from TSN Video,

Leafs GM Brian Burke took a ride in an CF-18 and talks about the once in a lifetime experience.

Watch it here.

On the celebrity fake pilot scale, with the left side representing an inauthentic portrayal and the right side...

No one expected the Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit to pass through Toronto without hearing a lot from Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke.

True to form, he was front and center when the globe's most influential hockey people gathered from Aug. 23 to 26, especially when the focus of the conference zeroed in on whether the NHL would participate in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Burke was already on record as saying the league had to get a lot more out money and publicity out of the experience than the previous two times the games were held out of North America, in 1998 and 2006.

"We had a perfect storm in Vancouver with the right teams and good TV numbers," Burke said, "But we didn't get a thing out of Torino and Nagano.

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It's official: The Ilya Kovalchuk saga has stormed past ridiculous, made a left at debacle, and is now heading full speed towards farce. Two months since the start of free agency, six weeks after Kovalchuk's first contract with the Devils was signed and rejected, and one week since a second attempt was submitted to the league, there's still no resolution to this mess.

We thought we'd have an answer by now, as the league was set to render its verdict on Kovalchuk's latest deal on Wednesday. But instead, amidst reports that the league was now playing hardball and demanding changes to the collective bargaining agreement, we got a two-day extension. Now we're told to expect a decision some time today.

Or, maybe not.

If there are any hockey fans left who are still interested in this ongoing travesty, they can take some comfort in the knowledge that the league and the players are at least working hard on a solution. In fact, sources tell me that most of this week was taken up by frantic negotiations between the league, the Devils and the NHLPA. Based on what I've been told, I've put together a timeline of this week's events.

Monday, 9:00 a.m. - Gary Bettman arrives early and begins reviewing the Devils' newest contract proposal, but admits to finding it difficult to concentrate with Donald Fehr sitting ominously in the back of his office cracking his knuckles.

Monday, 1:15 p.m. - Lou Lamoriello explains to a frustrated Bettman that while he understands his concerns, he still insists on submitting the contract in Comic Sans font.

Monday, 4:45 p.m. - Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly attempt to consult with the league's Executive Vice President In Charge of Not Having One of Your Best Players Go To Russia Just so You Can Prove Some Sort of Point, before remembering that he's been on vacation all summer.

Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. – A smiling Bettman shows Daly a series of encouraging notes reading “Keep your head up, Gary” that some kind stranger has been leaving on his windshield throughout the negotiations, although his mood changes when Daly points out that it they seem to be in Scott Stevens' handwriting.

Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. - Both sides begin to work in earnest to avoid a second round of arbitration. Nobody wants to risk a repeat of Brian Burke's twelve straight hours of testimony from the last time, especially since the only question anyone got to ask him was “How are you?”

Wednesday, 10:45 a.m. - A potential breakthrough: Kovalchuk agrees to the league's demands that he confirm his intentions to play into his 40s by crossing his heart and hoping to die, but only if the league rescinds its controversial request that he also stick a needle in his eye.

Wednesday 1:30 p.m. - The league agrees to allow the contract to include a limited no-trade clause that kicks in towards the end of the deal and prevents the Devils from trading Kovalchuk to a southern US team, a concession they feel comfortable making given that none of those teams will still exist in ten years.

Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. - Bettman begins to consider threatening the NHLPA with the voiding of Roberto Luongo's 12-year, $64 million contract that was signed last summer. The idea was originally suggested to him by an anonymous stranger on the subway who bore an uncanny resemblance to Mike Gillis wearing a wig and fake moustache.

Thursday, 10:30 a.m. - With no agreement in place, a second arbitration hearing looms. The two sides begin the process of finding a new arbitrator to replace Richard Bloch, who is still recovering after his recent mysterious accident that left him battered, unconscious, and surrounded by shards of broken glass and grape jam.

Thursday, 11:30 p.m. - NHLPA negotiators attempt to ease league concerns over the length of Kovalchuk's contract by pointing out that while a 15 years may seem like a lot, you have to keep in mind that the way things are going at least three or four of those seasons will be cancelled by work stoppages.

There are a few obvious choices as far as NHL coaches looking at the axe glistening above their heads this...

