from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- It should be Toronto’s time — shouldn’t it? — if only because Boston has taken up too much of our sporting time over the years. Just to be fair.Year after year we’ve seen it, team after team, individual star after freaking individual star, and in truth, we’ve been kind of overwhelmed if not mesmerized by Boston’s teams and athletes....

Which makes this Bruins-Leafs series — big picture, right now — all the more important. You can only have so much sand kicked in your face. Eventually, you have to kick back.

- Watching the Colorado Avalanche is like watching hockey played at another speed. It’s like something is wrong with your television and the game is on fast-forward.

- If it’s true, and Rod Brind’Amour will be a free agent at the end of the season, shouldn’t every team in the league, even those with a coach under contract, make an attempt to hire the Carolina Hurricanes bench boss.

- It’s bush league that there is no place for a backup goaltender to sit on the bench for visiting teams playing in Carolina.

more on the first topic plus additional hockey notes...