Jinnistan wrote:
I don't follow hockey, but since I do follow Bill Burr I've been able to hear some of his issues about the Toronto Maple Leaves and how they're giving Burr's beloved Bruins a run for their money. According to him, the Maple Leaves haven't won a playoff series since....2004?
They won a playoff series last year, then immediately self destructed. But, for the most part, the either always flub the first round or, for decades before that, don't even make the playoffs (and this was during the years where only five teams out of 21 would miss post season play)
And it looked like they were imploding again, going down 3-1 in the series. Looking absolutely lifeless in a couple of those games. Were getting lambasted by the media here (as always, because Toronto treats its hockey team like the UK treats its celebrities), and probably deserved it more than usual, then...somehow....they rose to the occassion and played probably two of their best all round games of the year. Most amazingly, even really well defensively, which is usually a complete after thought to these guys. They generally are seemingly quite happy to get down by 4 goals before they decide they've had enough of losing and suddenly start scoring at will until they win these games they seemingly had no right to.
But it suddenly seemed like the tide was turning for them. That this team, who is ridiculously stacked with offensively players, was suddenly not just playing like a bunch of spoiled brats who want to rack up their stats, but playing like an actual team. And they were doing the same thing last night, even without their better goalie, and with their star player ailing. They had completely shut down Boston and it was a 0-0 game until the last five minutes or so when we scored. It seemed like that's all that would be needed, considering how much they had limited Boston to barely any scoring opporunities the entire game (in fact, the last three games). It seems like they overcame the impossible. At least for thirty or so seconds, when they let Boston score one right back, sending the game to overtime. Which they promptly lost in about a minute.
At least it wasn't an embarrassing way to go out, which is usually how they do it. And yet in some ways this was more painful, since even when they finally get their shit together, it's amazing how quickly it can all go south for them.
It's a curse. I've mentioned this before, beginning as far back as the 70's, when the miserly and (turns out) pedophaealic monster of an owner named Harold Ballard, intentionally gutted the team of all of its talent because he didn't want to pay for anyone good, realizing Toronto would still sell out all its games regardless of how bad the team was. And they've been trying to climb out of the hole this one man put them in for fifty years now. Just an unending slog of terrible seasons and near misses that end in heartbreak.
The worst part of it though is honestly realizing I have to go back to work tomorrow and just listen to the vitriol of everyone I work with about how they are never watching another game again, and every player needs to be traded, and just having to nod along knowing that (in part) they are correct. But, also, like anything else, most of the things they are going to say are going to be completely stupid and I'm going to be embarrassed listening to them and I won't be able to escape.
