The sports and entertainment worlds (sort of) collided together yesterday for the wedding of the year, as Dion Phaneuf married his girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert*.  When the Leafs captain proposed to the actress last year, we wrote about the positives and negatives of their impending nuptials, but either way, we give kudos for it not being one of those long drawn-out engagements.

* Mikhail Grabovski must be pissed.  Not only do the Leafs buy him out, but his former teammate steals the thunder from his own wedding.

The couple tied the knot at St. James Catholic Church in Summerfield, PEI, where Phaneuf’s parents are from.  Teammates Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak were reportedly in attendance, but no word on if Sean Avery was invited.

Here’s a few photos from the wedding, just in case any of you care:

1) DION’S ARRIVAL

Here’s Phaneuf arriving for the wedding.  You can tell it must be a happy occasion, because he’s almost smiling. Which is more than can be said for the kid, who looks like he just got some bad news.  Shit!  I hope the Knicks haven’t decided to call off their trade for Andre Bargnani?!

2) ELISHA’S ARRIVAL

This was the moment when the male population finally had to accept the wedding was in fact going ahead, with Cuthbert arriving at the church in a black convertible.

3) THEY’RE MARRIED

And just in case there were any guys out there who were still convinced they had a chance with Cuthbert, here’s the happy couple leaving the church after getting married.

4) LET ME REPEAT THAT: THEY’RE MARRIED

Seriously, give it up! It’s over!  Can’t you see how happy Cuthbert is?  What’s Phaneuf’s is now hers.  And not a moment too soon, what with the ‘comedy’ series Happy Endings recently being cancelled.

5) HEADING TO THE RECEPTION

Call it skewed priorities, but my biggest concern of the day was if everyone’s favourite big lug would be able to fit in the car.  Fortunately, Phaneuf managed to get in, hence the excitement emanating from the crowd.  At least I assume that’s why they’re cheering.

6) THE STALKERS VIEW

It looks like the person taking this picture forgot to use the zoom option.  Mind you, even if they did, the view would have been partially blocked anyway.  (Hey, hey, HEY! Behave yourself.  I’m referring to the car parked in front of the entrance to the church.)

7) THE MEDIA

Talking of pictures, as you’d expect, members of the media were in attendance (as opposed to invited) to cover the wedding.  Sara Orlesky and Barry Davis weren’t there, so I’m assuming TSN and Sportsnet didn’t provide round-the-clock coverage of the day’s events.

Afterwards, the reception took place at a nearby large waterfront estate which is owned by Phaneuf.  (Dion, please tell me you at least got Cuthbert to sign a prenup?)  One guest confirmed there were fireworks while everyone was eating and food trucks at midnight, courtesy of the in-laws.  Something tells me the newly married couple likely pitched in for this.

Congratulation Mr and Mrs Phaneuf.  Despite Blue Toro often taking a more light-hearted look at anything related to the Toronto sports scene, we genuinely wish you both all the best.  (Or at less as genuinely as we can do, considering we’ve never met either one of you.)

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

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• By English Paul
• July 7, 2013
• Comment

With the NHL free agency period set to officially begin today at 12pm ET, here’s some of the rumours currently circulating in respect of the Leafs:

TYLER BOZAK

The Leafs centre has been one of the more polarising figures recently in Toronto.  However, despite decreasing his demands to five years at $5 million, reports indicate Leafs GM Dave Nonis is not willing to accept this.  This does not mean Nonis would not like to bring Bozak back if it’s feasible, but as it stands, negotiations are ongoing.

ROD SCUDERI

The Kings defenceman is high on the list of players the Leafs would love to bring in.  Scuderi proved to be a key part of two Stanley Cup winning sides in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.   Word has it that the Leafs are at the top of Scuderi’s list if he leaves the Kings, although there could be competition from his former team, the Penguins.

MICHAEL RIBERIO

Apparently, the Leafs have reached a verbal agreement with a ‘Major UFA’, which will be announced today.  According to rumours, there are two names being mentioned prominently, one of which is centre Michael Riberio.  If this is true, fan opinion could be split on a player who, while more than capable of scoring 70 points next season, is often criticised for his lack of toughness.

DAVID CLARKSON

The other player being linked with the Leafs as their high-profile UFA signing, is David Clarkson.  The winger is renowned for being aggressive, something which would be of huge benefit to the team next season, especially if they make the playoffs.  Make no mistake though, if Clarkson does come to Toronto, it won’t be cheap. (Reports indicate he will get in the region of 7 years at $6 million.)

