Saturday, April 24, 2010

Would The Maple Leafs Be In The Playoffs If...

I asked my friend today who is a Vancouver based fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs (he was born in Toronto); do you think the Maple Leafs would have made the playoffs this year had Burkie managed to sign the Sedin twins? In one of my favourite hockey offseason stories of all time, Brian Burke was on a plane to Sweden the night before the opening of free agency when the twins re-signed with Vancouver. Burke was still able to leave Sweden with Jonas Gustavsson, but he missed an opportunity to sign the Sedins by a matter of hours. Henrik led the NHL in scoring this season, and Daniel likely would have also been top 5 if not for a significant injury.

So how would the season have played differently had the Leafs been able to sign two of the league's best players in the offseason? They wouldn't have needed to trade 2 first round picks for Phil Kessel. Hell, they might even be in the playoffs right now. I love playoff hockey. But hey my favourite team has won 4 Stanley Cups since the last time they missed the playoffs. I've been spoiled.

I'm just trying to rub a little salt in the wound. That's what I do.

2 comments:

  1. If you think Kyle Well wood was one of the best players in Leaf franchise history, I'd like some of what you have obviously been smoking.

    I don't think that the Sedins would have signed in Toronto. Many players are content to take their money outside of the pressure cooker of Toronto.

    The Leafs are getting better, and hopefully, we fans will be doing a little rubbing in of the salt of our soon for all the abuse we have had to put up with from other team's fans (many of whose teams, I may add, have never won a cup.)

    I'll bet you whine like a little girl when the Leafs beat your club.Get used to it next year.

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  2. The Leafs will slowly improve under Burke,he's done it before,be patient.

    Sure they would have made the playoffs with the Sedins in their ranks, but they still wouldn't have been a contender for the Stanley Cup, just as the Canucks really aren't unless you're a die-hard dreamer.

    I was a Canadiens fan from the first time I heard a radio broadcast and the name "Rocket Richard" yelled out by Foster Hewitt,about 1952. For the next forty years,I lived and died with the Habs,which was relatively easy,they usually won.
    I hated the 60's era Leafs with a passion,especially when they had the temerity to win that goddamned series against my Canadiens in 1967.

    One of the benefits of growing old is PERSPECTIVE, and now I'm a fan of whichever team puts out the best effort,after all, they're just entertainers,and I owe them no more loyalty than I do a film actor who happens to put on performances I like.

    One thing I figure though, is that team from 1967,the Leafs of Horton,Armstrong,Stanley,etc., if magically transported into the playoffs in 2010,would physically kick the living shit out of todays' pandered millionaires.

    Yes,they'd be smaller and slower, but most of them had spent years fighting in Leagues full of hungry mean bastards vying for a place in the Show.

    Those guys were TOUGH,in a way today's players can't even imagine, and their total combined salaries wouldn't equal that of ONE of today's mediocre forwards.

    Some day, the Toronto Maple Leafs may again win the Stanley Cup, but they've got a long way to go, lots of trades to make and more development of their draft choices.

    If Burke is still as savvy as he was when he improved Anaheim, it may happen within the next three or so years.

    In the meantime, the BIG question is; who'll knock off the Canucks this year?

    DMorris

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