Schenn Clan; Scrivens Pumped For Tonight

By HOWARD BERGER

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 24) - It was a perfect line, delivered with the straight face of an actor: "No media today, guys, I'm not feeling well."

If Ben Scrivens was hoping to stop reporters in their tracks this morning, it worked... for a brief moment. Then came the engaging, mischievous smile that fans of the AHL Toronto Marlies are growing accustomed to. Scrivens, bent over his skates while sitting in the visitors' dressing room at Wells Fargo Center, welcomed the usual media horde from back home and spoke about how exciting it was to be here in Philadelphia for tonight's Leafs-Flyers game - albeit with a return ticket likely before Thursday. With James Reimer recovering from a whiplash injury sustained in Montreal on Saturday, Scrivens will dress as back-up to starting goalie Jonas Gustavsson. Leafs coach Ron Wilson expects Reimer will be fit enough to return for Thursday's road trip finale in New York, sending Scrivens back to his No. 1 role with the Marlies.

Meanwhile, the arena this morning was over-run by Schenns. Brothers Luke and Brayden skated with their respective teams, while parents and sisters watched from the seats. Luke Schenn and Brayden Schenn will finally meet in a regular-season NHL game tonight; Brayden having been acquired by Philadelphia from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards trade last June. The Schenn brothers squared off in a pre-season game here in September, but tonight is the real deal. All family members are pumped.

Enjoy these images from around the rink this morning:

SWEATY BUT EXCITED, LEAFS DEFENSEMAN LUKE SCHENN (ABOVE) RETURNS TO VISITORS' DRESSING ROOM AFTER THE MORNING SKATE TODAY.

JEFF AND RITA SCHENN (ABOVE) HAVE FLOWN IN FROM SASKATOON TO SEE THEIR SONS - LUKE AND BRAYDEN - PLAY AGAINST ONE ANOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NHL. THE ENTIRE SCHENN FAMILY IS HERE (BELOW), INCLUDING (LEFT TO RIGHT) YOUNGER SISTERS MACY AND MADISON.

GOALIE BEN SCRIVENS, WORKING ON A TIP-DRILL THIS MORNING WITH COLTON ORR (ABOVE), WILL BACK-UP JONAS GUSTAVSSON TONIGHT, HAVING BEEN RECALLED LATE YESTERDAY FROM THE AHL TORONTO MARLIES.

FROM THE VISITORS' BENCH AT THE WELLS FARGO CENTER (ABOVE), SCRIVENS WORKS WITH COACHES AND TEAMMATES TOWARD THE END OF TODAY'S MORNING SKATE, THEN FLASHES HIS TRADEMARK SMILE (BELOW) WHILE LEAVING THE ICE.

THERE ARE ALWAYS EXTRA STICKS ON THE BENCH FOR SKATES AND PRACTICES.

NOT SURE WHY, BUT I'M DEVELOPING A PHOTOGRAPHIC FETISH FOR ARENA CEILINGS THAT OOZE HOCKEY AND BASKETBALL HISTORY, SUCH AS THE ONE HERE IN PHILLY.

ANYONE, LIKE ME, THAT MARVELS AT THE BOUNDLESS ENERGY OF LEAFS-TV GURU PAUL (THE POET) HENDRICK CAN NOW BE LET IN ON THE SECRET: HENNY (ABOVE RIGHT) IS ABLE TO GRAB QUICK CAT-NAPS DURING THE DAY, EVEN WHILE TAKING PART IN THE COACH'S MEDIA SCRUM.

I COVERED MY FIRST STANLEY CUP FINAL IN 1985, WHEN THE FLYERS TOOK ON WAYNE GRETZKY AND THE EDMONTON OILERS. GAMES HERE IN PHILLY WERE PLAYED AT THE OLD SPECTRUM, LOCATED IN THE VERY SPOT I WAS STANDING (ABOVE) EARLIER TODAY, ACROSS FROM THE WELLS FARGO CENTER. HOME OF THE FLYERS FROM THEIR INCEPTION IN 1967 THROUGH THE END OF THE 1995-96 SEASON, THE SPECTRUM WAS DEMOLISHED MORE THAN A YEAR AGO. THERE'S A BETTER VIEW, BELOW, OF THE PARKING LOT THAT OCCUPIES ITS FORMER LOCATION.