It was all a joke, said Nazem Kadri. Try to keep that in mind.

TORONTO (Sep. 1) – When the Maple Leafs begin their official on-ice workouts at training camp, Sep. 17, it’s doubtful that any player will be viewed as intently and curiously as Nazem Kadri, the club’s most recent first-round pick in the National Hockey League draft. There will also be a larger magnitude of hope resting on his shoulders than anyone selected by the Blue & White, arguably, sin

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in...

In his first NHL season, center Christian Hanson proved to the NHL he isn't just the son a "Slap Shot" star. Now 24, the lad can play and is out to prove he can use his 6-3, 200-pound body in a larger role for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hanson signed a one-year, two-way contract on Tuesday. It will pay him $650,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 for time with AHL Toronto. His job? Make the Leafs out of training camp from a field that includes a number of tough fourth-line types and prospects they will protect.

A full two seasons after The Long Departure of our last Chief, the tribe has finally wandered out of the wilderness. No longer aimless and uncertain, the Toronto Maple Leafs have once again found themselves a worthy leader. A noble and honourable warrior to carry on the tradition, to lead us into battle, to lift us to victory. A Captain to guide us out of the miserable gloom of apathy and deliver us into the illuminating light of hope.

TORONTO (Aug. 31) – I’ve spent more than 25 years watching and interviewing players with the Maple Leafs and I’m almost certain there has never been an individual as difficult to “read” as Phil Kessel. In no way is that an indictment of the scoring star around whom the Leafs have chosen to build their immediate future. The most insensitive [and often inaccurate] measure one can take is t

Puck Daddy's Mount Puckmore summer project came to an end today with the Toronto Maple Leafs edition, and...

(Ed. Note: Welcome to Puck Daddy's August series, "Mount Puckmore" which will feature fans,...

While no deal has been reached officially, it now seems all but certain that Donald Fehr will be the next man in charge of the NHL Players' Association. The job has been vacant for almost a year thanks to infighting and indecision within the association, which has already parted ways with three different bosses since the start of the 2004-05 lockout.

Fehr may be a newcomer to the sport of hockey, but he's a well-known figure among North American sports fans. Fehr was in charge of the Major League Baseball Players Association for 24 years, a period that saw several work stoppages including the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

While it's too early to know the impact that Fehr would have in his new role, we may be able to learn a few things from the way he got it. According to my sources, the NHLPA asked every potential candidate to fill out a simple one-page application form. I've obtained a copy of that form, and I think it sheds a lot of light on how Fehr managed to secure the job.


Thank you for applying for the position of Executive Director of the NHLPA. To help us determine your qualifications, please fill out this application form and hand it to the on-duty manager. Please note that only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

First Name:
Last Name:
Does your name lend itself to any cool headline puns that describe how scary you are?

Please list your desired salary for this position:

Please list the percentage of that salary that you are willing to have randomly placed into an escrow that you do not understand:

Describe any previous job experience you have which would be relevant to a position at the NHLPA, such as working at a daycare or as a public safety investigator specializing in train wrecks.

Rate your knowledge of hockey on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "poor" and 10 is "extremely poor".

Hours during the day that you are available to work:
Hours during the middle of the night that you are available to be fired:

List any experience you have in dealing with cripplingly short-sighted work stoppages. (Use the back of the paper if you need extra space.)

This is probably a long shot, but by any chance do you have experience working with uncharismatic, condescending and universally despised professional sports commissioners?

Please describe your level of expertise when it comes to hacking into an e-mail system.

If you wrote anything other than "absolutely none" for that last question, please crumple your application into a ball and toss it into the nearest waste basket.

Place a checkmark next to any of the following that you feel you would be able to acquire on behalf of the players:
( ) Two weeks of vacation during the regular season
( ) Four weeks of vacation during the offseason
( ) Twelve months of vacation during the 2012-13 season

Please look at the attached photo of Gary Bettman making his very best "intimidating face". Write down the total number of seconds you were able to stare at it without laughing.

It's a long story, but we're going to need the successful candidate to let Eric Lindros follow them around 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You're cool with that, aren't you? AREN'T YOU?

