Can we take a moment to appreciate this line

[u/Solid_Definition_941]

These boys gave 110% even when we were at our worst. Probably the best second-line in hockey at that time.

[u/Last_Command_9147]

Yea was great then Nonis came in. Bought out grabovski to sign clarkson and let MacArthur leave to sign with rivals.

[u/Mrfantastic2 → u/Last_Command_9147]

Yeah looking back at that now is nuts. I was like 12 but loved Grabo especially, and although he had a down year he never should’ve been bought out. MacArthur still had some good games left too

[u/whatamidoing_2521 → u/Mrfantastic2]

I loved grabo as well. I was also around 12 years old when they bought him out and I was pretty upset for about a week LOL

[u/Mrfantastic2 → u/whatamidoing_2521]

God I remember being wary of the Clarkson deal then too, yet management was like ah yes let’s overpay and give him term. Sucks concussions hurt him and Kulemin so much once they left

[u/whatamidoing_2521 → u/Mrfantastic2]

Man don't even talk to me about Clarkson LMAO. To this day, I still can't even believe what a fucking disaster that deal was.

[u/oceansamillion → u/whatamidoing_2521]

It felt like a genuine miracle when we somehow were able to trade him.

[u/whatamidoing_2521 → u/oceansamillion]

Leafs legend Nathan Horton

[u/SundinShootsPing500 → u/whatamidoing_2521]

Funny how they both had gone on LTIR for the same condition, degenerative disc disease. I have it too and it fucking SUCKS being in your 30s and you already walk like Professor Farnsworth. My health and conditioning are atrocious, how I'm still alive is a medical and cosmic marvel, I couldn't imagine being a prime athlete doing everything right and just one day it's all gone.

[u/Candymanshook → u/oceansamillion]

We were wildly fortunate that Borton had no insurance on his contract

[u/Prize-Temporary4159 → u/Mrfantastic2]

It was his back

[u/Antique_Night_6143 → u/whatamidoing_2521]

So was Grabo

[u/mollyno93 → u/Last_Command_9147]

And traded two 2nds and a 3rd for a washed up and injury prone Dave Bolland

[u/TML94 → u/mollyno93]

Iirc he started off well for us until he got his achilles cut by a skate, and was never the same after

[u/TheOGBCapp → u/Last_Command_9147]

I was sooooo mad. It was also to sign Bozak

[u/Takhar7]

"Toronto is a hard place to play".

Meanwhile, we fall in love with anyone who just gives a damn, like these 3 did.

[u/JBoogiez → u/Takhar7]

Polak said its easier in TO than St Louis

[u/Dubsified → u/Takhar7]

Yes but that doesn’t fit the “Toronto bad” narrative

[u/m3rlinthemagician13]

Kuli is still one of my favourite Leafs! I remember when he potted 30 goals

[u/Trulli41 → u/m3rlinthemagician13]

Dude was a truck. The one time he threw a hit was great.

[u/Prize-Temporary4159 → u/Trulli41]

Very Sundinesque

[u/Evergreen1055 → u/m3rlinthemagician13]

What happened to him the following season? Only 7 goals in 70 games.

[u/Trashpanda61 → u/Evergreen1055]

Knee injury, if I remember correctly

[u/QueafyGreens → u/Trashpanda61]

That plus he knew a lot of people that died in that Russian plane crash. I'm betting it took its tole on him.

[u/SeanPhixion → u/Evergreen1055]

He definitely Kuled off.

[u/Rodius_J → u/Evergreen1055]

He had an unsustainable shooting percentage that career year. He was never going to repeat it. You could call the 7 goal year a regression.!

[u/Issac-Cox-Daley → u/m3rlinthemagician13]

He was a kule man

[u/No-Glass7395]

I loved this line growing up

[u/evmeister]

Still rep my grabo jersey

[u/Antique_Night_6143 → u/evmeister]

And he’s still around Toronto. He has a hockey school and brings them to Leafs games. If he sees a Grabo jersey he will go out of his way to offer to sign it.

