Berger Bytes: Leafs Nation in "Missouri" After Consecutive Drubbings

By HOWARD BERGER

ST. LOUIS (Nov. 10) - In a hockey-crazed region, six days can present an astounding contrast. To wit: after the Maple Leafs knocked off the Blue Jackets in Columbus last Thursday - 24 hours removed from winning at New Jersey - the team was lauded by its fan-base for possessing organizational depth in goal. As the Leafs rested here in St. Louis last night for their clash with the Blues, many of the same followers were begging for Marty Turco. So much for organizational depth.

This isn't surprising. While Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens delivered the consecutive-night road victories last week, they followed with performances that suggested inebriation. Though it's impossible to believe they came to the Air Canada Centre nursing hangovers, Gustavsson and Scrivens yielded goals against Boston and Florida that Vesa Toskala would have stopped on a bad night. Even our pal Andrew Raycroft might have smothered the dribbling backhand feed from the corner that somehow fooled Scrivens late in the Florida game.

So, now what?

NHL by-laws stipulate the Leafs must have a live person dressed in goaltending equipment when the puck is dropped at the Scottrade Center tonight (8 p.m. EST). For Ron Wilson, that decision could be more painful than choosing between a colonoscopy and root-canal. At least, sedation is administered during those procedures. Wilson has to pick a netminder while fully conscious.

Of course, this doesn't preclude either goalie from rebounding against the Blues. It's just that confidence on a hockey team is incapable of withstanding disability between the pipes. Nothing destroys emotion so quickly and agonizingly as a soft goal. When eight or nine such tallies are permitted during a two-game span, weeks of progress can be neutralized. That's why fans of the Maple Leafs - basking in the delirium of first place last Thursday - are now paralyzed with apprehension.

While traveling here yesterday - with a change of planes in Chicago - I sent out a Tweet asking for questions or comments about the Blue & White. As such, I have interspersed several of your queries with my photographs of arriving in St. Louis late in the afternoon.

This was a frequent stop during my early years covering the Leafs, when the club played in the Western Conference. The decade between 1986 and 1996 saw the Leafs and Blues square off in five playoff series, while facing one another six times during the regular season. Today, the teams meet just once per season, alternating annually between here and Toronto.

Leaf fans with a blessedly short memory may not recall the horror at the Scottrade Center on Feb. 12, 2010. In a game overshadowed that night by the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Leafs gave up two shorthanded goals and were gutted, 4-0, by the Blues, falling to 19-31-11 on the season.

IT WAS CLOUDY DOWN BELOW DURING MUCH OF THE 48-MINUTE FLIGHT BETWEEN CHICAGO AND ST. LOUIS, BUT THE WEATHER CLEARED AS WE APPROACHED THE CITY.

HAVING CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO MISSOURI (ABOVE), I SNAPPED A QUICK SHOT OF DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS ON FINAL APPROACH TO LAMBERT AIRPORT. THE GATEWAY ARCH CAN BE SEEN ON THE BANK OF THE RIVER, AT TOP-LEFT, IN FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE'S WING. HUGE STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE IS EDWARD JONES DOME, HOME OF THE NFL's ST. LOUIS RAMS. BUSCH STADIUM, HOME OF THE WORLD SERIES-CHAMPION ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, IS AT UPPER-RIGHT IN PHOTO.

QUESTION FROM READERS JUDY AND DAVE: Howard, why doesn't Leafs management admit that James Reimer suffered a concussion?

A. Probably because it's a foregone conclusion. It would not be inconceivable for a player to miss three weeks with a neck injury (as the Leafs have frequently described it). The giveaway here is that Reimer has made intermittent appearances at practice, suggesting that physical exertion is bringing about a recurrence of concussion symptoms. As most are aware, the NHL has wisely adopted strict protocol for dealing with head and neck injuries, and Leaf fans may remember that Reimer sustained a blow to the head in Atlanta late last season during a collision in the goal-crease with Evander Kane. So, the club is playing it safely and smartly with its No. 1 netminder. As to the meat of your question, I have no idea why the Leafs refuse to be more up-front. The team's loyal fan-base is obviously concerned about Reimer and I can't see the slightest harm in revealing the nature of his injury, or the logical reasons why its medical staff is demonstrating caution.

TWO WEEKS AFTER THE CARDINALS DEFEATED TEXAS IN THE WORLD SERIES, SOUVENIR KIOSKS AT LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (ABOVE) ARE SELLING A VARIETY OF CHAMPIONSHIP PARAPHERNALIA.

READER JAMIE SENDS A QUESTION ALL THE WAY FROM KAMPALA, UGANDA: I am in Africa for work and have not been able to see any [Leaf] games this year, though I try to keep up-to-date on-line. In your opinion, is the Reimer injury serious enough for Brian Burke to make a move for a more solid back-up goalie? It doesn't seem as if the Leafs will go anywhere without a remedy between the pipes. Even when Reimer returns, I'm not confident that Jonas Gustavsson can be trusted, or that Ben Scrivens is of caliber to play in the NHL.

