The Week That Was

It's been a crazy week in the NHL; Crosby got cleared for contact, the Leafs lost a key component, a legend was honoured in Pittsburgh, the Bruins sign an insurance goalie and much more. Crazy week so I'll wrap it up for you!

The big news Sidney Crosby was cleared for contact!!!
This is big news for the Penguins and the NHL, especially with the fact that Crosby could play as soon as Sunday! Not only was he cleared for contact, he participated in a full practice on Tuesday and another one Wednesday. Crosby has been out since his concussion symptoms resurfaced back in December but will hopefully be back in the Pens lineup before the playoffs in start. One thing for sure with Crosby, he takes his time; he doesn't rush things, he makes sure he is healthy and more than ready to return. This time it's especially crucial for Crosby and the Pens to take this slowly, Crosby can ill afford to take another hit to the head. Oddly enough it will be tough to find a fit for Crosby in the lineup, with Malkin and his linemates playing extremely well you don't want to break up chemistry. Crosby will likely find himself on the 2nd line when he returns! (What an awesome problem to have, huh!)

Joffrey Lupul out 3-4 weeks with separated shoulder!
This is major blow to the Leafs playoff hopes, as their "2nd" best player goes down with an injury! This injury will likely be the end to Lupul's and the Leafs season. Lupul was 2nd in scoring with the Leafs with 25 goals and 42 assists and was a big part in elevating Phil Kessel's game.
Carter Ashton (remember him, he was picked up on trade deadline day) was called up to fill the void.

Sean Avery is done in New York

Sean Avery the guy everyone loves to hate, you sure as heck hated to play against him but at one point or another you've wanted him on your squad. He's a pesky little player know for getting under peoples skin, and it would appear he pushed it a little far in New York with coach John Tortorella. It's never a good thing when your head coach is asking management to send you to the minors, but that was the case with Avery. Avery received the message on Tuesday and was told that he was no longer expected or needed to show up to games and practices with the Rangers AHL team as he was cut from their postseason roster.

It had been a rough season for Sean Avery with New York; he was waived twice by the Rangers then sent down permanently to the Whalers, he's been a healthy scratch since January 27th.

One thing is still for sure though, wherever Sean Avery goes controversy will not be far behind!

The Bruins have signed veteran goaltender Marty Turco

Bruins fans held their breath when Tuuka Rask went down and did not get back up in a game earlier this week. Unfortunatetly for Rask he will be out 4 to 6 weeks with a grown strain, good news for Bruins fans is Rask will be back for the playoffs. So to fill the void until then the Bruins went and got Marty Turco as some insurance. However, because Turco was acquired post trade deadline he will not be eligible for the playoffs with the Bruins. The Bruins ultimately had no choice to make this move as they are coming up to a stretch of 18 games in 33 days and were expecting Rask to bear a lot of that workload so they could rest Thomas. Turco is a solid veteran who has played 11 seasons between the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks. This was a smart necessary move by the Bruins.

Grabovski gets his new contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Mikhail Grabovski have come to terms with a 5 year $27.5 million dollar contract, which breaks down to a cap hit of $5.5 million a year! The deal also includes a modified no trade clause, Grabovski can choose 10 teams every year that he would except a trade to. Despite not playing on the first line, he is easily the Leafs best centre, due to the lack of cheap first line centres that will be on the market this summer Brian Burke had to over pay to keep Grabovski in Toronto. Oddly enough the Leafs have no cap space left to resign UFA's and RFA's at the end of the season nor to go out and get a veteran netminder, look for Burke to be busy this offseason.

Mario Lemieux is honored with a bronze statue of ..... Mario Lemieux

The Pittsburgh legend and Pens owner had the great honor of watching his former team unveil a statue in remembrance of his outstanding career. Lemieux was famous for always finding a way to squeeze by defenders, and now that skill is showcased forever standing outside the Penguins arena.
Lemieux was and is a huge part of the Pittsburgh organization; he spent 17 years as a player, scoring 650 goals and winning consecutive Stanley Cups (1971-1972) as well as being a 3 time MVP. Now he is the owner, and really savior of hockey in the "Burg", of his beloved Pittsburgh Penguins, it is evident Mario has a special place for Pittsburgh in his heart and Pittsburgh has a special place for Lemieux.

