The Leafs & "The Stanley Cup Curse" ... another tragic year

I'm not a wagon guy ... that is ... jumping on and off Leaf I successes and failures during the regular season. When they win, a fist pump is in order ... when they lose, it's good to have a short memory.  I'm a Leaf fan through and through. 

If it seems like you may have read some of the attached information before, you have. The Leaf problems, many of which are repeaters have lingered for 56 years. 

As members of Leaf  Nation, we've got to protect our mental health. We've had to try to forget some of the really stupid, insulting decisions that have been made on behalf of our team. Does the selection of Ken Dryden as Leaf president in 1997 ring a bell? Ken Dryden! I know, that one doesn't even sound possible.

But, I've uncovered lots of other roadblocks to the Leafs' Cup success. And, this time around, I won't demand that Brendan Shanahan pull on a Leaf jersey and get out there on the ice.

This is not a short read because there's lots of stuff.

Sit back and pour yourself a beer ... actually, you may need two to get through this.

I might be the first member of Leaf Nation.

I might be the only person you've met who attended the Bay St. Stanley Cup parade to City Hall for their four Cup wins during the 60s. I'm the kid hanging off the lampost in the aerial photo that was taken of the parade ... it hung on the mezzanine floor of Maple Leaf Gardens, beside the snack bar, for decades. 

They told me all of the Garden's photos were put in storage and will soon be circulated in the Scotiabank Arena ... that hasn't happened yet.

As a kid, I dreamed of seeing my name in the Leaf program as a player. That never happened but it did appear there as the Director of Advertising and Sales for 5 years in the 1980s.

Harold Ballard was the Leaf boss. He was a legendary thrifty owner who had little regard for the fans of Toronto but he did give us Wendel Clark and 16 years of Borje Salming. While, at the same time, creating the Great Divide between fan favourite, former captain, Dave Keon and the team and the city he so proudly represented. 

"Pal Hal"

Sadly, I don't think the 2023 Leafs are going to win anything beyond the regular season. I am very, very sorry to say that.

You have to look at Leaf history ... they haven't won a playoff series in almost 20 years ... and lost 8 consecutive deciding games in 2013/2018/2019 all to the Bruins.

Do you think the Bruins may be better this year than all of those previous Boston teams? Ya, me too. 

"Punch"

And the Leaf's sour playoff history doesn't even take into account the decades-old "Larry Hillman Curse" that the former player placed on the team in 1967 following a salary dispute with the knucklehead coach/GM, George "Punch" Imlach.

Back to "The Curse" in a minute.

Clearly, the 2022/23 Leafs iced a very skilled and entertaining group of players; Mathews, Tavares, Marner and Nylander and later, O'Reilly, who is a proven winner (with a bad digit). 

They are not the problem. 

They are the team's best offensive players - may be the best 5-man grouping in the league - but the team is missing some parts, starting with a goalie. The goalie they've depended on for much of the season is actually the backup. Where's Matt Murray, the starter? Oh ya, he's been injured. Who could have seen that coming? After 46 games, he played for the first time in a 5 - 1 loss to a bad team on March 5.          I would have thought the Leaf's priority at the trade deadline would have been to get someone who can stop playoff shots.

Instead, GM Dubas consulted his computer reports and decided it was time to bounce, defenceman, Rasmus Sandin. The youngster landed in Washington where he quickly tallied 7 points in 4 games. It appears, based on his playing minutes, he'll quickly become the Capital's next first-line D-man. I guess the "Caps" saw something Dubas didn't. 

Going into the 2023 playoffs, who are the Leaf support players? Where's the Leaf push-back, ya know, grit? Do you think the Leaf's young defence will be able to stand up to the opposition's motivated forwards when the real season starts? What's happened to the play of the Leaf anchor, Morgan Rielly? Since returning from his injury, he doesn't seem to be the same effective D-guy?

Am I wrong? 

Was the February acquisition of O'Reilly and Acciari plus four others the magic that was needed to eliminate the Bolt's powerhouse in the first round? I love O'Reilly. But, mostly, I love his crazy eyes. 

Rocket's eyes were always on fire

"Rocket" Richard had them (maybe invented them) Probert of course and Dick Redmond and "Bugsy" Watson and Reggie Fleming. But O'Reilly's eyes and wonky foot and, now, a broken finger that will keep him on the shelf till playoffs, may not be the help they need.

Adding 6 new faces to the Leaf lineup with a month to go in the season was a gutsy move ... or maybe just a desperation move ... or a last chance for a Dubas/Shanahan move. With just a few regular season games remaining, I wonder if that's enough time for the newbies to find chemistry with the existing lineup -- is the existing lineup mature enough to welcome the additions and set aside their feelings for buddies/teammates who were sent elsewhere?