Any future threats of a work stoppage are likely to be extremely unpopular with hockey fans, many of whom would take it as a devastating betrayal on the part of a sport they've cared for deeply since childhood. How convincingly would you be able to fake caring about that?

Bonus grammar question: Why is it a "Players Association" in baseball, basketball and football, but a "Players' Association" in the NHL?

Finally, and most importantly: In the space below, please describe in detail how you plan to react when we all inevitably rise up and backstab you in 12 to 18 months.

Lost in the recent uptick in news about Ilya Kovalchuk's contract, questions about Marc Savard's contract remain -- enough of them, it appears, to cause teams to back away from talking to the Boston Bruins about acquiring him. That doesn't mean the Bruins have abandoned the idea. They continue to shop Savard, according to ESPN.com. But in combination with Savard's seven-year, front-loaded contract, potential suitors are seen as having salary cap concerns that would stifle a deal.

The NHL free-agent market's top remaining goal scorer not named Ilya Kovalchuk is staying in Arizona. The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed unrestricted free agent Lee Stempniak to a two-year contract, the Arizona Republic reported on its website late Sunday. Stempniak will be paid $3.8 million for the two years, according to media reports -- $1.5 million for 2010-11, $2.3 million for 2011-12. His cap hit is $1.9 million according to capgeek.com. "We are very pleased to have signed Lee to a two-year contract," GM Don Maloney said in a statement.

from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,

The defenceman’s game-day scowl was screwed on pretty tight, three weeks before camp medicals on Sept. 16.

“It was a long summer and it’s no secret we weren’t happy where we finished last year,” Phaneuf said. “Back at the first press conference I said what a huge honour it is to be the captian of this team. But I’m not going to change.”

Phaneuf got the gig because he can bring an intimidation factor to his own dressing room. But he also made sure to call every new Leaf acquired since July 1 to introduce himself and give a pep talk, which hasn’t always been the protocol around here in the 43 years without a Stanley Cup.

“I talked to every guy and everyone was excited for the chance to play here,” Phaneuf said. “Camp is coming up quick and we have to be ready. Every guy we added will help us.”

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TORONTO (Aug. 30) — To my boss, program director Don Kollins of THE FAN-590: Okay, I give. Get your knee off the nape of my skull and let me up. I’m officially among the chirping society. Yes, I’ve finally surrendered to your psychic hammer-lock, which has the force to permeate countless miles; brick walls surrounding homes; even international boundaries. It messes with my sleep and eatin

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and...

TORONTO (Aug. 29) – Can it really be six months since the “golden goal”? With a well-deserved tip of the hat to Chris Cuthbert of TSN for one of the great unrehearsed calls in Canadian broadcasting history, it was on this Sunday – one-half year ago – that Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner against Ryan Miller in the championship game of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. It provides

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed unrestricted free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year deal that an NHL source confirmed is worth $1.1 million. MacArthur played for both the Sabres and Thrashers last season, after being dealt from Buffalo to Atlanta near the trade deadline for a pair of draft picks. He posted a career-high 35 points in 81 games last year, following up a 2008-09 season in which he scored 17 goals for the Sabres. At 25 years old, he still provides upside for the Leafs while filling a role on a second or third line.

from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

So, 12th place in East. I guess if you are a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you sort of have to be happy with where The Hockey News has predicted the team will finish in its annual rankings. After all, it is better than 15th.

And, really, what did you expect?

This is a team that after finishing last in the Eastern Conference—and 29th out of 30 teams overall--added forwards Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong this summer. That type of overhaul is worth a three-spot improvement.

It might have been worth more had the Leafs found a trading partner for Tomas Kaberle. But they still would not be considered a playoff-contender. Not by a long shot.

So, 12th place in the East. Who knows, if the Leafs keep this up, maybe next year they will be ranked as high as ninth.

continued

from MapleLeafs.com,

Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Saturday that the hockey club has signed unrestricted free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year contract.

MacArthur, 25, began last season with the Buffalo Sabres before being traded March 3 to Atlanta in exchange for the Thrashers’ third and fourth round picks in the 2010 Entry Draft. In 81 games between Buffalo and Atlanta, he registered a career-high 35 points with 16 goals and 19 assists

continued

TORONTO - The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed unrestricted free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year contract.