A. Gustavsson and Scrivens didn't appear of caliber to play in the East Coast League against Boston and Florida. That said, I'm not sure it's time to begin parachuting over-the-hill veterans into town... unless the Leafs are secretly aware that Reimer may not return in the foreseeable future. But, given the unpredictability of concussion rehab, the club may not have a true handle on Reimer's situation. To me, the wild-card here is Gustavsson. No one expected Scrivens to play in the NHL this season (perhaps, not at all), and everyone went a trifle loopy after the win at Columbus. Gustavsson came into the season as the acknowledged back-up to Reimer and I think the Leafs have to stay with him a bit longer. He has that European awkwardness, which is more observation than criticism, as many goalies from overseas require adjustment to the smaller ice surface in North America - particularly beside the net, where space and geometry can be disorienting. The argument against Gustavsson is that he probably should have gotten it by now. Though his NHL career has been interrupted by injury and illness, he's played enough minutes for the Leafs to demonstrate more polish - especially while handling the puck. But, he also has a quick glove-hand and good reflexes for a lanky netminder. Therefore, I think the Leafs should run with him in Reimer's absence. Wilson, however, knows he doesn't have the luxury of enduring another fatal November swoon. That's one of the reasons the coach has been quick with the hook so far. The 9-3-1 early-season cushion was very important, and it may not - as such - be time to execute a goaltending airlift. But, that will change if the ugliness between the pipes continues for another game or two.

ON THE METROLINK TRAIN-RIDE DOWNTOWN FROM LAMBERT AIRPORT, WE PASSED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS IN ST. LOUIS: THE SHERATON CITY-CENTER HOTEL (ABOVE AND BELOW) - A REFURBISHED LANDMARK, CONSTRUCTED IN 1929, WHICH IS NOW LOCATED KITTY-CORNER TO THE SCOTTRADE CENTER, HOME OF THE ST. LOUIS BLUES.

THE BLUES' HOME (ABOVE) FROM THE METROLINK TRAIN. SCOTTRADE CENTER OPENED DURING THE LOCKOUT-SHORTENED SEASON OF 1994-95 AND WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE KEIL CENTER. IT REPLACED THE ST. LOUIS ARENA - THE OLD BARN ON OAKLAND AVE., THREE MILES WEST OF DOWNTOWN.

JASON FROM EARLTON, ONT. WRITES: Hey, Howard, before I ask my question, let me take a moment to compliment you on the photo-blog you've been posting. I love the pictures of the travel, arenas, etc. - it gives us fans a glimpse behind the scenes. Now my question: since Brian Burke took over the Leafs, we've heard about a so-called "change of attitude" in the dressing room. Could you elaborate on the differences between the current team and those of the past?

A. First, thank-you for your kind words on the blog, Jason. That is my precise goal: to take readers "along with me" - showing them NHL cities from above and below, while calling upon memories of traveling with the Leafs for much of the past 20 years. In the coming weeks, you will see a new website with a more polished and professional look, but still featuring the images that have grown popular early in the season. It is difficult for a reporter to accurately gauge the temperament and interpersonal climate in the dressing room, as players don't often let their guard down in the presence of media. What we do know is that this has become, without exception, Burke's team, as the GM has executed a complete overhaul during his three-year term. If anything, it gives the players a sense of belonging that those inherited by Burke and Wilson did not have. Otherwise, the dressing room environment is always at the mercy of performance and result. When both are good, it's a wonderful place to be. When not, it suffers. In that regard, it isn't substantially different from the office environment of any business.

DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS AND THE GATEWAY ARCH (ABOVE) JUST BEFORE SUNSET ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE LOT BETWEEN WHERE I WAS STANDING AND THE HILTON HOTEL IS SITE OF OLD BUSCH MEMORIAL STADIUM - THE COOKIE-CUTTER FACILITY WHERE THE BASEBALL AND FOOTBALL CARDINALS PLAYED FROM THE MID-'60s TO THE LATE-'90s.

THE NEW BUSCH STADIUM (THIRD-BASE ENTRANCE ABOVE), HOME OF THE 2011 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS. STATUE (BELOW) OF CARDINALS' LEGEND STAN (THE MAN) MUSIAL WAS MOVED FROM THE OLD STADIUM SITE ACROSS THE ROAD.

FIRST-BASE AND RIGHT-FIELD SEATS AT BUSCH STADIUM (ABOVE). CARDINALS WON THE SERIES HERE TWO WEEKS AGO.

STATUE OUTSIDE BUSCH STADIUM OF ST. LOUIS BROADCASTING LEGEND JACK BUCK - LONG-TIME VOICE OF THE CARDINALS AND ORIGINAL VOICE OF THE BLUES (HE GAVE WAY TO DAN KELLY IN THE HOCKEY CLUB'S SECOND SEASON, 1968-69). JACK'S SON, JOE BUCK, IS THE LEAD FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL ANNOUNCER FOR FOX SPORTS.