Episode 3.44 - Season Finale - Featuring Michael Landsberg

After forty four straight weeks, Episode 3.44 brings to a close Season Three of AFITC. Before we pack it in for the summer though, this week’s program is jam packed with all of the player movement including trades and signings that have taken place in the last week. The Maple Leafs were busy signing a trio of players – Jeff Finger, Niklas Hagman, Curtis Joseph - and trading for another – Mikhail Grabovski. We’ll tell you whether these were good deals and what roles these players will take on come next season to kick off the Redline Report.

After a year of holding his tongue, Oilers GM Kevin Lowe finally let his opinions of Brian Burke be known. We’ll tell you exactly what he said as we begin Quick Hits, followed by news on all the notable trades and signings of the past week. On The Bubble, as always, features Listener Email, and the Gong Banger’s final appearance of the season in the Troubling Fact of the Week.

To conclude the segment, the host of Off The Record on TSN, Michael Landsberg joins us as we get his take on the Maple Leafs moves, Mats Sundin’s future, salary inflation and much more. Finally, rigamarole wraps the show by explaining why it really is not all about the money for Mats Sundin.

The second edition of the AFITC Year End Awards will be released in early August. As a result, the polls will remain open accepting votes in the following categories until the end of July: Whipping Boy of the Year, AFITC Leaf Player of the Year, Email of the Year, Emailer of the Year, Rigamarole of the Year and Guest of the Year! Check back on our site early in August for the awards show!

As we reach the end of our third season there are numerous people that we must thank for their contributions and support of our show. First of all, each of our guests who have taken time over the past year for our show has helped immensely in furthering its credibility. Thanks go out most sincerely to Dr. Pat Graham, Damien Cox, Shredder, Russell and StooLi from Sens Underground, two-time guest Paul Hendrick, four-time guest James Duthie, John Iaboni, four-time guest Michael Landsberg, Corey Landsberg, Louie Caporusso, Wade Belak, John Scrymgeour, three-time guest Bob McKenzie, three-time guest Andy Frost, three-time guest Jennifer Hedger, Nick D’Agostino, Brandon Burlon, Justin Hodgman, two-time guest Matt Stajan, and Matt Marquardt, all of whom appeared this season on AFITC.

Secondly, thanks to everyone who took the time to correspond with us throughout the season on the program. Whether it is a comment about the show, an opinion on a team, player, coach, or manager or just somebody wanting to talk hockey, hearing from our listeners is what makes doing the show worthwhile for us! Thanks to all of you!

Finally, we cannot express enough how fortunate our show has been to have such incredible support through each of its three years of existence and especially this season as the new levels of listener interest it has received has been staggering. We do not say this often enough but today we will: without each and every one of our listeners, there would be no show! The show is for you and we could not appreciate your support more than we do!

Become an AFITC Insider by joining A Foot In The Crease Fans on Facebook.

Feel free to continue sending listener email along throughout the summer to [e-mail]. We will respond to each one we get and feature as many as possible on Episode 4.1 of AFITC to be released during the second week of September.