from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- Truth and consequences: I once got called to a meeting with leaders of the Maple Leafs, upset about something I had written about the team. Around five of the big-name players surrounded me in the laundry room, demanding to know where the story came from. Two of the loudest objectors happened to be source of the story they were objecting to.

- At 42, one year older than Joe Thornton, Pavel Datsyuk is playing more than 17 minutes a game in the KHL. He’s 10th in the K in scoring.

- Among other things, what makes Sheldon Keefe unique as a Maple Leafs head coach? Unlike Mike Babcock, Randy Carlyle, Ron Wilson, Paul Maurice, Pat Quinn, Pat Burns, Tom Watt or Doug Carpenter, the last eight Toronto coaches, Keefe is the only one to begin his NHL coaching career in Toronto.

a few more