Grabovski gets his new contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Mikhail Grabovski have come to terms with a 5 year $27.5 million dollar contract, which breaks down to a cap hit of $5.5 million a year! The deal also includes a modified no trade clause, Grabovski can choose 10 teams every year that he would except a trade to. Despite not playing on the first line, he is easily the Leafs best centre, due to the lack of cheap first line centres that will be on the market this summer Brian Burke had to over pay to keep Grabovski in Toronto. Oddly enough the Leafs have no cap space left to resign UFA's and RFA's at the end of the season nor to go out and get a veteran netminder, look for Burke to be busy this offseason.

Brian Burkes other son starts: If you can play, you can play.
It's been 2 years since Brian Burke's son Brendan Burke was killed in a car accident. A couple of years before the accident the elder Burke found out Brendan was gay. Now in memory of Brendan, younger brother Patrick came up with an equality project for hockey: If you can play, you can play. Getting people to relize it doesn't matter what or who the person is, if you can lace up the skates, skate around the ice and score goals you can play hockey. The YOU CAN PLAY project was announced Sunday during the first intermission of Bruins vs. Rangers and has several hockey players promoting it; Rick Nash, Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf, Duncan Keith, Claude Giroux, Daniel Alfredsson, Scott Hartnell, Corey Perry and Henrik Lundqvist.
Patrick Burke, a scout for the Flyers, said "If he can win a Stanley Cup with 22 gay guys than so be it" Right now 20 players have joined up with the You Can Play project but not all have been unveiled yet.
This is a big step for the NHL, and professional sports in general, Ultimately the right one, the NHL needs equality, if you can play you can play.

Steve Yzerman to head up the 2014 team Canada Olympic project


Ryan Miller was the first star this week, after recording back to back shutouts and single handily getting the Sabres back in the playoff hunt!


That's the kind of week it was around the NHL folks, this will be an exciting next 30 days as the playoff races heat up and teams start to get eliminated from the race. We'll see which teams are contenders and which are pretenders, see players rise to the occasion and teams put it all on the line for the holy grail of sports---- the Stanley Cup!

Goalies return!

On Saturday night Ryan Miller and James Reimer made their returns to the net, after suffering a concussion and concussion like symptoms. Miller and Reimer are my two favorite goalies in the NHL, so I myself was quite excited to see both of them back on the ice. Their returns were quite different; one got blown out by the Bruins and the other got run over AGAIN! So let's dive into these returns and see how it effected the games.

Let's start with Miller's return to the net; in Miller's return we found out that not only can Miller stop pucks he also has a Mean Left hook. This was Miller's first start since getting hit hard by Milan Lucic in a game on November 12th, but unfortunately for Miller and the Sabres, his return was overshadowed by yet ANOTHER player running full speed into Ryan Miller. Jordin Too Too, cut toward the net and ran over Miller full speed, but this time Miller and his teammates, jumped Too Too right after the play. 

