Toronto Maple Leafs - Not a .500 team yet

All news and politics makes Gordie a dull blogger...I do have other interests, and one of them is sports, something I write about on the odd occasion...

I am a hockey fan, and a Leafs fan to boot (go ahead, make fun).  I always support the home team, which makes life pretty depressing for this long time resident of the GTA.  Leafs, Jays, Raptors...ugh, if it wasn't for 6 out of 8 teams making the post season in the CFL Toronto residents wouldn't have the word 'playoffs' in our collective vocabulary.

And now, with the Leafs surging and sitting just 4 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Buds' bandwagon is starting to fill up.  I have no problem with that, what bothers me is all the talk of how Toronto has finally reached the .500 level due to their having won 27 games and having lost 27 games in regulation.

The problem is they've lost more than 27 games this season, they've actually lost 34.  They've lost 7 games this year in overtime and by shootout, 3 and 4 respectively.  Now, I'm not very good at the new math...but this old school  guy doesn't see how 27 wins against 34 losses equates to being a .500 team. 

Yes I know the NHL, in its infinite stupidity, awards 1 point for teams that wait until after regulation to lose.  So based on this arcane point system the Leafs have garnered 61 out of a possible 122 points, but that still doesn't make them a .500 team in this fan's books.  

Viewing the current Leafs as a .500 team is part of a loser mentality, and maybe that's part of the problem.  They've lost 7 more games than they've won, but by using the league's idiotic point system they can boost  their battered egos and think they're playing .500 hockey when in reality they're 7 games below the mark.

A word for Burke, Wilson and the boys in blue and white....winners don't settle.  If you want to call yourselves a .500 team then finish the schedule by winning at least 7 more games than you lose.  Do that and you won't have to worry about clawing your way into the playoffs, it'll be a done deal.


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