Photo credit: http://thehockeyjunkies.blogspot.co.uk

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• By T.O.I.N.S.D.R.
• July 5, 2013
• Comment

Despite my lack of interest in the whole hoopla that surrounds these occasions, yesterday’s NHL Draft in New Jersey wasn’t too bad.  The Leafs actually had a pretty decent day, although I won’t go as far as to give it a grade.  (What’s the point, when it may take years to work out the impact on your organisation?)

However, what I will do is tell you eight things that you may or may not know about the Leafs first round draft pick, Frederik Gauthier:

1) HE’S FRENCH-CANADIAN 

However, despite being born and raised in Quebec (come on now, let’s not hold it against the guy), Gauthier speaks perfect English.  Okay, so it’s not perfect per se, but it’s still better than mine.

2) HE’S 6FT 3IN AND 193 LBS

Or 6ft 4in and 219 lbs. Or 6ft 5in and 210 lbs. Or 6ft 5 ins and 215 lbs.  It depends on who you ask.  Regardless, the kid’s pretty big for an 18-year old and he should make for an extremely intimidating presence on the ice for the Leafs.

3) HE RISES TO THE OCCASION

Gauthier scored the winning goal for Canada in their gold medal game against the USA in the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.  He also had three assists in his seven games at the tournament, which all came during the playoff rounds.  Just the type of clutch player the Leafs could have used in game seven against the Bruins.  (What, you’re kidding me?! It’s still too soon to mention that?!?!)

4) HE HAS ALL THE TOOLS

Gauthier may well never be considered a top offensive threat, but this is countered by scouting reports that say his defensive game was among the best in this year’s draft class.  He is “an incredible back-checking centre, who has too many tools to ignore”.  Fine, just as long as he’s not arrogant with it.

5) HE COULD IMPACT TYLER BOZAK’S FUTURE IN TORONTO

Mr Bozak would do well to take note of this statistic: During the 2012/13 season, Gauthier led all first-year players in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a face-off winning percentage of 46.6%.  He also ranked fourth among first-year players, with 60 points (22 goals & 38 assists) in 62 games.

6) FUN FACT NUMBER ONE

Not sure how much this really matters, but his mum, Sophie Normandin, was an international swimmer.  As long as Gauthier doesn’t have a tendency to dive at the first sign of contact, we should be okay.

7) THE LEAFS WERE LUCKY TO GET HIM

In some respects, the Leafs were fortunate Gauthier was still available for the 21st pick, having been ranked number eight by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.  The Bureau  is the department within the NHL that ranks prospects for the entry draft, based on how well they will translate to the professional game.  And as we all know, you can always trust any company with the word ‘Bureau’ in it’s title.

8 ) FUN FACT NUMBER TWO

Gauthier’s favourite TV shows include Prison Break and Suits.  Someone really needs to introduce him to Game of Thrones or at least get him onto reruns of Lost on Netflix.

Photo credit: @NHL_rumor_mill

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

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• By English Paul
• July 1, 2013
• Comment

Thanks to social media, poor Ben Scrivens can’t go anywhere these days.  There he is, just innocently enjoying himself at a catwalk modelling event, before being busted by his wife, Jennifer Scrivens:

Let’s just hope the Leafs backup goaltender doesn’t get caught out as easily by opposition players next season.

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By paul.taylor
• June 14, 2013
• Comment

One of many dilemmas facing the Leafs is whether or not to resign Tyler Bozak, who is eligible to become a free agent this summer.  While he is not viewed as one of the top centres in the NHL, Bozak still plays an important role for the team, including being their top faceoff man.

GM Dave Nonis would love to resign the 27 year old, but money, as always, will be the sticking point.  Bozak has indicated his desire to remain with the Leafs, but this could become a moot point if he wishes to be paid like a top-line centre. (The most common figure being quoted is $5.5 million.)

Bozak made $1.4 million this past season and while he deserves to be paid more, there are several aspects to consider, such as a salary cap that is decreasing from $70.2 million to $64.3 million for next season.  Another factor is the Leafs current projected cap room of $19.5 million, with decisions to be made on restricted free agents such as Nazem Kadri and whether to keep Phil Kessel or take advantage of his current trade value.