NIFTY VIEW (ABOVE) FROM MY HOTEL ROOM THIS MORNING: EMPTY CITIZEN'S BANK PARK, HOME OF THE BASEBALL PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES. LEAFS AND FLYERS (LINE-UPS BELOW) FACE-OFF AT 7 P.M. ON LEAFS-TV.



Leafs Road Trip - Montreal to Philadelphia

By HOWARD BERGER

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 23) - As a frequent traveler, you never, ever complain when weather and flying conditions between cities are ideal... as they were this morning for a 70-minute flight on USAirways from Montreal to Philadelphia. Landing just after 11 a.m., I had plenty of time to rent a car and make the short drive up Interstate-95 to the south Philadelphia sports complex, home of the Wells Fargo Center, where the Flyers play. The Maple Leafs - having flown here immediately after last night's extra-time victory over the Canadiens - went out at noon for a 45-minute practice... with just one goalie.

James Reimer, shaken up only one minute into the game at Montreal on a goal-mouth collision with Brian Gionta, stayed off the ice and will not dress tomorrow night against the Flyers. Jonas Gustavsson, who played the final two periods at the Bell Centre, will start, and the Leafs will likely call up Ben Scrivens from the AHL Toronto Marlies as back-up. Reimer spoke to the Toronto media after practice today and said he felt pretty well (he also looked just fine). Coach Ron Wilson said he expects Reimer to return for the finale of this four-game trip - at Madison Square Garden in New York - on Thursday.

Forward Tyler Bozak sat out against the Canadiens after blocking a shot with the top of his foot two nights earlier in Boston. He skated today and has an outside chance of suiting up against the Flyers. Centre Tim Connolly also skated and told reporters he needs "a couple of more 'contact' days" before he can think about returning from his shoulder ailment.

Now, as per usual, please enjoy this travel day through my photographs:

THE MORNING BEGAN WITH A GORGEOUS, DAWN SKY IN MONTREAL (ABOVE), THEN AN EQUALLY ENCHANTING SUNRISE (BELOW).

A QUICK TAXI-RIDE ON A VIRTUALLY DESERTED HIGHWAY EARLY THIS MORNING TOOK ME TO PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU AIRPORT (ABOVE) FOR MY U.S.-BOUND FLIGHT.

ON FINAL APPROACH TO PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WE PASS THE SPORTS COMPLEX (ABOVE) IN THE SOUTH REGION OF THE CITY. IT INCLUDES LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD (LOWER RIGHT), HOME OF THE NFL PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (IDLE THIS WEEK); THE BROWN-STONE CITIZEN'S BANK PARK (UPPER RIGHT), HOME OF THE BASEBALL PHILLIES, AND THE WELLS FARGO CENTER (LOWER LEFT), HOME OF THE NHL FLYERS AND NBA 76ers.

ON OPPOSIDE END OF THE WELLS FARGO CENTER - IN THE HORIZONTAL STRIP OF DARK-PAVEMENT (ABOVE) - IS SITE OF THE OLD PHILADELPHIA SPECTRUM, DEMOLISHED IN THE PAST YEAR. BEYOND THAT - IN THE LARGE PARKING LOT - IS WHERE VETERANS STADIUM USED TO SIT WHEN IT SERVED AS HOME TO BOTH THE PHILLIES AND EAGLES (MORE ON THE SPORTS COMPLEX LATER).

LEAF PLAYERS EXECUTE SIMPLE PASSING DRILLS (ABOVE) DURING THEIR 45-MINUTE WORK-OUT AT THE WELLS FARGO CENTER.

AS WAS THE CASE IN MONTREAL, THERE IS ABUNDANT SPORTS HISTORY ON DISPLAY IN THE UPPER-REACHES OF THE RINK HERE IN PHILADELPHIA. THE FLYERS NUMEROUS BANNERS (ABOVE) STAND OPPOSITE THOSE OF THE NBA 76ers (BELOW).