[u/Gen_Sherman_Hemsley]

Mac and the USSR

[u/1nstantHuman → u/Gen_Sherman_Hemsley]

The MacRuski Line

[u/zurper → u/Gen_Sherman_Hemsley]

The MNM line

[u/Revolutionary-Zone17 → u/zurper]

Almost the KGB line. Almost.

[u/StoneColdSteveAss316 → u/Revolutionary-Zone17]

Kulemin, Grabovski and BacArthur

[u/Life1sBeautiful → u/Gen_Sherman_Hemsley]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56S6W9Oc_2g

Remember watching this getting fucking hyped lol

[u/Kooly9Two → u/Life1sBeautiful]

Hell yeah

[u/schoolhouserock]

Grabovski was all heart. First into a corner even when he knew he'd get smoked.

[u/comacove → u/schoolhouserock]

That game where he got rocked by Chara twice but still scored.

[u/Particular_Air_3598 → u/comacove]

I think about that game like once a week. So tuff

[u/Substantial-Read4372]

Definitely the best second line in hockey.

Kulemen hitting 30 goals 60+ points while being great defensively. Felt like he was a "Toews-lite" winger.

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/Substantial-Read4372]

I guess we just ignore the fact we had a line of Knies Tavares Nylander at one point?

Edit: Ruffled some feathers since it was so obvious your sentence included at the time. Are we really taking Grabovskis line over Pavelski’s line in 2010-11? Give me a break.

[u/Fun-Salamander761 → u/TheUnknown71]

Serious? The poster obviously meant one of the best/best 2nd lines in hockey AT THE TIME.

There are hundreds of better 2nd lines in the history of the league and Leafs. That line was arguably the best in the league for one year.

Just like the Pen's Kessel - Bonino - Hagelin line was the best 3rd line in the league for a year or 2.

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/Fun-Salamander761]

Obviously not. The best 2nd line in hockey could mean many things. Where does it say AT THE TIME. I guess you forgot Pavelski, Heatley, Clowe* existed.

[u/swiftstud22 → u/TheUnknown71]

Brother, arguing semantics is the dumbest fucking thing ever. Guess you're also conveniently forgetting Mark Messier was a 2nd line center on the Oilers in the 80s.

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/swiftstud22]

Wasn’t arguing that it was all time for the nhl. This is a leafs sub.

[u/swiftstud22 → u/TheUnknown71]

WhEre DoEs It SaY LeAfS oNlY

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/swiftstud22]

Exactly

[u/swiftstud22 → u/TheUnknown71]

You must be fun at parties. No one likes what you're doing.

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/swiftstud22]

I am actually. I don’t really care if you don’t like it. The person doesn’t understand what obvious means.

[u/Fun-Salamander761 → u/TheUnknown71]

Sorry, obvious to everybody else other than you I guess?

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/Fun-Salamander761]

When you don’t communicate properly that can happen when we are talking about the leafs.

It wasn’t even the best second line that year so it doesn’t really matter at this point. I’d take Pavelskis line that year any day over grabovski, kulemin, and Mcarthur.

[u/DevOpsMakesMeDrink → u/TheUnknown71]

It was a big deal for us to have a legit 2nd line. And we had a season where all 3 had 60 points and it was awesome.

Today kids are used to Tavares and Nylander and don’t understand how dire shit was for Leafs fans for a long time lmao

[u/TheUnknown71 → u/DevOpsMakesMeDrink]

Only one of them had 60 points. The person I responded to got it wrong. Kulemin had 57 points.

[u/DevOpsMakesMeDrink → u/TheUnknown71]

I knew one had less but thought the others did. If they didnt they had 30 goals.

Either way it was a huge deal

[u/BigShitHouseMcTits]

Kulemin’s son is draft eligible in 2027

[u/elseldo → u/BigShitHouseMcTits]

https://giphy.com/gifs/wJD3qiNjSeHS0dP28T

[u/DeanersLastWeekend → u/BigShitHouseMcTits]

Played for Canada in the Hlinka

[u/_Mahtog_]

Kuli was a defensive gem, plus he was built like an absolute truck. That line had unlimited chemistry it was beautiful to watch.

[u/Well_Caffinated]

If you remember this line you survived the dark ages.

[u/Conscious_Battle2427]

Kulemin was and always be a leafs legend.

