Leafs Watch

By TIM WHARNSBY -- Toronto Sun QUICK RECOVERY: Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin has shed his cast and crutches in hopes of getting back on skates by late next week.
An x-ray yesterday indicated that the non-displaced fracture in his right foot has come a long way in a week.
"I'm a quick healer," said Sundin, who was injured by a Radek Bonk shot in Ottawa on Oct. 9. "I'm able to put some weight on it. I hope to be back sooner than (four weeks)."
Doctors initially told Sundin the first long-term injury of his 10-year career would sideline him six weeks.
Sundin has his foot taped, but he is walking without crutches. The centre has been able to ride a stationary bike and lift weights.
BERARD REVIEWED: NHL executive vice-president Colin Campbell has reviewed Bryan Berard's questionable hit Saturday on St. Louis Blues winger Geoff Courtnall. No decision has been made by Campbell, who also is looking at an elbow thrown by Pittsburgh defenceman Darius Kasparaitis at Chicago's J.P. Dumont the same night.
While Kasparaitis was given a five-minute major for his infraction, Berard escaped without a penalty.
Courtnall, 37, was knocked into a fog late in the first period during a collision with the Leafs defenceman. It appeared that Berard caught Courtnall's head with an elbow.
"I haven't heard anything," Berard said when asked if the league had contacted him.
Courtnall still was suffering from headaches yesterday and is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with another concussion. He missed 41/2 months last season with post-concussion syndrome and it would be understandable if Courtnall wanted to call it a career.
"I still want to play," Courtnall said. "So, I'm not even thinking about (retiring)."
DANCING PARTNER: Tomas Kaberle's defence partner will be Dimitri Yushkevich for now.
Kaberle worked well with Sylvain Cote but when the latter was traded to Chicago for two draft picks on Oct. 8, Leafs coach Pat Quinn slotted Alexander Karpovtsev in Cote's spot. The trial lasted just one game and for the past three games, Yushkevich has partnered with Kaberle.
"In the last half of the (1998-99) season (Kaberle and Cote) got together fairly well," Quinn said. "I'm not sure you replace that situation easily. We're going to give this pair a while to see if they have some cohesion."
GIVING BLOOD: Leafs winger Garry Valk will team up with Canadian Blood Services and the Childhood Cancer Foundation to launch a blood-donor campaign today at 2 p.m. at Jarvis Collegiate.

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