THE MAPLE LEAFS STRETCH (ABOVE) TOWARD THE END OF PRACTICE HERE IN PHILLY.

AS YOU CAN PLAINLY SEE, JAMES REIMER LOOKS ALIVE AND WELL STANDING IN THE VISITORS' DRESSING ROOM CORRIDOR (ABOVE) AT WELLS FARGO CENTER.

LEAFS FORWARD (AND EX-FLYER) JOFFREY LUPUL DOES SOME COOL-DOWN WORK ON THE BIKE AFTER PRACTICE.

ANOTHER DAY AND ANOTHER MEDIA SCRUM FOR LEAFS COACH RON WILSON (ABOVE).

WITH MAIN LIGHTS EXTINGUISHED AFTER LEAFS PRACTICE, WE GET A GOOD LOOK AT THE TWO SEATING LEVELS IN THE WELLS FARGO CENTER (ABOVE).

CLOSER LOOK, NOW, AT THE OTHER SPORTS-COMPLEX FACILITIES ON A PERFECT SUNDAY AFTERNOON HERE IN PHILADELPHIA. ABOVE, IS EXTERIOR OF LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD, WITH UPPER-DECK SEATS EMPTY THIS WEEK (BELOW).

DOWN THE STREET IS CITIZEN'S BANK PARK, HOME OF ROY HALLADAY AND BASEBALL'S BEST TEAM DURING THE PAST REGULAR SEASON; THE PHILLIES WERE UPSET BY ST. LOUIS IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. UPPER-DECK SEATS DOWN THE RIGHT-FIELD LINE (BELOW) WILL BE FULL WHEN THE NHL HOLDS ITS ANNUAL BRIDGESTONE OUTDOOR WINTER CLASSIC HERE ON JAN. 2: A GAME BETWEEN THE FLYERS AND NEW YORK RANGERS.

STATUE (ABOVE) DEPICTING PHILLIES LEGEND, AND BASEBALL HALL-OF-FAMER, STEVE CARLTON BEYOND THE CENTER-FIELD SCOREBOARD AT CITIZEN'S BANK PARK.

FROM PARKING LOT OF THE SPORTS COMPLEX, THE BUILDINGS OF DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA (ABOVE) - THREE MILES IN THE DISTANCE.

Grabovski Turns The Table

By HOWARD BERGER

MONTREAL (Oct. 22) - How often through the years have the Toronto Maple Leafs been victimized by a former player - no matter how skilled or obscure - upon his return to either Maple Leaf Gardens or the Air Canada Centre? This may seem like a rhetorical question but there are multiple answers, believe me. The interminable trend came to mind earlier tonight at the Bell Centre when Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski - a rather despised ex-Montreal chattel - stuck a dagger in his former team by niftily scoring the game-winner at 1:23 of overtime, providing the Maple Leafs a thrilling, 5-4 triumph over the Canadiens.

About the only worse scenario for downtrodden Montreal fans would have been a decisive tally by Mike Komisarek... whenever he touches the puck in this city, it sounds as if 15,000 angry cows are in the arena.

Grabovski, in tight to the Montreal goal, made a terrific inside-out move to flip the puck over Carey Price and lengthen the Canadiens losing streak to five games. Leafs, at 5-1-1, could be on their way to exorcising the demons of October and November, though proof is still three or four weeks in the distance.

Leafs coach Ron Wilson explained that starting goalie James Reimer was pulled after the first period, "because the doctors here didn't think he was feeling right." Reimer's mask and helmet had been dislodged in a violent goal-mouth collision with Habs' Brian Gionta just one minute after the opening face-off; Gionta was penalized for goalkeeper interference. Though Reimer stayed in for the entire opening frame, he felt some neck discomfort and was removed in favor of Jonas Gustavsson, who struggled in his initial start of the season, Thursday night, at Boston.

You could feel the cringe of Leafs Nation when Andrei Kostitsyn fooled Gustavsson with the first shot he faced... just 29 seconds into the middle frame. But, the Monster settled down; stopped 15 of 18 shots overall, and made some key saves later in the period.

