A few of us went up to Toronto last weekend to catch a Marlies game.  The game itself was horrible (Marlies lost 5-1), but the Thunderstix were incredible.  Pogge didn’t play, and he hasn’t had a start in 9 games or something.  For a goalie who’s supposed to be The Goalie of the Future, sent back in time to save your hockey team from embarrassment, well, he sure isn’t getting a chance to demonstrate/develop his skills.

Mike Toth over at Sportsnet (the last great Sportsnet analyst?) put his two cents into the candy bowl on his blog yesterday:

Like Montreal, there’s also some controversy swirling around the goaltending situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Justin Pogge has been anointed as the Leafs goalie of the future. But for the last few weeks, he’s been riding the pine with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League playoffs. The Marlies have played nine games in the post-season and Pogge hasn’t been given a single start. Veteran Scott Clemmensen got pounded for five goals in game one of the Marlies series against Syracuse and Pogge still didn’t get the call for Game 2.

So, what’s the problem?

According to sources, the Leafs feel that Pogge has some growing up to do. At times, he’s displayed a cocky attitude about his future role with the Leafs and his work ethic hasn’t always been up to snuff. With that in mind, the organization wanted to deliver a strong message regarding their expectations for Pogge.

In addition, Marlies coach Greg Gilbert truly believes his club has a better chance of winning with Clemmensen in the crease. Thanks to hard work, group sales and a few free tickets, the Marlies saw a big attendance boost during the regular season. However, their playoff crowds have been disappointing, underlining the fact that the Marlies still have a long way to go before establishing a foothold in the Toronto market. But winning a Calder Cup would definitely increase their profile and the team believes Clemmensen gives them the best shot.

As it turns out, however, even Clemmensen hasn’t been able to solve a red-hot Syracuse club. The Crunch have lost only once in regulation time since the middle of February and took a quick 2-0 lead on the Marlies in their second round playoff series.
So, will Pogge finally get the start in Game 3 on Tuesday?

If he does, you can chalk it up as evidence that the Maple Leafs message may be finally getting through.

Well, since that was yesterday, I can tell you what actually happened. Clemmensen got the start again, made 27 saves and the Marlies won 8-2.  Where that offense was Friday night, I have no idea. Perhaps they were filling out credit card application forms with bogus information to score some free shirts. *shaking head*

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