Can you count the support players on this year's successful Lightning team or Boston Bruins? I know, I can't either ... there are too many.

Current Leaf president, Brendan Shannahan has not been able to deliver on his "ShannyPlan". It's been 8 years. He's overstayed his welcome. He's got to go.

And, very sorry to open old wounds but his selection of Dubas over Lamoriello as GM was outrageous -- right up there with giving the OK for a $50 million payout for a coach who took the team to nowheresville.

Shanny chose someone with a background in computer statistics over one of the game's most successful executives who was already voted to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the USA version for being the best. Was Shanny just covering his own backside when he bounced Lou? 

When he left the Leafs, Lou took a posting at the NY Islanders and was selected GM of the Year in back-to-back years ... something that had never been done before. Clearly, Shanahan should have been sacked (along with Dubas) and Lou should have stayed. 

Am I Wrong?

Take a few minutes to examine the outstanding resume of Lou Lamoriello (Lou also had a hidden agenda for success -- in the 1990s, he owned more than a million dollars of Leaf stock).

Do you think my prediction of the Leaf failure for this year is offside?Do you think they'll go deep in the playoffs? 

When I look at the current Leaf team, I wonder about lots of things, especially grit, and where it's been hiding. It's been missing for a very long time -- maybe the new guys brought some grit with them. 

For now, for comparison, I looked at the Leaf team that last won the Stanley Cup in 1966-67. I know, comparing the "old guys to the new guys" isn't a fair comparison on several levels. 

The 1967 Leafs were Original Six players ... they were slower ... they used antiques for equipment ... they never lifted a weight ... they showed up for September training camp to get into playing shape ... nobody can shoot like the boys today ... blah blah blah.

The 1966-67 Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leafs

Bobby Orr

Fun Fact: In a recent interview, a media guy asked Bobby Orr how he thought his Stanley Cup team would do against one of today's top NHL teams. Bobby was quick to answer ... "We'd lose by a goal" ... "why are you so certain?" asked the interviewer. Well, said Bobby, "most of our players are now in their 70s and 80s"!

How many on this year's Leaf team do you think will be selected to the Hall of Fame following their careers? From the 1967 Leafs, 12 players were selected. and 5 of them were defensemen.

 Before he made donuts,

"Timmy" ... #7

Tim Horton led the team's defence corps. They were very, very tough and, by the time they'd retired, they had earned a total of 18 Stanley Cup rings. How many of this year's edition of the Leaf's defence will earn even one?

Terry Sawchuk

In goal, the '67 Leaf team had a 37-year-old, Terry Sawchuck and a 42-year-old, Johnny Bower. They both went to the Hall of Fame. By the way, they were old school -- no mask. Although Sawchuck gave in to one late in his career because his scared face looked like a road map. 

As mentioned, the Original Six players couldn't shoot like today's players but these two goalies had to face shooters who knew where the net was.

Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita invented and then perfected the curved-blade wooden hockey stick which could make the puck dance at 90 MPH.

"Stach" ... he was a magician with the curve

-- their peer group, including"Boom-Boom", Orr, Bathgate and Howe could cause enough damage with a straight blade stick.

The lead, offensive players for this year's Leaf team blew the doors off when it came to scoring.

The '67 Leaf roster had only two - 20 goal scorers and nobody on that team scored anywhere near a point a game over the 70-game season. I could drag out comparisons for several more paragraphs but the answer to winning for the '67 squad was simple. They had the skills and work ethic and a grinding style along with a complimentary lineup of old and new and lots and lots of grit.

They were passionately focused on winning. So focused, they were able to endure the mismanagement of coach/GM, George "Punch" Imlach, who was despised by the team for his torturous treatment of Frank Mahovlich and mishandling of other important egos like Dick Duff.

Funny ... that team met regularly at their favourite beanery owned by a former cop ...  to eat some pasta and complain about the coach.       The restaurant ... Georges's Spaghetti House on Sherbourne Street.

The 2022/23 version of my Leaf team doesn't have grit ... some colour commentators call it "sandpaper". An ongoing, annoying example of their lack of grit shows up several times in a Leaf game. It happens when an opponent crashes the net ... the Leaf goalie smothers the puck ... the whistle eventually sounds ... play stops ... and not one of the opposing players is challenged for infringing on the Leaf netminder. Leaf, Justin Holl is the worse offender -- he won't even make eye contact with anyone ... and every net crasher knows that.

Then, there's that other missing grit ... the kind you find in the corners of the rink.

All teams memorize game films. They know that when the real season starts and war begins, their goal crashers are going to have a free lane to the Leaf net. Once it starts, for real - in the playoffs, it will be way too late to do anything about it.

(Schenn might be a help - gawd, I hope so).

Goal crashers know what they're doing and build on how close they can get before a penalty is called. Crashers deflate the defence and the goalie. Goal scoring is gold and those things become even more valuable in the playoffs. This season, Leaf goalies have regularly endured a beating. It's not allowed by any other team when I watch them in a similar situation. 

If I was an opposing Leaf coach, the locker room message for the  2023 playoffs would be simple ... Drive The Net.

Johnny Bower's nickname: He was called the "China Wall". If a goal crasher decided to infringe on Bower's crease, he'd time his engagement for the moment the player dropped his eyes then Bower would sweep check the puck away and put the unsuspecting forward in the front row of the Gardens seats. Bower's "Wall" ... he knew how to protect himself. If you crashed his net and survived, you probably didn't try it a second time.

Two years ago, the Leafs secured the services of a tough guy with lots of "sandpaper", Nick Foligno - a captain from Ohio. He played to the level of his Leaf teammates and became a soft version of his former self -- until he was traded to the Bruins where his style now mirrors the take-no-prisoners Big Bad Bruin playing style.

Yes, the Leafs did hire tough guy, Simmonds, but his offensive skills were questionable and his best-before date expired a while ago. He looked to me like one of the Kubas Leaf retirement destination players that included Patrick Marleau and Spezza and Kyle Clifford and, remember, Tomas Plekanec ... I don't think Lou would have allowed them to take up a spot on the Leaf bench.

But, let's look to the future.

Following this season, when Leaf president Shanahan goes into hiding instead of offering an explanation for another disastrous playoff, the Leaf's Hall of Fame-bound, Auston Mathews has to decide.

Saint Auston ... supposed to be the Leaf's saviour

His contract will be finished following the 2023/24 season. 

I love to watch him but he's not the superstar that the announcers claim he is. He doesn't score in bunches ... he seldom carries the team on his back to win a game and the number of times he's owned the puck against an opponent are few. 

In March, he's in the record book in an unlikely category. As a forward, he is leading the league in blocked shots. 

Really? Why would he put himself anywhere near a blocked shot?  That's another job for Justin Holl. Would you want Connor McDavid or Patrick Kane or any other premier asset blocking shots?

When I think of superstars, I think of Teemu and Yzerman and Brett Hull and Gretz and Gilmour and Jager and Sid and a few others ... Auston isn't in their company. Yet.

You Know About the "Office" ... it was a term first used to describe where Gretzky set up behind the opposing team goal. If I mentioned the Stamkos office or "OV" office, you'd know the exact location on the ice I was talking about. It's a PP set-up location for both sharpshooters and they score from that location, a lot. I can't understand why the Leaf brain trust doesn't use Mathews the same way.

Office or no office, Auston will soon be ripe. 

26 years old and at the top of his game. 

He will have received more than $54 million in Leaf signing bonuses and more than $11 million dollar annual salary (all USD) but he'll have to leave. He's paying too much in Canadian taxes and can't use the cost of the mansion he'll buy as a tax deduction as he could if he was playing in a US city.

(Incidentally, how does a coach, any coach, in any sport, deal with the egos and separation of salary? For instance, a salary + signing bonus like the one mentioned above. How does a coach handle players who think a lot of their own ability but don't make anywhere near the salary of the guy sitting beside them on the bench?)

Auston and his agent and his mother can choose teams in Texas or Florida or Nevada because those states  HAVE NO STATE INCOME TAX. But, if you were the owner of his Arizona team, where Auston is from, wouldn't you be looking to sweeten the pot to make him a Coyote?

How do you think he would look in a BOLTS uniform - the Stanley Cup-winning best management group in hockey may make it difficult for him to say no to their offer and, a year later, when his Leaf contract expires, snatch his setup man, Mitch Marner. The Bolts bench boss is a nice bonus ... he's one of the best. Ya know, the opposite of "Torts".

                             "Mitchie" knows how to celebrate

Or, do you think "Stevie Y" was watching the chemistry between his horse, Larkin, and Marner's outstanding play during the 2023 All-Star Game and think he might be a nice addition to the Red Wing rebuild? We know what Stevie did with Tampa and he didn't give up Florida sunshine & a fabulous team to move to Michigan without good reason.