All of this leads to the question of what the Leafs will do if they don’t resign Bozak? According to sources, one of they’re main replacement targets is Stephen Weiss.

While Weiss struggled for the Florida Panthers last season, this was due to a wrist injury that required surgery in March and cut short his campaign.  However, the former 2001 fourth overall draft pick is still regarded as one of the best two-way centres in the league.

Despite his age (30), the general perception is that Weiss still has plenty left in the tank.  The former U20 Team Canada selection, recorded 62 points as recently as the 2011-12 season, including five in seven games during his first exposure to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Current indications are that Weiss would prefer to return to the Panthers, although this is not expected to deter Nonis from aggressively chasing him in the event that Bozak leaves.  One factor which may or may not help is that signing for the Leafs would be a homecoming for Weiss, who was born and raised in Toronto.

Photo credit: www.roosterteeth.com

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• By T.O.I.N.S.D.R.
• June 9, 2013
• Comment

I appreciate that not everyone was able to follow our ‘virtual tour’ of the Hockey Hall of Fame on our Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter yesterday.  As such, here’s a compilation of our favourite photos from yesterday, which you may, or may not, agree with:

1) JOHNNY BOWER

The great Johnny Bower, who played in goal for the Leafs for 11 seasons and earned the nickname, ‘The China Wall’.  He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976, but more importantly, won four Stanley Cups with the Leafs, including their last one in 1967.

2) DARRYL SITTLER

It’s always good to see a Leafs player in the Hall of Fame with a record that will likely never be beaten.  On February 7, 1976, Darryl Sittler set an NHL record for most points in a game, recording 10 against the Boston Bruins, including six goals and four assists.

3) NHL RETRO JERSEYS

I think everyone likes seeing retro sports jerseys, and I’m no different.  As well as the Atlanta Flames and California Golden Seals, the Leafs jersey, in particular, caught my attention.

It was worn during the 1949-50 season by Garth Boesch.  The defenceman played just four seasons, but still won three Stanley Cups during that time.  Wonder why he decided to retire?  Maybe Mr Boesch just got bored of winning all the time.

4) LEAFS V CANUCKS

Okay, I’ll admit it.  The only reason this photo is one of my favourites, is because of the comparison between the Leafs and Canucks in terms of how many Stanley Cups each team has won.  (Yes, yes, Vancouver.  I realise, the Canucks didn’t even have a team when the Leafs last won the championship. But it still amused me.)

5) MONTREAL CANADIENS DRESSING ROOM

On the flip side, I’m sure Leafs fans are dismayed to see anything relating to the Canadiens in my list of favourite pictures.  However, while they are the enemy, it was pretty cool sitting in a replica of an NHL dressing room. (Let’s be honest, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to the real thing.)

6) LEAFS DYNASTY 1962-67

Tougher for younger fans to comprehend, the Leafs have actually had a couple of dynasties during their time in the NHL. The first one was between 1947-51, when they won four Stanley Cups, while the second dynasty (above) took place between 1962-67, with a further four championships.

7) THE STANLEY CUP

Of course, this is what everyone really wants to see: The Stanley Cup.  Let’s be honest, forget about dynasties.  The Leafs and their fans would just love to win this trophy once and then we could all die happy.

8 ) THE PRINCE OF WALES TROPHY

Actually, it might be a good idea if the Leafs aimed for this trophy first.  The Prince of Wales Trophy was initially awarded to the winners of the Eastern Conference in 1994 and suffice it say, the Leafs have yet to get their hands on it.  We live in hope….

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By English Paul
• June 7, 2013
• Comment

I know I’m a day early with our top Toronto Athlete sightings of the week, but the next couple of days are going to be busy on the work front, hopefully to the benefit of regular readers of Blue Toro. (More information to come later.)

1) CHAD OWENS

With veterans reporting to training camp this Saturday, the Argonauts Chad Owens prepares to return to Toronto.  As you can tell by the look on his face, that’s one half-hearted thumbs up.  Not that you can blame someone who is just about to leave Hawaii.

2) LANDRY FIELDS

The Raptors Landry Fields was spotted at Legends Sports Bar earlier this week.  I’m going to assume his choice in T-Shirt represents his love for Michael Jackson’s music, as opposed to the performance of him and his Raptors teammates this past season.

3) AMIR JOHNSON

Sticking with the Raptors, Blue Toro favourite Amir Johnson has been relaxing in Palm Springs, California.  At least I assume it’s Amir Johnson, because I’m otherwise distracted by other aspects of the photo. (Okay, it’s possible I’ve been spending too much time around Jack Douglas recently.)