With camera in hand, I snapped these images of a Leafs-Canadiens Saturday night clash here in Montreal:

GOOD-NATURED FANS OF EACH TEAM HAM IT UP ON THEIR WAY INTO THE ARENA.

PRESS BOX AT THE BELL CENTRE IS WAY UP IN THE RAFTERS, BUT PROVIDES A SPECTACULAR VIEW OF EVERYTHING DOWN BELOW. HERE, THE LEAFS AND CANADIENS SKATE IN PRE-GAME WARM-UP.

FORMER LEAFS DEFENSEMAN HAL GILL PLAYED HIS 1,000th CAREER GAME ON THURSDAY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH AND WAS RECOGNIZED DURING A PRE-GAME CEREMONY HERE IN MONTREAL. GILL RECEIVED A SILVER-PLATED STICK FROM HIS CURRENT TEAM, PRESENTED (ABOVE) BY CANADIENS LEGEND HENRI RICHARD. TO RICHARD'S RIGHT IS NHL SENIOR EXECUTIVE JIM GREGORY - THE FORMER LEAFS GENERAL MANAGER - WHO PRESENTED GILL A PLAQUE ON BEHALF OF THE LEAGUE.

SATURDAY-NIGHT FACE-OFF AT THE BELL CENTRE BETWEEN THE CANADIENS AND MAPLE LEAFS... IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER.

JUST 1:04 INTO THE GAME, LEAFS GOALIE JAMES REIMER IS PRONE IN HIS CREASE - HIS MASK DISLODGED - AFTER A COLLISION WITH MONTREAL'S BRIAN GIONTA. REFEREE'S ARM IS RAISED FOR GOALTENDER-INTERFERENCE PENALTY.

REIMER (FEELING FOR HIS NET, ABOVE) STAYED IN THE GAME FOR THE ENTIRE FIRST PERIOD BUT COMPLAINED OF NECK SORENESS AFTERWARD, PROMPTING LEAFS TO REMOVE HIM IN FAVOR OF JONAS GUSTAVSSON.

DON CHERRY AND RON MACLEAN ALWAYS DRAW A CROWD IN ARENA MEDIA LOUNGES HERE IN CANADA, AND IT'S NO DIFFERENT AT THE BELL CENTRE.

THOUGH HE WAS EVERY BIT AS AWFUL AS HIS TEAMMATES ON THURSDAY NIGHT IN BOSTON, THE MONSTER (ABOVE) REDEEMED HIMSELF WITH A MUCH-STEADIER PERFORMANCE IN RELIEF OF JAMES REIMER. LEAFS NATION HAD TO SWALLOW HARD, HOWEVER, AFTER GUSTAVSSON WAS BEATEN BY THE FIRST SHOT HE FACED.

WHILE LEAF SUPPORTERS CRINGED, THE CANADIENS CELEBRATED ANDREI KOSTITSYN'S GOAL ON GUSTAVSSON JUST 29 SECONDS INTO THE MIDDLE FRAME.

LEAFS WERE NOT TO BE OUTDONE ON THIS NIGHT. HERE, PHIL KESSEL (81), CLARKE MacARTHUR (16) AND THE NIGHT'S ULTIMATE HERO - MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI - LISTEN TO INSTRUCTIONS FROM COACH RON WILSON DURING A TV TIME-OUT.

RICHMOND HILL, ONT. NATIVE MIKE CAMMALLERI (ABOVE RIGHT) PLAYED IN HIS 500th NHL GAME ON SATURDAY NIGHT. HE SCORED EARLY IN THE THIRD PERIOD TO TIE THE MATCH, 3-3.

JUBILANT LEAF PLAYERS MOB MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI ALONG THE FAR BOARDS AFTER HIS GAME-WINNING GOAL - A BEAUTY - AT 1:23 OF OVERTIME.

RON WILSON EXPLAINS AFTERWARD WHY HE WAS FORCED TO REMOVE JAMES REIMER FROM THE GAME AFTER THE FIRST PERIOD. THE COACH FELT THE INJURY WASN'T LIKELY TOO SERIOUS.