"What happened in the game is a joke. It's a joke. All it does is just prove the fact right, that when I said it was open season (on goaltenders), it appears it is open season," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "You get a guy that comes off a concussion, and you've got Jordin Tootoo — Jordin Tootoo running over your goaltender? We used to get a two-minute power play for that. We got a one-minute power play out of that. That's a joke." Miller started landing left jabs on Too Too and it was quite the scene, 4 Sabres including Miller were piled upon Too Too beating the crap out of him; when all the smoke was gone; Too Too received a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. "He (Tootoo) is going to come hard to the net every time," Miller told The Associated Press. "I got in the mix right after that. I can't sit back and let other guys take advantage of me. "I got right in the pileup and tried to do what I could do, which wasn't a whole lot. But I showed that I am not going to take it." it was extremely sad to see Too Too go and do everything he possibly could to again injure Ryan Miller, anyways I'm not going to get fully into this situation, all I will say is that Too Too rightfully has a hearing with Shanahan Monday Morning. I highly doubt Shanahan will do anything with Too Too, sorry but it's the truth Shanahan has been a little to inconsistent for my liking. Anyways back to the actual game that was happening before and after this incident. Miller played amazing! The way he played on Saturday night would apply that the old Miller is back, which is great news for the Sabres, they need the old Miller in between the pipes if they intend to go far! Miller made several amazing saves, that are potentially the best saves of the season. So I was quite pleased to see Miller play so well and get the Sabres a much needed victory! Miller made 32 saves in his return on Saturday night, and many of them were challenging shots; “I’m happy to be back,” Miller said. “I’m happy to get a win. It has been a while since I have felt like I have put together a game I could pride myself in. It was important for me to go out there and play a solid game. I did the things I wanted to do" The way Miller played instills a hope in Sabres fans that the old Miller is back and ready to win some hockey games for his team. needless to day it was great to see Miller back in the net fighting hard to get the win, I though he played a pretty decent game, but most importantly he got a win. But like always goalies can't do it all on their own, so to help solidify the win for their goalie; Luke Adam, Zack Kassian and Tyler Ennis all put the puck in the back of the net, giving Miller more than enough goal support for him to do his thing. it's fairly safe to say that the Predators outplayed the Sabres, who were limited to just 14 shots, while the Predators racked up 34, emphasizing the importance of Miller's return, I'm not sure if the Sabres would have had the same out come if Enroth had been in net. It was a good thing Miller and his teammates pounced on Too Too as there is no chance for another second chance, Saturday was the only time this season these two teams will meet. Despite the fact the Sabres scored 3 goals, I'd like to say that Miller stole the game for his team; just look at the difference in shots, seems to me like Miller was able to stand on his head and withstand the pressure, sure he let in 2 goals, but no goalie is perfect. I'm happy to see Miller back in between the pipes, can't wait to see what he will do in his next game, if he continues playing like he did on Saturday we should be seeing a few more wins chalking up in the win column for the Sabres.

Let's move on to the Leafs game which marked a surprising start by James Reimer. Why was this surprising? Because Ron Wilson had earlier reported after Friday's practice to the media that Jonas Gustavsson would be starting the Saturday game against the Bruins, then later changed his mind and thew Reimer in the net.  It was a smart move by Wilson to me, in the first 3 meetings between these two teams, the Bruins won by a combined score of 19-5, but since Reimer was 4-01 with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage before his injury, it seemed like a good move to put the goalie who never seems to get fazed by anything. Plus it was a good move to not throw Gustavsson under the bus, imagine if it had been Gustavsson in net getting bombed, all his haters would be out in full swing. Reimer had missed 18 games since getting hit by Brain Gionta on October 22. But unfortunately Reimer's return didn't quite turn out as well as expected, the Leafs got dominated by the Bruins and lost 4-1. “During November, we’ve been playing really well,” said defenceman Johnny Boychuk, who scored a goal to help the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Saturday night – their 13th win in 14 games. “We just needed to make sure we started December the same way.” But the Bruins also had a surprise up their sleeves, while all the media were focusing on Reimer's return to the net, and why head coach Ron Wilson "lied" to them about the starting goalie, the Bruins decided to play Tukka Rask instead of the expected Tim Thomas. “It’s always tough (to sit), no matter if you win or lose,” Rask said. “You’re eager to keep the winning streak going, at least give the team a chance to win.” Reimer stopped 26 shots in his return and all in all had a decent game despite allowing 4 goals; “He was very solid, looked like he hadn’t missed a beat,” Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. “But we didn’t help him very much.” Wilson was very right, the Leafs did not help out their netminder at all, through 2 periods Phil Kessel was the only one with multiple shots on Tukka Rask. At the moment it is looking very tough to beat the defending cup champions who went 12-0-1 during the month of November, and just had their 100th straight sell out game! Kessel has not had a lot of success against his former club, scoring just 2 goals and 5 assists in 16 games against the Bruins, and he was held scoreless in the game on Saturday as well. Grabovski was the one bright spot for the Leafs who scored the one goal for the Leafs, on a sweet one timer around the hash-marks that sneaked right under the cross bar over Tukka Rask's shoulder. So Reimer got back in the net after recovering form concussion like symptoms, not a concussion, just concussion like symptoms! “I was happy with how we played in the first two periods,’’ observed Wilson-pants-on-fire afterwards. “But the third period, they just ground it out and we couldn’t get the puck out of our zone — a few extended shifts, some breakdowns, a bid of bad luck.’’ Reimer was disappointed with his play despite stopping 26 of 30 shots against the Bruins;

“That third goal, to me, it’s embarrassing. I have to make that save. If I have that shot, we have a chance to win.“The way I see it, Rask outplayed me today. That frustrates me more than anything.’ When all is said and done, the Leafs did not help Reimer out, which is something they didn't do, if Reimer had only let in 2 goals the Leafs still would have lost.

So my two favorite goalies were back on the ice on Saturday, and they both played pretty well, I'm very happy to see them both back, and helping out their teams. Reimer has a bright future whether it be Toronto or somewhere else, he is going to be a solid net minder for a long time, Miller is nearing the end of his career, but is showing folks that he can still get the job done as the number 1. Despite his age Miller is and will continue to be a solid number one goalie for a few more years and I think it's safe to say that Miller is coming back to his old awesome form. I'm behind both of these goalies 100 percent. Looking forward to seeing how well these goalies will play now that they are both back and have already faced some adversity this season.

To sign or not to sign

Hey Leaf fans, I haven't written a blog for you guys in a while, so I thought it was about time to appease you guys. Time to write a blog about Ron Wilson's contract situation; Should Brian Burke resign him now or later.

Ron Wilson has not exactly been overall popular in Toronto during his tenure as head coach of the Leafs, and it is no easy task. Being the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in this hockey driven market, can drive almost any one to their breaking point, answer for all the loses, the poor play, missing the playoffs year after year, players not playing well, and how long until you lose your job. But this year it has been a little easier for Wilson and the media he loathes so much, this year the questions are more positive; can you explain Phil Kessel's amazing play, why is this team playing so well, When will Burke resign you.

That is the big question this year in TO, besides the obvious goal of ending a post season playoff drought of 6 years, will Wilson receive a contract extension from Brian Burke or will he ultimately be let go, and look for his 5th team to coach. On  Wednesday when Randy Carlyle was let go by the Ducks, rumors started to fly that Carlyle would be ideal to replace Wilson, and that is why there have been no new contract offers to Wilson. Not to mention the fact the Burke and Carlyle teamed up to win a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007. But Brian Burke took to Twitter to defend his head coach, and imply that there is no coaching changes in the near future. Burke twitted; “Sad to hear about Randy Carlyle,” “But our coach isn’t going anywhere!” Seems to me that Burke wants to remain loyal to Wilson, and at the very least let him rid out his 4 year contract. But even before the season started the talk was about why Wilson had not received a new contract yet, and if that was bothering him. But so far this season there has been no opportunity to fire Wilson even if Burke wanted too, Wilson has this team playing well, in fact very well, right near the top of the Eastern Conference, something no one saw coming. So a coaching change at this point in the season would not be sensible.

Alright so let's dive right in on this one, I do believe Burke should resign Wilson, but not till after Christmas at the earliest or the end of February at the latest. See how this team responds to their strong start from before the break to after the break. But let's be honest here, Wilson hasn't exactly had the worst 4 years here in TO, yes he's only had 1 winning season and has missed the post season in the past 3, but they haven't been absolutely horrible seasons. He has reached 30 wins in all 3 seasons, and the Leafs have been right on the edge of the playoffs. He was even named the Head coach for the USA Olympic Mens hockey team in 2010. S he sure as heck isn't a horrible coach, plus in the first 3 seasons with the Leafs, they were still in the rebuilding stage; restocking the minors and getting rid of players who didn't really want to play hard. But now, the Marlies are filled with players who want to reach the NHL level and make a difference, and the players currently playing for the Leafs are battling hard to earn their spot in the line-up each and every game. For the first time in a very long time the players know if they don't give it their all, they will face the reality of being a "healthy scratch" or be sent down to the Marlies. It would also appear that Wilson has learned to handle the media a lot better, he now uses a sense of humor, and doesn't take it to seriously like a good Leaf coach, don't worry about the media. Right now the young players on this team are especially buying into Wilson is saying; look how well Bozak has played, and if my biased opinion means anything, I'd say he is doing just fine on the first line with Kessel and Lupul, no need to demote him to third! Most remarkably look at how well rookie Jake Gardiner has played; coming into camp, steeling a spot and being able to stay in the line-up consistently thus far, plus he is becoming a reliable D man, and is showing great maturity. Even Phil Kessel seems to have drunken the Ron Wilson Kool-aid, look at how well he is playing, not just offensively but more of a complete game. But what is even more amazing is how much these players have grown to like Ron Wilson, yes that is correct they LIKE their head coach! 6 or 7 of the players including Phaneuf, Schenn, Bozak and Grabovski all went to Brian Burke and asked him to keep Wilson around for this season because they wanted to play well and save their coaches job, that is saying something! for NHL players to approach their GM and petition him to keep the head coach, Wilson must be doing something right.

With the Leafs off to arguably their best season since the lockout starting at 14-8, and currently have the leading NHL scorer in Phil Kessel. All the lines are meshing (minus the grabo-kulemin line), but other than them, the lines are producing and showing great chemistry. So it begs the question why not print the papers and sign Wilson for another few seasons? Here's why; why sign a coach that is still yet to prove themselves, despite everything Wilson is doing, he still has not made the playoffs in his 3 seasons as Leafs head coach. Yes the Leafs are currently sitting snug in the top in the Eastern conference, they are a 5 game losing streak away from missing the playoffs for the 7th straight season. On Thursday morning the Leafs had 30 points, the New Jersey Devils who are currently in 9th have 25 points, not a huge margin of error for this young Leafs squad, who may get a rude awakening, once teams start to figure out how to properly play the Leafs. So yes Wilson has led this squad near the top of the conference, but he is just as close to being out of a playoff spot and have the negative attention of the Toronto media, thrust back on him and his team. Now Burke isn't fond of having head coaches play out the last year of their contracts without a back-up deal, but the fact that Wilson and Burke have a great relationship that dates all the way back to their college days, has to stand for something between these two, and maybe a silent nod of agreement for now. But to sign a guy less than half way through the season, who has yet to lead his team to the post-season is very rare and likely not going to happen. Why would you? Despite the Leafs being 32-17-8 since last seasons all star break under Wilson, those numbers mean nothing IF the Leafs Miss the post season again! All the good things we just talked about go out the window and Wilson will be back on the firing block again. Lets take a stroll down memory lane shall we; remember Pat Quinn, he was fired after only failing to make the post season 1 time in the last 7 years, he consistently brought the Leafs to the post season 7 times but got fired for one mistake.

It is in all likely hood that Wilson will finish off the season without a contract, if the Leafs make the post season Wilson will stay, if they fail to do that, Wilson and Burke will "part" ways. Wilson and Burke are long time friends, I highly doubt he will officially fire Wilson; plus Burke has already virtually told Wilson that if he makes the post season he has a job for another season at least. Wilson finally has the "tools" to make this team successful, now it is up to him to get the "tool" to do the job! It would be nice to see Dallas Eakins of the Toronto Marlies called up to be the next head coach if things don't work out with Wilson, after all he is doing an amazing job with the young ones down in the Marlies, and is extremely good at developing players. But Burke will have to do some very careful thinking on his next move, resigning Wilson to a long term contract, could cost the Leafs, Dallas Eakins. Eakins wont want to stay a AHL coach forever, and many teams are in need of new coaches, so if Wilson stays Eakins could go!
Just a little interesting tidbit of information, the Leafs currently have 16 Canadian born hockey players on their roster, I'm glad a Canadian team, is dressing so many Canadians. Hockey lives in Canada!

