Leafs Watch

By LANCE HORNBY -- Toronto Sun FOGARTY RELEASED: The Maple Leafs ended their Bryan Fogarty experiment yesterday, releasing the defenceman from his tryout contract with St. John's of the AHL.
Toronto took a chance that the 30-year-old's problems with alcohol were behind him, a troubled past that included charges of breaking into a high school last summer and possession of a controlled substance.
"He was a model citizen while he was with us," Leafs executive Bill Watters said. "But it was an opportunity that didn't work out. We have too many young defencemen down there we want to get a look at."
The Leafs had hoped Fogarty would be an explosive power-play point man for the farm team, which is off to an 0-3-1 start.
SMOKING GUN: While Marian Hossa was fingered as the Senator whose third-period shot fractured Mats Sundin's right ankle Saturday, TV highlights show Radek Bonk taking the drive that hit Sundin.
SEEING STARS: Ted Lindsay, one of the participants in the first NHL all-star game which took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1947, made no apologies for the rash of minor penalties and altercations that took place that night.
"In those days, the coach never had to get you up for any game because of the (great rivalries)," Lindsay said yesterday at the all-star game news conference. "You would cross the street rather than have to talk to them."
Fleming Mackell's first game with the Leafs was that '47 all-star game against the NHLers. He was 18 at the time -- the youngest to play in the history of the all-star game.
"I was surprised (Leafs boss) Conn Smythe let me play," Mackell said. "Travel wasn't as fancy in those days. I took the Queen streetcar to my house in the east end and had to make it back (the the Gardens) in time for the game."
As part of the 2000 festivities, players from that first game and about 100 alumni from past games are to be honoured. Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 all-star game sweater will be retired as well.
Toronto music group the Barenaked Ladies will sing the national anthems.
SAY WHAT? There was a comical attempt to find a Russian Leafs player willing to interpret for Nikolai Antropov in interviews with reporters yesterday. Sergei Berezin and Dimitri Yushkevich declined, with a laughing Berezin suggesting the reporters ask Danny Markov, whose salty English is not much better than Antropov's.
Finally, after a few awkward exchanges between reporters and Antropov, Igor Korolev arrived to take charge. He spent 30 seconds relaying a fairly simple question to Antropov, who finally answered with a plain "no," causing gales of laughter and an end to the exercise.

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