discuss the firing of Marc Crawford and some of the things the Canucks need to do in order to improve their team for next year. Also we address Pat Quinn’s parting statement from earlier this week, the departure of Aki Berg and provide an update regarding the status of Karel Pilar. We concluded the Redline Report with an extensive breakdown of the progress of all eight first round matchups.

On the Bubble features more listener email, a Toronto Marlies playoff recap and a feature on Francois Beauchemin of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. As always rigamarole concludes our show and this week looks at the trouble the Detroit Red Wings have been experiencing in their first round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers.

The songs in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network include “Losing It All For You� by Fall In March, “Why� by EL84, an “Pushing Back� by Empire Under Attack

We always love to hear from our listeners and respond to email every week on the show. Email us at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For this week's episode of A Foot In The Crease we look at the disappointing, but exciting end to the Leafs season. We wrap up the season that was and look ahead towards what needs to happen for the Leafs next season. The Defining Moment In Leafs History is the hiring of Pat Quinn, and in the Redline Report we go on to discuss Quinn's dismissal this past week along with some other sinings and firings. The Redline Report further looks at the status of each of the playoff series. On The Bubble profiles Chris Higgins and Rigamarole looks at who needs to be out of the Leaf lineup for next year.

As always, we love to receive email from our listeners and every week choose some to respond to on the show. Send along your comments, feedback, questions to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The music in this week's episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Not A Ghost" and "Melody Sings" by freshsunday and "Looks Like Water" by Man Bites Dog.

This week's episode looks back on the Leafs last successful week, and looks forward to the last week of the regular season. We recap games against the Islanders, Panthers and the Flyers. The Redline Report takes a closer look at Aubin's deal with the Leafs, a possible return for Hasek, the antics of Sean Avery, the silly tight jerseys and a look at the Western Conference playoff picture.

On The Bubble features some listener email and profiles Chris Kelly of the Ottawa Senators.

The music in today's show from the Podsafe Music Network included "Around The Room" by Forgery, "Over Mountain" by Eureka Gold and "Dust" by Escandar.

As always we love to hear from our listeners at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For the 33rd edition of the show, we look back at the three games from the past week for the Leafs. Who’s Hot Who’s Not features the Montreal Canadiens in the hot column and the St. Louis Blues in the not column. The Redline Report features the Revolving Door with an update on the status of Ed Belfour, the Senators injury troubles and we report on a potential buyer for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We got some beauty listener emails this week that we discuss part of On The Bubble along with our Weekly Player Profile feature Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers. Rigamarole looks at how the Oilers got robbed twice and some of the ridiculousness associated with the rules the video goal judge is forced to abide by.

The music in this week’s show included “Caffeine� and “She’s Got A Radio by Grubspoon and “Plaid Pants� by Audiopharm

We had some great listener email this week. Send along all your thoughts to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

This week's episode recaps some encouraging Leaf wins of the last week that may be too little, too late. In The Redline Report we go through the Revolving Door of injuries, look at some issues of management in MLSE and take a look at the Western Conference playoff race. Defining Moments features Ian Turnbull's record setting 5-goal game, On The Bubble profiles Derek Roy, and Rigamarole looks into the Leafs' future.

This week's songs from the Podsafe Music Network included "Freedom" by Canopy, "Piano Song" by Cafebar 401, and "The Revolution Will Come" by Caplyn

As always, we'd love to hear from our listeners at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

In today's show we wrap up the Leaf's last week including two disappointing games against Montreal, a win against Carolina and a bizarre win in Pittsburg. Along with this we have all the regular segments - Who's Hot Who's Not, The Redline Report, The Revolving Door, On The Bubble profiling David Hale, Rigamarole looks at the future of the Leafs, and defining moments looks at the Leafs in the war years.

The songs featured in this show from the Podsafe Music Network include "Lucky This Time" by Greg Tannen, "Cowards All The Rage" by Ann Lynn, and "Brooklyn Bridge" by The Broadcast Debut.

We always love to hear from our listeners and we will always respond either in email or on the air. If you have anything to say about the Leafs, hockey in general or about our show send them along to afootinthecrease@gmail.com. We love hearing from our listeners!