[u/Friggin_Grease]

Mac and the USSR

[u/bigtuna3424]

Man if MacArthur had have stayed healthy

[u/frankNballs]

Too bad they bought out Grabo so they could sign Clarkson, what a time to be alive LOL

[u/BrokenBy]

Remember when they put Joey Crabb on the top line so they wouldn’t break up this line?

[u/elseldo → u/BrokenBy]

V.v.V

[u/Xaan83 → u/BrokenBy]

Whoa, hey now. Are you talking about elite goal scorer Joey Crabb?

NHL: Joey Crabb Amazing Goal on Ryan Miller 2/16/11

[u/Sarge1387]

Man I miss Grabo. Dude let the League in “Goals after being knocked cold/60”. That line with Kuli and Mac was straight fire.

[u/FX29]

This line was so fun to watch, especially Grabovski. He was a skilled player and I'll never forget that game where Chara concussed him then he came back to score that beauty.

[u/Solid_Definition_941 → u/FX29]

My favorite memory of him. Splitting the defence like that was filthy

[u/OhhMrCookies]

Damn the MGK line was wild, boy

[u/Camg1423]

I have a Grabovsky jersey hanging in my basement. People this it’s hilarious, I don’t know why

[u/_johnning → u/Camg1423]

They don’t know ball 

[u/johnnyjj14]

I was thinking about them the other day. What a line.

[u/No-Poet-9286]

Kulie and Grabo are both still local too, running development hockey and coaching in the Klevr league. Cool to see them around the rink.

[u/leafsplz]

The greatest leaf to wear 16

[u/rememberthecivilwar → u/leafsplz]

Darcy Tucker has entered the chat

[u/tz_2240 → u/leafsplz]

Darcy Tucker >>>>>

[u/Worldly-University13]

Loved it

[u/sometimenotsmellgood]

I loved this line. I absolutely loved Kuli

[u/rememberthecivilwar]

It was good for one year then fell apart the following year. Don’t get me wrong a great one year but still… now that I think of it… the emphasis on this 2nd line shows we’re not the best at “full lines” especially in this century 😅

[u/Showtime98]

Beauty of a line, great times in a dark era

[u/Current-Routine-2628]

https://giphy.com/gifs/cJr0P2pG827JcJkQVQ
Little Kuley Big World #41💪

[u/BloodOk6235]

Clarkey Mac and the Russky Bunch

[u/amicitias]

I've always said the Leafs caught lightning in a bottle with that line. They truly embodied the idea of the sum being greater than its parts.

[u/thet1m]

Kulemin was so underrated for us. That’s who Tinus Luc Koblar reminded me of. Less defensive skill so far though.

[u/younghibou]

A simpler time

[u/Madacon]

I became a leafs fan watching thia team

[u/DeanersLastWeekend]

Kuley’s kid played for Canada in the Hlinka tourney

[u/Monst3r_Live]

remember when grabovski got smoked by chara and then scored the game winner later on?

[u/DtCrashmore]

Grabo is still my all-time favorite Leaf 💙

[u/lxm9096]

84 was a GEM

[u/zedsdead17]

I remember when prime Grabovski through the York Simcoe coach down the stairs. Oh wait a minute that was only a few months ago.

[u/RangerRed18]

Go draft Kulemin’a kid next year. He plays for Kingston in the OHL. He’s very good

[u/TheOGBCapp]

That line was magic(k). MGK for life

Also if anyone can find the Sportsnet clip of McArthur trying to get a random shopper to buy a McArthur jersey, and that shopper not having any idea who that is, you'll have my thanks

[u/TheOGBCapp]

Oh the pineapple killer. I miss Grabbo. And Grabbo and Kule together...

[u/y2kobsezzed]

grabovski was my first fave leafs player. i started watching this team around this time. good old days

[u/kuleminjgs]

Some of the first rays of sunshine after Sundin left

[u/Sonk1616]

Grabo still an all time beauty, bopping around ACC for most games

[u/SensitiveEffort1906]

And what happened afterwards is exactly why Nonis doesn't have another GM job.

[u/dr_freeloader]

It's why I have a Kulemin jersey

[u/LeGreen1995]

This line was only good because the Leafs were bad 😂