THE BLIND LEADING THE DEAF

I did not have the pleasure of watching Guy Lafleur rip in to the HABS roster, but knowing the media in Montreal there is a high likelihood of misinterpretation and paraphrasing. With daily blog posts for three years running, I would consider my self an amateur member of the media, and I would feel left out if I didn't join my epsilonic brethren from Le Journal in paraphrasing Lafleur's comments in my own way.

The sentiment expressed was that he the HABS hae four fourth lines...and I will agree with him in my application of Le Journal's mantra: "I reject your reality and substitute my own".

I agree with this comment because what he's trying to say is that this is a well balanced team with no one line having more importance than the next. They are all equal pieces of the puzzle, cogs in a mega-machine. So Lafleur was complimenting the balanced and tightly nit team that Bob put together for Carbo to work with, and thus was complimenting Carbo on using them all equally, even when plating catch up hockey in the third.

HAH! False realities...how do you like them apples Le Tabloid de Montreal?!

In a more serious front, we have a tough challenge ahead of us, not because the Leafs have had our number this year, not because the opposing team has lost three in a row and will be even more motivated than usual, but because we are in a slump. One could paint it any color they wish, but the fact of the matter is that this team is in a slump and we have got to cut the bleeding asap by stringing together a few wins. The next few game are key and they all start with tonight's game.

At this point somebody has to step up and be a leader. The trouble with a well balanced team built on the basis of the proven adage: "a team is as strong as it's weakest ling" is that the players designated as leaders might loose their identity and blend in with the followers. With everybody following, no one is leading and although the team is working collectively, they will be collectively going around in circles. During the first dozen or so games, Kovalev did a great job of leading the locker room through his intensity on the ice, and encouragement/mentorship on the bench and in the locker room. Today the team is missing this character in the locker room and it's time Koivu, Kovalev, Komisarek, even Higgins, Ryder, or Chipchura to grab the bull by the horns and ride it like there's no tomorrow. Because the sad truth is that no matter how great the team works together, if they are not lead to work in the same direction, there will be no post season glory, or at worse even a post season.