LEAF PLAYERS WERE GREETED BY A CLUSTER OF WELL-WISHES AFTER THE GAME. PHIL KESSEL (ABOVE) SIGNS AN AUTOGRAPH ON HIS WAY TO TEAM BUS. FORMER HABS DEFENSEMAN MIKE KOMISAREK (BELOW) STILL HAS MANY FRIENDS IN THIS TOWN, THOUGH YOU'D NEVER KNOW IT WHEN HE TOUCHES THE PUCK.

I ASKED OVERTIME HERO MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI TO MUG FOR THE CAMERA ON HIS WAY TO THE LEAFS BUS... AND HE COMPLIED!

Photo Essay: Leafs Morning Skate in Montreal

By HOWARD BERGER

MONTREAL (Oct. 22) - It may be an early-season game, but the buzz in the downtown sector of this city is unmistakable whenever the Maple Leafs are here on a Saturday night to play the Montreal Canadiens. Unlike Toronto, where downtown hotels are spaced hither and yon, several of the biggest hotels here are within a block of the Bell Centre, including the Marriott Chateau Champlain, Le Centre Sheraton, and the grand Queen Elizabeth. Montreal's central train station is beneath the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, which adds to the intimacy of tourism in the city core.

Both the Leafs and Canadiens skated at the Bell Centre this morning; the visitors taking the ice - as is custom - around 11:30 a.m. Montreal's 15-year-old arena has the largest seating capacity in the NHL (more than 21,000); the arena bowl - much like at the old Montreal Forum - is constructed more vertically than most buildings in the league, which provides a superb ambiance when the seats are filled.

Please enjoy this photo-journey through the Leafs morning skate here today.

NORTH FACADE OF THE BELL CENTRE - THE SIDE FACING DOWNTOWN.

THE BELL CENTRE IS LARGE AND EXPANSIVE, BUT THE SEATING ANGLE IS TERRIFIC AND THE ARENA ALWAYS SEEMS MORE INTIMATE THAN ITS SIZE WOULD SUGGEST.

THERE ARE THREE LEVELS IN THE BELL CENTRE, YET NOT A BAD SEAT AMONG THEM.

HISTORY IS ALWAYS FOREMOST WITH THE CANADIENS; NAMES AND IMAGES OF FRANCHISE LEGENDS RING THE UPPER-DECK SEATS AT THE BELL CENTRE.

SHORTLY AFTER 11:30 A.M. TODAY, THE LEAFS GATHERED AROUND COACH RON WILSON ON THE ICE AT THE BELL CENTRE.

THEN CAME THE USUAL MORNING-SKATE ROUTINE.

AS IN THE OLD MONTREAL FORUM, LOOKING UPWARD IN THE BELL CENTRE (ABOVE AND BELOW) TAKES AN OBSERVER THROUGH THE GLORIED HISTORY OF THE CANADIENS FRANCHISE - WITH STANLEY CUP BANNERS AND THOSE HONORING JERSEY NUMBERS RETIRED BY THE HOCKEY CLUB. IT IS A SIGHT TO BEHOLD.

THERE IS EVEN A BANNER COMMEMORATING THE OLD MONTREAL EXPOS, EMBLAZONED WITH FOUR LEGENDARY NAMES THAT PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN THIS CITY BETWEEN 1969 AND 2004.

LEAF EXECUTIVES BRIAN BURKE AND CLAUDE LOISELLE TAKE IN THIS MORNING'S TEAM SKATE AT THE BELL CENTRE.

TOWARD THE END OF THE SKATE, RON WILSON DISCUSSES STRATEGY ON BELL CENTRE ICE WITH LEAFS CAPTAIN DION PHANEUF.

WILSON IS LATER SURROUNDED BY THE ENORMOUS MOB OF REPORTERS THAT ATTEND EVERY LEAFS AND HABS MORNING SKATE IN THIS CITY. WILSON'S COUNTERPART - JACQUES MARTIN - IS SIMILARLY HELD CAPTIVE (BELOW).

LEAFS vs. HABS TONIGHT AT 7 O'CLOCK ON HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA.