One sad story among many in Leafs Nation at the moment is mine about the team’s three consecutive playoff exits:
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 two years ago. It was my birthday.
As a milestone birthday present to myself last year, I went to Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a friend who was also celebrating his own.
After “winning” the lottery two weeks ago to get tickets to Game 5, I watched the Leafs’ season end in overtime last night at Scotiabank Arena.
The 2021 Habs loss was played in an abandoned building, else I might have been around to see that destruction in person. Rather, I sat by myself in my dimly lit basement.
tiny triumphs.I’d known for the last ten or so days that there will be Leafs stuff in this area. I therefore made contact with former Leafs who were either local residents or had some other direct link to the community. Even though I frequently work with both current and former hockey players, the guys I consulted for this piece were more like friends and acquaintances than they were any kind of business associates. The goal was to present an overview of what makes playoff hockey unique throughout several decades, as well as what sets the Leafs apart from other NHL teams.
I had conversations with two former NHL players who did not play for Toronto but were a part of teams that had extended postseason runs, as well as three former Leafs. Among them was even a Stanley Cup champion. It was challenging to develop a coherent story and line of inquiry because the tone had been shifting with every turn since the Leafs’ victory against the Lightning two weeks prior. Since each player spoke to me at a different time and under a distinct set of circumstances, I have chosen not to reveal their identities.
They also talked more freely when they could talk anonymously, particularly the recently retired player who was just chit-chatting with me while we were playing golf.
They made some interesting predictions about what will happen on Friday night.
After decades of retirement, one former player said, “It was different for us.” “Since 1967, we haven’t had to deal with everything associated with not winning the Stanley Cup.”
“Now that’s a big difference. additionally, the social media stuff never existed. Yes, there was pressure and extensive media coverage, but there was not the same social media as there is today.Even though he still cheers for his old team, another former Leaf claimed that the way the game is currently played and the way the Leafs play it has made him stop watching.
The long-retired athlete, who is a year younger than the first player mentioned here, admitted, “I can barely watch it, to be honest.” “It’s not as fun as it was when I played,”
And are the Leafs an inherently flawed club, as a great deal of critics are now implying? All the athletes I spoke to acknowledged this to differing degrees, but they were circumspect in their criticism.
Former player Brendan Shanahan remarked, “I guarantee you that every single player on that team wants to win every bit as bad as fans do, even more.” He also claimed he thought it strange that Shanahan, who won three Stanley Cups with a different style of play, was the president of a team.
Auston Matthews was the lone player to receive special criticism; it was suggested that his lack of physical contact in scrums may indicate that his level of competition is below what it should be. Even though every former player questioned expressed amazement at the Leafs’ level of skill, they also noted that a lot of what makes guys like Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Willie Nylander so talented is a mostly ineffective way to play in the playoff.