Phil Kessel

Back on September 18 2009, Leafs fans were wondering if Leafs GM Brian Burke had lost his marbles. He organized a blockbuster trade, sending 3 draft picks, (2 of them 1st rounders) to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Phil Kessel. Upon arrival to Maple Leafs, Kessel had a slow start and had fans jumping off his bandwagon as fast as possible. Despite the slow and streaky play of Kessel he has managed 3 straight 30 goal seasons, and is on pace to reach a 40 goal season for the first time in his NHL career.
Phil Kessel entering his 3rd season with Leafs, is on fire, leading the league in scoring with 5 goals and 8 points in 3 games thus far in the 2011/2012 season. So with Kessel leading the league in scoring, it begs the question, can Kessel keep this pace up for the entire season? After last seasons less than stellar campaign, and being turned into the league laughingstock after being the last pick for the All-Star game, Kessel has seemed to revamp his play. Not only is he excelling offensively, which is normal for him at the start of a season scoring seven goals in 10 games in Oct. 2010, and  25 goals in 43 career October games, but he is becoming a complete 2 way player and a leader on this young Maple Leaf hockey team. “It probably came out of the constant discussions that if you’re not scoring, what can you do to help the team?,” Wilson said after the Leafs' morning skate on Monday. “He wants to participate a little bit on the PK (penalty kill), as an example, and I’ve told him ‘I not going to put you out on the PK unless you’ve got a 200-foot game going.’ It’s not going to be the cart before the horse. The horse has gotta be first, and that would be getting the game done defensively, five on five, and then we’ll think about the PK.” There is no doubt the playing hockey in a city like Toronto who is just crazed about the sport, is not easy, the fans are ruthless and the media is worse, Kessel has been called a superstar but then criticized for not playing like one, and has been under a microscope since everyone heard about the major price tag that came with Kessel. But is Kessel finally grown up and ready to play in the hockey market of Toronto?
Now it is only 3 games into a season that has 82 games, and 3 games doesn't make a season, (but can certainly end one) and the leafs have been playing 3 pretty weak teams, and wont face a "true" cup contending team until the face the Bruins on Thursday. So lets not put the cart before the horse so to speak.
Coming off arguably his best game as a Leaf, Kessel scored 2 goals to help his team overcome a 2 goal deficit and beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Saturday. It would appear that Kessel is scoring goals that are actually helping his team, instead of the second goal in a 5-2 loss. But since Febuary the 10th of last season Kessel has 18 goals and 19 assists in his last 31 games.
So Kessel has finally become a 2 way team player. Not only does he score goals, but he has also shown that he is willing to pass the puck to his teammates, as well as  hustle back hard on the back check to help out the Defence. Kessel was named the NHL's 1st star of the week and it was well deserved. “Statistically it’s pretty clear in the way he’s played. There are some great performances obviously throughout the league, but Phil’s done it in every game, so I think it’s deserved,” coach Ron Wilson said of the honour. So what is Kessel crediting his success to? his line mates; “Without my linemates, it wouldn’t be possible,” Kessel said of being honoured by the league. “They’re getting me the puck in good areas and right now we’re clicking.” Currently Kessel is playing with Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul a far cry from what the number one line was supposed to look like coming out of training camp. That just it this, line that was assembled for tempory fix while new number one center Tim Connolly heals from injury, has been one of the top lines in the NHL to start the season. This line has accounted for 7 of 11 goals scored by Toronto. “I’ve always known that defence turns to offence,” said Bozak, who had a pair of assists in the Leafs’ 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.  "I think it has a huge effect," said linemate Tyler Bozak. "When guys see Phil going as hard as he can and playing the way he is, it definitely puts a spark in all the other guys. He's a leader on the ice and guys follow him. When he's playing well it makes everyone work extra hard." With the help of his linemates, Kessel was able to record his first hat-trick as a member of the Maple Leafs.
But the question remains, how will Kessel cope when the pucks stop going in the net. He will need to keep playing a sound 200 foot game, but will he resort back, to his selfish puck hogging ways?
I don't believe so, At 24 years of age and 6 seasons in the NHL I think Kessel is finally maturing and "getting" what it means to be an elite player in the NHL. I think Kessel has finally turned that corner in his career, where he cares and wants to help his team win whatever way he can. Now no one truthfully expects Kessel to continue scoring at this pace, but if he can post a 40 goal campaign, he might just convince Leafs fans to fall in love with him.
Unfortunately the trade will forever be over thunk and scrutinized, as it saw the Bruins pick up some solid players in Seguin, and Hamilton. But for now I think both teams are happy with how things have worked out; heck the Bruins just won the cup and the Leafs are poised to go 4-0 in back to back seasons for the first time in their history.
Right now I'm on Kessel's side; I vote we leave him alone and just let him play his game and help this team win and maybe even sneak into the playoffs. If Kessel tanks and doesn't even reach 30 goals, then you leafs fans have an argument but for now, he's the best player to be in Toronto since the Sundin era.