As if today's announcement of a month filled with giveaways here wasn't enough, to show that the Christmas spirit is alive and well my arch-nemesis HF10 passed along an e-mail that will no doubt interest at least some of you here:

The email auction for 2 tickets to the Leafs begins today.  It's simple, just send your bid amount to ms.duchesne@sympatico.ca.  The highest bid received in by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 5th wins.  Bids are not limited to Beaches Co-op parents, so please solicit bids from those Leafs fans surrounding you - the ones who can't live without the opportunity to land great seats. We've been told the Leafs shoot on this end twice.  The seats are located in the second row of the Red section in a corner. .  The specific details are as follows:
 
Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ticket Price: $195.30/ticket
Section: 111
Row: 18
Seats: 1&2
 
If you have any questions about the process or tickets, please contact genevieve.brown@sympatico.ca.  Remember Christmas is coming, and there's no better gift for a Leafs fan in your life.

All proceeds go to The Beaches Co-Operative Playschool which counts MiniHF10 as a student and BigHF10 as a proud supporter. Early Childhood Education is a wonderful cause so you get ridiculous seats at a Leafs game and a warm glow in your heart.

The game, in case you are wondering, is against the Florida Panthers which led HF10 to close with this:

Apologize to the Barilkosphere for the lousy opponent ... although it's a chance to boo McCabe again, if someone was so inclined.

Here at Pension Plan Puppets Incorporated we realize that the quality of the site depends as much on the people that contribute comments, fanposts, fanshots, and general hilarity and insight as it does on the combined awesomeness of Chemmy and I seen here:

That's why we set a 6th straight record for visits and page views in November. Chemmy and I want to continue making this the best site possible so we wanted to figure out a way to thank the current community and encourage lurkers and newcomers to join in the fun (please read this first). So we've pulled together a great batch of giveaways that'll be given out in a few ways, some still to be determined, but here are the details for the main contest:

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I am still not entirely sure how this was a goal while every time the Leafs looked at Carey Price crooked they got two minutes. Ah well, 4-2 bitches! Anyway, here's what the dying medium had to say about the game:

Burke, realizing the team has been inundated with speculation about what he might do with the roster, visited the dressing room prior to the game for a quick introduction to the players and a much-needed message to the Leafs.

"(Burke) said, 'Don't try to do to much because I'm here,' " said Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala, who was stellar for a second consecutive game.

Mark Zwolinski

Is that all that they had to say? Of course, the hidden message was "do more or play in Phoenix". And how about that Vesa Toskala! Ron Wilson thinks that he figured out the problem and it should settle the debate about whether he was playing too deep or too far out:

"I don't know why, but he was passive before, sitting back in his crease. ... Now he's getting up in his crease and he's getting bumped, which is a good sign."

"Kudos to him for finding his game and getting it back."

I don't like to say "I told you so"...I love it. PPP 1, Chemmy 0.

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When the College of Cardinals selects a new Pope they release white smoke into the air to signal that their closed door deliberations have been completed. In Toronto that can't work because there is always a white haze over the city. Instead, the first act on day one of 1 AB (Anno Burkem) was to hold a press conference. Thanks to MF37 for pointing out that the press conference from yesteday was available online. Watch it and reach your own conclusions about what Burke is saying. Here are some links to read while you ponder what he might do:

• Arch watches a lot of wrestling. I totally visualized that entire scene although in my version Burke brings down Peddie from the owner's box, pretends to raise his hands in triumph, then gives him the Rock Bottom and People's Elbow, and tells us fans that it was a double-cross and he's going to give us a Cup.
• Even Oilers fans know what this signing means. Although Burke wouldn't be tricked into calling himself Benedict XVI. Makes sense, there is no way a German could lead the Leafs.
• Jared has advice for Brian Burke.
• Burke sounds kind of crazy. I like it.
• Godd and Kim also have some good advice.
• This reads like a Garrioch story. Lots of qualifiers but no proof whatsoever.
• Alec has some thoughts on day 1 of the Burke Era.

Gagne instead of that? Forget it.

REMEMBER YOUR SPG PICKS

Pre-Game: 6:00 p.m., Leafs TV
Broadcast: 7:00 p.m., CBC, AM640, NHLN-HD (US)
Post-Game: 10:00 p.m. Leafs TV
Post Video: mapleleafs.com

Tonight is the first meeting of the year against the Philadelphia Flyers. Here's what happened last time these two teams met:

One of the awesomest games of the year and I fell asleep on the couch at 3-0. If they could recreate it for my benefit I would appreciate it. The Leafs have actually wo 10 of their last 13 games against the Flyers which I find hard to believe because in my mind they always beat us.REMEMBER YOUR SPG PICKS

Official Preview

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It's the 14th time in 21 regular-season games the Senators have been held to two goals or less. It's no coincidence the club has a 3-11 record in those games.

Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Sun

Hey, remember a few years ago when Leafs fans would tell sens fans that their team's terrible record in one goal games meant that they had no heart or clutch players. Remember how we were right? Well, senators fans, do you know what that stat means? You still have no secondary scoring and the top line is playing hide-and-seek in November rather than waiting for April and early May. That's bad.

The Leafs deserve credit. What they lack in talent, they make up for in hard work and when they did give up chances, Toskala stood tall.

The senators deserve credit. What they lack in talent, they sometimes make up for in hard work and when they did give up chances last night, Auld stood tall which is frustrating because he normally stinks.

Burke and Wilson, good pals and former hockey teammates at Providence College, colourful USA Hockey cowboys running the most famous hockey organization in English Canada. Just picture these two media hounds tossing gasoline on the embers of a once-great rivalry like Ottawa and Toronto.

The possibilities are enormous.

Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Citizen

What a surprise. People in Ottawa are hoping to ride the Leafs' rebuild back to relevance. Dear Ottawa, no one cares about you.

It was a moment to sum up much of the Senators' first weeks of the season. In the second period, Heatley took a pass from Spezza and ripped a one-timer at Vesa Toskala. When he saw the Leafs goaltender make the save, Heatley swung his stick at the boards in frustration, a full two-hander, then finished off the stick at the bench.

That was the biggest hissy fit since the last time Naomi Campbell went through airport security. Normally when Heatley is splitting something in half the price tag is in six figures.

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