Cliff Fletcher has reason for big smile

beaming Cliff Fletcher walked down the corridor outside the Maple Leafs dressing room last night, awash in the unmistakably sweet scent of victory. It was probably as pleasurable a feeling as the Silver Fox has had in the game in a long time. In a stunning upset on opening night of the NHL's North American schedule – the league prefers to let European customers sample the product first, it seems – the Leafs shocked the Stanley Cup defending-champion Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in their home rink on the same night the Wings proudly raised a new banner for winning it all last season. "We stayed in the game by skating with them," Fletcher said enthusiastically. "It was a reward for hard work and an incentive to keep at it." The Leafs have to hope that the stunning victory won't be the highlight of a season many believe will be very... [read full story]