In the early hours of Sunday morning, I laid in bed watching the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of their first round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. As I lay there, I watched as Oilers fans cheered, jumped up and down for joy, and screamed at the top of their lungs as the Oilers advanced to the second round.
As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, just hours removed from yet another first round playoff exit, I desperately wanted to reach out to an Oilers fan and ask, “What does it feel like? What does it feel like to have a team that advances to the second round?”
Leafs fans only know one feeling, and that is disappointment.
Personally, I am at the stage of my Leafs fandom where hope is lost. Going into Game 7 on Saturday night, friends and relatives were convinced – nay, expected – the Leafs to win.
Not me. I had no faith at all in my team.
Why that is, I can’t really pin point.
Jack Campbell played outstanding in between the pipes. For much of the series, I’d argue he was the better goaltender. Game 7 was a 2-1 loss, so it definitely wasn’t his fault.
The “Big Boys” – Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares – all produced in the series, leading the team in scoring. Matthews had nine points in seven games, while Marner had eight points in seven games.
The defense was solid. Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie, Jake Muzzin and Mark Giordano played great in their own end. Rielly even contributed on offence as well. The defense, in general, can’t be blamed.
As far as coaching goes, aside from the fact that Sheldon Keefe played Justin Holl much more than I would have liked in Game 7, it wasn’t like he was drastically outcoached by Jon Cooper, his Tampa Bay counterpart.
Could this simply be a case of Toronto lost a hard-fought, seven game series against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions?
Or was this a case of “Leafs gonna Leaf?” That is, it’s the playoffs so the Leafs are going to lose.
I am inclined to lean toward the latter, however something has to change in Leafs Nation if Toronto expects to get to the promised land for the first time since 1967.
What that change is, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll get lucky in the draft and find our saving grace, or we’ll make a trade that changes the chemistry of this team for the better.
What I do know is that for the next few months, many Leafs fans will hang their jersey up in the closet, have a few pints around the camp fire and reflect on how “this was supposed to be our year, man.”
I quipped with my colleagues on Saturday night that three things are guaranteed in life: death, taxes and the Leafs will lose in the first round.
While it sucks to be the fan of a perennial first round loser, at least I know what to expect come May.
Staggering stat
Naturally, news of the Leafs losing brought a plethora of stats out of the woodwork.
Of all the stats I saw, this one hurt the most:
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the first team in Major League Baseball/National Basketball Association/National Hockey League history to lose a winner-take-all game in the opening round of the playoffs five years in a row.
Oof.
On the bright side, at least we’re consistent.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of the Wingham Advance Times. He is also a sucker for punishment, as he is a life-long Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Expressions of sympathy (or your best “Leafs suck” jokes) can be sent to mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
