Nazem Kadri #43 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in the pre-game warm-up prior to a game against the San Jose Sharks on February 8, 2010 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)Claus Andersen/Getty Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still a terrible hockey team, but they're not so bad that they can't beat another team as long as they play just about an entire period with the man advantage, which pretty much what happened against the Nashville Predators. This is thin gruel, but Leaf fans will take it, presumably. It's not like they're Habs fans, who dominate their playoff rivals because they have playoff rivals. Leafs fans have no choice but to be happy with anything.
• The good people at Pension Plan Puppets are so happy t hat they're thanking their maker - any maker - that the Predators took their season average in penalties in one period, the second, the one where the Leafs came back from 4-1 to tie. 'The winner was on a power play too.
• And Predators coach Barry Trotz became my favourite because he didn't blame the refs for his players' lazy hacking, according to James Mirtle.
• In Montreal they maybe still lusting for a French-Canadian saviour, says Roy MacGregor, but until then I'm sure they'll settle for Carey Price; until he goes cold and then they'll boo him and wish Halak was back.
• Michael Vick, from dog torturer to MVP. Only in America, as Don King would say. But you know what? I'm totally okay with that. Guy did his time; learned from his 'mistakes' and is now playing the best football of his life; not exactly heart-warming, but impressive.
• Roy Halladay joins Pedro Martinez as only the second person to win a Cy Young in two leagues and two countries, and it's a win that stat heads and Jays fans can feel good about.
• The Blue Jays may have lost out on Dan Uggla and now better hope that J.P. Arencibia is all he's cracked up to be after John Buck signed with the Marlins, but Manny Ramirez is telling people at the Toronto airport he's still talking with the Jays.
• Terrell Owens tweeted what most people were saying the other day: The Redskins were crazy to give Donovan McNabb $78-million; turns out they haven't as his contract is not nearly as rich as first reported.
• Big changes ahead for the Hamilton Tiger Cats; not so much with the BC Lions; but both Marcel Bellefeuille and Wally Buono appear poised to return.
• And a fun list here of the worst 100 NFL players of all time: Ian Busby is embarrassed to find four former Calgary Stampeders on it.
• The Toronto Raptors were playing a fellow terrible NBA team in the Washington Wizards, though one without their best player, John Wall, who was hurt, yet they were losing by 10 at the half, which caused Jay Triano to curse on national television. Triano's ire did little as Toronto got beat by 16 in the third quarter alone. A masterful move as the club angles to improve their draft position for 2011.