This week's episode recaps the Leafs games of the week against the Rangers, Sabres and Bruins along with all the usual segments. The Redline report discusses the possibility of Barilko in the Hall of Fame, some Leaf injuries, Operation Slapshot, Dick Pound's appearance on Coach's Corner, Tim Thomas, and the high-scoring Nashville victory over Calgary. On the Bubble includes some excellent listener email and profiles, Marc Andre Fleury. Rigamarole takes a closer look at the goaltending situation in Toronto.

As always, we love to hear from you at afootinthecrease@gmail.com". We've had some great emails in recent weeks to read on the show. Don't forget to vote by email whether you think Bill Barilko should be in the Hall of Fame or not!

The music in this week's show from the Podsafe Music Network included "Do It Again" by Amy Fox, "Train Girl" by Greg Tannen, and "New Best Friend" by show favorites Lejeune.

This week's episode looks at the Leafs games from the past week against The Lightning, The Islanders and The Canadiens along with some extensive discussions over what happened on the trade deadline. Defining Moments looks at Bill Barilko, On The Bubble profiles Milan Jurcina and Rigamarole looks at the value of the trade deadline.

The music in tonight's show from the Podsafe Music Network included "Neoclassical" by Andrew Kesler, "Come Too Far" by At Dusk and "Keeping Time With The Moon" by Amy Fox

We love to get emails and read them out on the show. Send them along to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

This week's episode brings us back out of the Olympic break with a recap of three disappointing Leaf losses to Ottawa, Buffalo and Washington. We take a look ahead at the rest of the season and give our take on the bleakness and what can and should be done at this point. Other topics of discussion include a couple suspensions, Owen Nolan pulling out from the season and the Toronto bid to host the 2009 World Juniors. Defining Moments in Leaf History looks at Bob Baun's winning goal, On The Bubble profiles Mark Streit of the Montreal Canadiens and Rigamarole looks at Eric Lindros' future as Maple Leaf.

The music in this show from the Podsafe Music Network included "Coming For You" by Audrey Come Lately, "Don't Mind" by Ashroad and "Hall Of Mirrors" by Bill deRome

We received some great emails this week which we responded to and discussed on the show. We hope to make this a regular segment contingent on the emails we get, so send away your thoughts to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

For week 27 of A Foot In The Crease, we make the transistion back from the Olympics to the restart of the NHL season. We wrap up the Olympic Hockey Tournament including each of Team Canada's games as well as touch on the bronze medal game between Russia and the Czech Republic and the gold medal game between Sweden and Finland. Ian Kubitza, host of Hearts of Fire, The Calgary Flames Hockey Podcast, joins us to discuss what went wrong with Team Canada. We are also joined by our injury correspondant, Poste, who discusses just what is facing Dominik Hasek in the way of injuries. Who's Hot, Who's Not discusses some strong and some unlucky performances from the Olympics. We feature our fourth Defining Moment in Leaf History, this week detailing the impact of the acquistion of Doug Gilmour. Rigamarole looks at whether Olympic participation for NHL players is perhaps too much of a physical ordeal for them to deal with.

The music featured in this weeks episode from the Podsafe Music Network includes "Bittersweet" by Artificial Intelligence in Texas, "Chilli" by Ashroad and "New Best Friend" by show favorites Lejeune.

We always love to hear emails from our listeners at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

Once again we have another jam packed show this week – a special Olympic edition. We recap all the Canadian men's and women's Olympic games of the last week and prognosticate about how the tournament will turn out. This week features the Summit Series as a defining moment in Canadian hockey industry. Rigamarole looks at the spirit of the Olympics.

This episode we welcome Dave and Scott of the Let's Talk Hockey Podcast as guests on the show. We had a great time doing this episode and we also did a different segment with different discussion on their Episode (#13) also this evening. Thanks guys!

The music featured in this week's show includes "Closer To You" by Evolver, "A Hazy Valley" and "Lights of Las Vegas" by No Plastic Inside, and "A Touch of Space" by Bob Hughes.

As always, we love to hear feedback and any comments/hockey talk from our listeners. Send them along to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

We have a jam-packed show for everyone this week. Starting out we recap the three Leaf games of the last week. The Defining Moment in Leaf History features Daryl Sittler's 10 point game. In the Redline Report we speak with our medical correspondent, Poste, about Carlo Colaicovo's concussion. We wrap up other injuries on the Leafs' lineup and talk about the distinct lack of trades around the league. We also touch on the gambling scandal, Operation Slapshot, and the controversy surrounding it. Rigmarole looks further at this by coming to the defense of Wayne Gretzky.

This week we have our first segment of Olympic coverage including talk about Loonies in the ice, defense problems on Team Canada and the women's thrashing of the Italian team.

The songs featured in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network include "Map Your Face" by Noblesse, "A Touch of Space" by Bob Hughes, "Letting Go" by Naked Underneath, and "Alpha" by Noam Weinstein.

We always love to hear from our listeners at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

This week's episode is a little bit more of a positive one with the Leaf's winning two out of their four games of the last week. With wins against the Devils and Panthers and losses to the Capitals and Lightning. Today's hot column includes the Vancouver Canucks and the not column contains Jose Theodore. Our second Defining Moment in Leaf History looks at the last game at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Redline Report looks at the Leaf's revolving door of injuries, some trades around the league, some Olympic drop-outs, Owen Nolan's return rumors, and the retirement of Scott Stevens' number. This week's edition of On The Bubble features Petr Prucha of the New York Rangers. Rigamarole looks at the decisions NHL players must make between the Olympics and the rest of the NHL season.

The songs featured in this week's episode from the Podsafe Music Network include "Lost Angeles" by Berman, "A Touch Of Space" by Bob Hughes, "Upside Down" by Bob Gentry and "The Air That I Breathe" by Bridgefield.

We always love to hear feedback at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Once again we bring you another episode of A Foot In The Crease with some discouraging recaps of the Leafs' games this week against the Habs, the Sabres and the Sens. Who's Hot Who's Not features the Carolina Hurricanes in the Hot Column and unfortunately the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Not Column for the third week in a row. The Redline Report talks about more Leaf injuries, some trades involving Edmonton, Brodeur's new deal, Olympic Team defense problem and the Anaheim's identity crisis. On The Bubble profiles Jay Boumeester and Rigamarole looks at Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis.

This week we also debut a new segment - Defining Moments in Leaf History.

The music featured in this week's episode from the Podsafe Music Network included "Mary Jane" by Baseless, "Hope, Skip and Fall" by Aux and Big Mike, "The Sundial" by Bill deRome and "Crank It Out!" by Ari Shine.

Please send us anything you'd like to say about hockey or our show at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

This week's episode is a rather depressing one as we recap three abysmal Leaf losses against Ottawa, Minnesota and Colorado. For this the Leafs remain firmly in our Not Column and the New Jersey Devils fill in the Hot side of the equation. Once again we have more extensive Leaf Injury Talk. The rest of the Redline Report looks at some trade issues, drugs issues and issues from Pittsburgh. On The Bubble profiles Andrej Meszaros, and Rigamarole looks at the Leaf's slump.

The music from the Podsafe Music Network used in this show includes "Cleansing Fire" by Quarter To Nine, "Alabaster Queen" by Retail and "Find A Way" by Reid Holmes.

We'd love to hear any comments and feedback at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

For this episode we recap the Leaf's games against the Phoenix Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Who's Hot, Who's Not makes its return with some high scoring players in the Hot column and an unfortunate member of the Not column. The Redline Report deals with injuries, trades and coaches and also includes a discussion with Scott of the Dallas Stars Podcast. On The Bubble's player profile features Marek Svatos and Rigamarole looks at the changing of the guard in the NHL from past stars to the future heroes.

The music in this show included "A Little Bit More" by Uncle Seth, "Down To Earth" by Mohave and "All of My Bleeding" by Mogul.

Send along your comments and feedback to afootinthecrease@gmail.com

We apologize for the delayed release of this week's episode. We experienced some technical difficulties and have got it out as soon as we could while still getting a few hours of sleep. In a related announcement, as of next week, we will begin releasing the show on Sunday instead of Fridays.

For our 20th episode, we bring you a special edition of A Foot In The Crease. The Redline Report features a rundown on the Leafs' games this past week and some news out of New Jersey. On The Bubble goes all out in our celebration of Team Canada's win at the World Junior Hockey Championships and Rigamarole takes a deeper look at Team Canada's juniors. In a special segment, we are joined by Ian Kubitza of Hearts of Fire - The Calgary Flames Podcast to discuss the Leafs Flames game from January 6th and other questions surrounding the Flames and Leafs.

The music featured in this episode includes, "Bird" by Miss Sad UK, "It's Over" by Miggs, "Joyride" by Mr. Nasty and "Foggy Filter" by Morning Spy.

We'd love to hear any feedback at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

For our 19th episode wrapping up the week between Christmas and New Year's, we have a look back at the games the Leafs played against the Sabres, Penguins, Devils and Bruins. Who's Hot Who's Not pays a compliment to Jaromir Jagr and slots the netminders of the Colorado Avalanche and Sean Donovan in the "Not" category. In addition to game recaps, The Redline Report looks at the Leafs injury situation and Wayne Gretzky's return to the Coyotes bench. On The Bubble details the progress of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships and profiles Ryan Miller all part of the Weekly Player Feature. Rigamarole shares a few New Year's Resolutions the Leafs could make that would help to ensure their success in the second part of the season.

Please send us your comments and feedback at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The music featured in this episode from the Podsafe Music Network included "Bad Times Never Felt So Good" by Gentlemen Losers, "Mary" by Greg Tannen and "Tongue Tied" by Hollins Steele.

In this week's episode we recap the Leafs last three games against the Bruins, the Islanders and the dreaded Ottawa Senators. Who's Hot, Who's Not features Martin Biron and Jeremy Roenick. The Redline Report looks extensively at the announcement of the Team Canada Olympic roster. On The Bubble looks at Canada's team for the World Juniors and profiles Boston Bruins player Brad Boyes. Rigamarole looks at some of the reasoning behind the Team Canada choices.

The music featured in this episode included "Speak To You" by George Hrab, "She Hates Love Songs" by Katie Davis and "Intoxicated" by Keith Varon. All this music can be found at The Podsafe Music Network.

We'd love to hear any comments, questions or general hockey talk at our email afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

In this week's episode of A Foot Of The Crease we once again look at the light week of past Leaf games against Anaheim and Dallas. Who's Hot, Who's Not features Brendan Shanahan and the Pittsburg Penguins. The Redline report covers a broad range of topics including the plus/minus ratings of young players on the Leafs, various Leaf injuries, the injury to Vancouver's Dan Cloutier, Lemieux withdrawal from Team Canada and the projected salary cap for next year. On the Bubble's weekly player profile features Ottawa's Brandon Bochenski and Rigamarole looks in depth at this week's past owner's meeting.

The music featured in this week's episode includes "One Night In Your Skin" by Glasshouse, "Perfect" by Miggs and "Your Love is Everything" by Don't Harass Betty.

We'd love to hear feedback at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

This past Sunday we recorded a special joint conversation podcast with Scott of the Dallas Stars Podcast. We discuss the Leafs and Stars game from Saturday night, examine various issues regarding both teams, and look at league-wide topics from both a Western and Eastern conference perspective.

This was our first time doing a joint podcast, and we'd like to thank Scott for bringing this all together. We hope to produce more special episodes in the future.

This week's episode, as usual, recaps the two games the Leafs played this week. Who's Hot, How's Not looks at the Buffalo Sabres and Mats Sundin. The Redline report touches on a number of topics including Yzerman's withdrawal from the Olympic race, Lemieux's medical issues, The Flyer's injury problems, potential Leaf lineup changes and we respond to some email about Jagues Martin and Nik Antropov. This week's On The Bubble Player Feature looks at Jussi Jokinen and Rigamarole takes a deeper look at Mario Lemieux.

We love to hear any comments, questions or disagreements in the form of email at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The music featured in this week's episode included "Suddenly Wonderful" by Miggs, "Rainfalls" by Mark Brown and "Don't Look Behind" by Lizard Called Me. All these songs can be found at the Podsafe Music Network

Today's show recaps the five games the Leafs played in this busy last week. Who's Hot, Who's Not features Curtis Joseph and Gilbert Brule. In The Redline Report we discuss Karel Pilar's rehabilitation from his heart condition, Dany Heatley's almost record breaking point streak and the shocking Joe Thornton trade. On The Bubble profiles Marcel Goc of the San Jose Sharks and Rigamarole pays a reluctant compliment to the Ottawa Senators.

The music in this episode included "Learn To Fly" by Josh Woodward, "Crossfire" by Masceo and "Replaced By Robots" by Lejeune. All these songs can be found on the Podsafe Music Network.

We always love to hear from our listeners. Send along any questions or comments to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

On this 14th episode of A Foot In The Crease we discuss the two Leafs games of the last week - their 5-1 loss to Buffalo and their 5-1 win over Atlanta. The Red Line Report looks at McCabe's Offensive Player of the Week honors, an awkward interview with Eric Lindros on Hockey Night In Canada, and Dick Pound's claims about performance-enhancing drug use in the NHL.

On the Bubble profiles Edmonton draft pick Rob Schremp and Rigamarole looks at the Jiri Fischer incident.

The downloading issues we have previously had have been determined as the fault of Roger's cable internet service. For more information if you are having trouble downloading the show please consult our website. If you have any questions regarding this or comments about the show and hockey in general please send us an email at afootinthecrease@gmail.com

The music used in this week's episode included "Fall Off The Earth" by Berman, "Wednesday Morning" by Slackstring and "World Of Misery" also by Slackstring.

In this week's episode of A Foot In The Crease we as usual recap the Leafs games of the last week with in depth discussion of each of them. The Weekly Player Profile for this week is Ryan Whitney of Pittsburg and Rigamarole goes in depth on the new rookie-dominated NHL. Along with our normal segments such as Who's Hot, Who's Not we debut a new name for the late 'Main Segment'. From now on it will be called The Redline Report. Thanks to all our listeners who emailed in suggestions!

We suspect that on Episode 12 we experienced widespread downloading issues among our listeners. If you have experienced any issues please email us at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The music featured in today's episode included "Contagious" by Granian, "Moon-Shy City" by Lejeune and "Trees" by Matthew Ebel.

In this week's episode of A Foot In The Crease on Remembrance Day we pay tribute to those who fought in the wars of the last century and in Rigamarole we look at the many Leaf players, under Conn Smythe, who were encourage to enlist to fight. We recap the Leaf games of the past week and in the main segment we discuss the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions and speculate on those who should be inducted in the years to come. On The Bubble looks at the last week in the Toronto Marlies season and our weekly play profile features Dion Phaneuf.

As mentioned in the show, we are seeking suggestions for a new name for our rather blandly named "main segment." We'd love to hear ideas from our listeners - send them and any other feedback to afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The music featured in this episode includes "Less Than Beautiful" by Headrush, "Uncovered" by Granian and "My Voice" also by Granian. All this music can be found at the Podsafe Music Network

For Episode 11 of A Foot In The Crease we, as usual, discuss the Leaf games which took place over the last week. Who's Hot Who's Not gives credit where credit is due to the Ottawa Senators and Teemu Selanne. In the main segment we update Sundin's status and his imminent return, touch on the rash of injuries to goaltenders around the league, and evaluate the choice of Crosby as rookie of the month. On The Bubble looks at the past week for the Toronto Marlies and profiles Jason LeBarbera of the L.A. Kings. Rigamarole takes a deeper look at Sundin's return and its repercussions for the Leaf lineup.

We'd love to hear listener comments at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

The music featured in this episode included "For The Rest Of Your Life" by COMEG, "I Am Here" by Charles Tanton, and "Everybody Loves My Hair" by Captain WAM. All these artists can be found at the Podsafe Music Network.

Along with the release of this week's episode, we'd like to announce that Episode 10 reached over a thousand downloads/listens in just one week. This is an amazing number, and we have to thank all our dedicated listeners for helping us reach this goal. Keep on listening!

For Episode 10 of A Foot In The Crease, we look back at the Maple Leafs previous week's games and discuss important happenings that occurred. "Who's Hot, Who's Not" features Jason Williams in the hot column and the Edmonton Oilers in the not column. We also take a look at the Martin Brodeur injury and discuss the olympic implications it may have for Team Canada, along with the fine received by Leafs Coach Pat Quinn for objectionable comments pertaining to the new style of play. "On The Bubble" features Hannu Toivonen of the Boston Bruins along with a brief look back at the Toronto Marlies only game of the week. Rigamarole touches on the seemingly league-wide demise of some of the game's established goaltenders.

The music in this episode included "Ozzy" by Captain T, "Good Reason" by Cloak and "Holding Me Back" by Buddahead. All this music can be found at the Podsafe Music Network.

We'd love to hear your feedback on our show and hockey in general. Send us email at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

Once again we bring you an ever longer episode of A Foot In The Crease. Today we look a the Leaf games of the past week, round up who's hot or not and talk about a number of interesting topics from around the league including a Leafs injury report, the Team Canada long list, an exciting Leafs trade rumor and the Atlanta Thrasher's antics. On the Bubble looks at the Marlies' week and profiles Jay Harrison.

Thanks go out to our ever-growing listener base. We'd love to hear your feedback about the show or any hockey talk at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

This weeks featured music was "Fallout Renegade" by Anemo, "I.E. (Look At Me)" by 38 Acres and "No One Understands by Berman. All these artists can be found on the Podsafe Music Network.

For the second week of the NHL season we bring our longest episode yet - jam-packed with everything you need to know about the Leafs and the rest of the NHL. We discuss in detail the controversial Thrashers-Leafs match-up along with brief reviews of the three other Leaf games this past week. Other topics included an update on Sundin, injury issues with the Bruins and the fine performances of Lindros and Allison. We also feature Who's Hot, Who's Not and On The Bubble featuring Ian White. Rigamarole discussions the youth revival in the NHL.

The music in tonight's episode was "Somebody" by American Heartbreak, "These Days" by Audiopharm and "Rifles" by A Spectre is Haunting Europe.

We'd love to hear feedback at afootinthecrease@gmail.com.

And finally, despite what we said at the end of the episode, we came too close too comfort to the forbidden hours of the night after big technical difficulties in post-production which almost made us lose large segments of the show. Luckily, we managed to recover what might have been lost and while the show is late, at least it's here.

Today we give you the first episode of the NHL regular season! We review the many games played on the first day along with the Leafs Sens matchup in detail. In the main discussion we look at Sundin's eye injury, Canadian team prospects for this year and our thoughts on the shootout. On The Bubble features Marc Moro and Rigamarole looks at the visor debate.

The music featured in this show was "Boxcar" by Stairwell, "Twenty To Life" by 28 and "I Know What I Know" by Brian Buckit. All this music was found on the Podsafe Music Network.

Today's episode features the final Leafs Training Camp Report before the start of the regular season. This week we continue our season preview by looking in depth at the Western Conference and the teams in it. On The Bubble looks at the Marlies' preseason game and players who could make the Leafs roster for this season. Rigamarole features discussion on Gretzky as a coach.

The music featured on this episode included "Anarchid" by A Spectre is Haunting Europe">, "In These Times" by 28 and "Turnstile" by Eric Dietrich. All these songs can be found at the Podsafe Music Network.

As we approach the beginning of the NHL regular season we give you this fifth episode of A Foot In The Crease. This week we give a training camp report and give a summary of the Leaf preseason games which were played in the last week. In our main segment we give a season preview of the eastern conference. Look for our western conference preview next week. On The Bubble features a profile on Alexander Steen, and Rigamarole highlights the road Steve Thomas took to get into the NHL and his fight to keep on playing.

The music in this show was "Drive Away" by Matthew Ebel, "Sun Again Will Shine" by Slackstring and "Rumble Groove" by George Fletcher - Bourbon Renewal. All these songs can be found at the Podsafe Music Network.

Today's show for Sunday September 18th features the first Leafs Training Camp Report along with a discussion on the Leaf's TV schedule, the CBC lockout, and some marquee retirements. On The Bubble features Brendan Bell while Rigamarole looks at Dave Keon's estrangement from the Leafs organization. We also mention the Leaf's starting lineup for the first preseason game of the year.

The music featured on this show from the Podsafe Music Network was "Rock City Crimewave" by The Black Furies, "One Summer Day" by 28 and "Baja Taxi" by Brian Buckit

Today we kick off A Foot In The Crease with our first episode wrapping up the week of August 26th. In this episode we preview some segments we hope to return to every week including Who's Hot, Who's Not, On The Bubble and Rigamarole. Topics covered include big new deals under the new NHL collective bargaining agreement, a preview on potential Leaf Carlo Colaiacovo, and all that rigamarole over Heatley and Hossa.

This week's music included "Lost Weekend" by Brother Love and "143" by Stingray - both of which can be found at the Podsafe Music Network.