Writer's Note: I think Marner is better than Mathews for the same reason I think Crosby is better than OV ... Marner and Crosby make everybody they play with, better. 

But back to grit. In my opinion, the only Leaf who's had any was Jake Muzzin. But, the Leafs have been without his D leadership since October and due to his cervical spine injury, it's very unlikely he'll ever pull on a Leaf Jersey again (as confirmed with an announcement in February) 

Darius is ready to play when you are

And, by grit ... I'm not talking about Nazeem Kadri (did he have it?) or Bob Probert grit or one of the many guys who protected Gretzky or even the recent tough guy, Ryan Reeves. 

The Leafs need a Darius Kasparaitis type. 

A guy who could lead the way for their young defence ... a guy who always showed up angry for every game and finished every one on an empty tank. If my Kasparaitis reference is dated and you're not familiar with his on-ice performance, think of it this way ...  if you played against him, you'd have to have your head on a swivel to make sure you didn't get run over. Y'a know, a "Scott Stevens" type (talk about crazy eyes). 

His fiancee was interviewed ... "when did you see Scott play for the first time"? She said, "he got me a seat on the rail - right on the glass. Before the game, in the warm-up, I looked at his eyes ... I never went back to another game".

Scott Stevens on Patrol

I often wondered what kind of a player, Zdeno Chara at 6'9" and 250 pounds would have been if he'd showed up angry for every game.

And, the possible logic of my position regarding the Leafs doesn't even take into account the Larry Hillman Curse.

Hillman, the hard rock, Kirkland Lake-born, 22-year NHL'er who was the youngest player, at 18, to earn the Stanley Cup (he'd get 5 more) had a salary dispute with Imlach. 

Hillman cursed the team in 1967 with the words ... "they'll never win the Cup again". 

Leaf president Shanahan, being an Irishman and familiar with leprechauns and hexes and spells was appointed by the Leaf board room to make things right and dispose of the Hillman Curse. He was recently ordered to pay the player off with the money he was swindled out of  (from 1967) + interest as a way of cancelling the curse and clearly the team's books on the matter. However, a Kirkland Lake friend of mine told me that when Hillman accepted the Leaf cheque (and, I hope, an apology for his mistreatment) with one hand, he had his fingers crossed with the other so, the curse is very likely still in place.

The fabulous Leaf, Larry Hillman, died at his Kirkland Lake home in 2022. If you are a member of Leaf Nation, you need to know ... Google the wonderful career of this Minister of Defense. 

It's been more than half a century since their last Cup win.

If you're a card-carrying member of Leaf Nation we all know we just have to be patient a little while longer.

Maybe next year?

I hope everything I've written in this essay about Leaf shortcomings is nonsense and my Leafs make magic and knock the hell out of the curse. But, the bettor in me couldn't resist making a small Vegas wager this afternoon on a team that could snatch Lord Stanley's Mug ... the winnings will help to pay for my five-times-a-week Florida hockey habit.

 ... I put a hundred on the Rangers. 

What About Vegas? Much of what you just read deals with tossing the GM, Dubas. But, you may have had some issues with the coach, Sheldon Keefe. Vegas says he is 20 - 1 to capture the "Coach of the Year" honours. Back-up goalie, Samsonov, is 100 - 1 to snatch the "Vezina Trophy" (Matt Murray, as ya know, hasn't played to have a rating). For "Best Defenceman" only Leaf Morgan Rielly is in the running @ 100 - 1. And, of the 37 players being considered to take home the "Best Rookie" trophy ... the Leafs don't have a candidate. 

Oh, and one more thing about Vegas ... On Wednesday, the "Ides of March" and the day in history that Julius Casesar was taken out,  Vegas officially set the 2023 version of the Toronto Maple Leafs chances of winning the Stanley Cup, at 12 -1. 

But, what do they know?

Fun Fact: Following the Leaf 1967 Stanley Cup winning game, Maple Leaf - Globe & Mail beat writer, Lou Cauz, gave me the stick that Leaf captain, George Armstrong used to score the open-net goal that sunk the Montreal Canadiens. Armstrong wouldn't have given Lou the stick if he'd known the Leafs wouldn't win another Cup ... and Lou would never have given it to me for the same reason. I then began a collection of Leaf Captain sticks ... from Armstrong to Keon then Sittler to Ramage to Vaive to Clark to Sundin and to Gilmour -- 8 in total. I kept them on display in my collection for 20 years then donated them to the Canadian Special Olympics celebrity auction and fetched $16,000. which would help support the sports activities of 28,000 fellow athletes for the captains mentioned.

Photo Editor: Connolly-group llc