4) MIKE ‘PINBALL’ CLEMONS

Here’s Argonauts legend Mike ‘Pinball’ Clemons attending a Ruby Sky event. Not surprisingly, given the greatness of the man, it was for charity.  As such, I have no intention of attempting to make any ’witty’ comments in respect of the photo above.

(But don’t think I couldn’t!  I’ll compensate for it with the remaining photos.)

5) BRANDON MORROW

Brandon Morrow kindly took the time to pose for a photo recently with a fan.  I hate to say it, but the only thing worse than his top is the way he’s been pitching lately. (Sorry Brandon.  I actually feel bad for writing that, but, as I said, I have to make up for giving Pinball a free pass.)

6) TORONTO FC

Toronto FC’s Kevin Payne, Ryan Nelsen and Jeremy Hall appeared on Global Toronto’s Morning Show earlier today.  Not surprisingly, Hall, along with the rest of the team, is currently suffering from a crisis of confidence.  I assume that’s the reason he’s hiding the soccer ball, for fear of being asked to do some tricks for the TV cameras.

7) JOE EPPELE

The Argonauts Joe Eppele decided to share his dilemma about whether or not to keep or shave his beard.  I didn’t have the heart to message him to explain he doesn’t really have a choice anymore. The fact he’s also 6ft 8 and 304lbs had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to remain quiet.

8 ) DION PHANEUF

And finally, there’s been yet another Dion Phaneuf ‘sighting’.  In fact, with similar photos currently flying around the internet, we may soon have to make this a weekly feature in its own right.  Especially, if it involves attractive women like the one above.  (Yep, I’ve definitely been spending too much time around Jack Douglas.)

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By English Paul
• May 29, 2013
• Comment

As a recent convert to Vine myself, I’d like to say I understand why Ben Scrivens did the following:

Sorry, I mean I’d like to say I understand, but I can’t.  For some reason, I now feel like I will have less confidence in Scrivens, the next time he’s in goal for the Leafs.

Credit: Steve Dangle/Reddit

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

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• By English Paul
• May 28, 2013
• Comment

You pretty much know you’ve made it in life, if you find yourself at a yacht party in Cannes on the French Riviera.  To say it’s tough to get an invite, is an understatement.

It normally requires you to be rich, famous, talented and good looking like, say, P Diddy. (Well, I guess three out of four isn’t bad.)  As such, maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised that this ‘exclusive’ list now includes  Joffrey Lupul .

The Leafs winger was lucky enough to be invited to Paul Allen’s yacht party in Cannes.  I just hope he remembered to follow the required etiquette for such events.

I could be bitter about Lupul getting to go to such an exclusive party.  However, the guy deserves the chance to unwind after all his recent injury woes, combined with the way this season ended for the Leafs.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is reportedly the 53rd-richest person in the world and I guess when you have that kind of money, you don’t worry about much. How else can you explain Lupul being allowed to take charge of his yacht, despite not having the appropriate licence:

When you’re in the company of the rich and famous, it must be tough to stand out from the crowd.  However, Lupul was up to the challenge, proving that his talents extend beyond an ability to stay upright and hit a puck:

There’s no denying that the ability to play the piano is a pretty cool talent to have.  However, I’ll be much more impressed if Mr Lupul continues to make sweet music on the ice next season.

Photo credits: @JLupul

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

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• By paul.taylor
• May 21, 2013
• Comment

I appreciate reaction is often mixed towards our showing attractive women who apparently support one or more of Toronto’s sports teams.  Some people like it.  Others?  Not so much.

As such, Blue Toro have rebranded this feature as the ‘Top Toronto sports fan of the week’.  This way, it will be clearer what to be expect, and readers can then decide for themselves if they want to ’read’ the article or not.

This week, we introduce Zara, who lives in Toronto and appears to be a Leafs fan.  However, s0mething tells me you won’t care too much about this:

Yep, Zara’s definitely a Leafs fan.  For some reason, that last photo clinched it for me……

For anyone who’s interested, you can follow Zara on Twitter @Zara9lives and on Tumblr at http://zaramansion.tumblr.com/

If you have any tips or information about any of Toronto’s sports teams, please email me at [email protected]

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• By paul.taylor
• May 20, 2013
• Comment
• 3