Best Toronto Teams: Part II
The NHL is in the midst of a Christmas break, while the NBA teams kept chugging along. The Raptors will play on Boxing Day at Miami, and the Leafs won't play until Saturday my time (@ CBJ).
After a nice little Christmas break from blogging, I am back, ready to fire away. Since this is the off-day for both the Leafs and the Raptors, I'll continue with my "Best Toronto Team I've Seen" series. I'll cover the Leafs this time.
But first, some random musings.
1. I can understand why Raptors fans would be upset that we didn't get a Christmas Day game this year. You know, we had the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference last year, and though the schedule was made well before the season started, we now own the best record in the NBA. So why not give us some national (U.S.) spotlight during the holiday season? The Bucks visited MSG for the first of the five-game set, but Bucks-Raptors would have been a far more compelling showdown, right? It's a status thing in the NBA to play on Dec. 25.
But here's my point. Who cares? I have already taken a jab at Canada's inferiority complex and insecurity when it comes to the country's only NBA franchise. After the Raptors beat the Warriors for the second time, it seemed like Canadian media just couldn't have enough of glowing U.S. media coverage.
Anyway, as a fan, I'd rather my boys enjoy their Christmas break with their family and friends and come back recharged. And since we have so many injuries already, this is a perfect time for those banged-up bodies to heal and rest. I bet some players and coaches don't mind not playing on Dec. 25. And if we were to host a game on that day, then the team employees, game operations/presentation crew, arena staffers, etc, etc, would all have to work. Don't they all deserve their Christmas off?
(I had to work this Christmas Day. But that's not why I sound grumpy.)
I used to think we've never played on Christmas, but it turns out we did play on Dec. 25, 2001, against the Knicks and lost 102-94. I was still in Toronto at the time but I must have missed it. Or if I watched it, it probably wasn't memorable enough anyway. As much as I love basketball, I'd like to think I had better things to do on that particular day than to watch NBA. Charlotte and Memphis are the only two teams never to have played on Christmas Day.
Now for the topic of the day.
2. From the '95-'96 season to the current one, the Leafs, like a lot of other teams, have had their peaks and valleys. We went to the playoffs my first season there, but missed the next two under Mike Murphy. Then Pat Quinn took over and led us to the conference finals the very first season, 1998-99. And in my final summer there in 2002, we went to another conference finals. Well, we lost both, but those were some heady times.
I grew up watching a-little-past-prime Doug Gilmour, in-prime Mats Sundin, almost-washed-up Wendel Clark, peak Curtis Joseph, emerging Tomas Kaberle, etc etc. Other names that are popping up at the moment: Alyn McCauley, Mike Johnson, Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe, Jason Smith, Danny Markov, Felix Potvin, Tie Domi, Alex Mogilny, Larry Murphy (we booed him out of town), Dave Gagner, Mike Gartner, Dave Ellett, Dave Andreychuk, Mathieu Schneider, Sergei Berezin (a player of his speed and skillset could probably score 50 in the new NHL), Jonas Hoglund, Kris King, Dmitry Yushkevich, Wade Belak, Shayne Corson, Darcy Tucker (Corson's brother-in-law).
I should stop or this could go on forever. These names take me back in time. They played a vastly different game in a vastly different league back in those days. There are some skilled guys on that list up there, but we had a lot of grit, especially during Quinn years. Hard-nosed guys both up front and on the blue line.
Back to the task. Last season's team set the franchise record for wins (49) and points (105), but we got knocked out of the first round in the playoffs. So they're out of this conversation.
Now, this year's team is an interesting case. We have the second-best record in the NHL after 37 games, with 25 wins and 52 points. We're No. 2 in goals scored and No. 8 in goals allowed, though four teams ahead of us in that category have played fewer games.
Numbers aside, this is by far the most entertaining Leafs team that I've watched. And talent-wise, I don't think any of the teams that I've watched can hang with this group. JT, Matthews, Marner and Rielly are all having career years, and it could be argued that only Tavares is in his prime, with the other three not even there yet.
After our convincing win over the Panthers last week, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston had this to say about the Leafs.
BUT... these boys will still have to prove themselves in the playoffs. I'll have to wait and see how this team does in spring before deciding their place on my all-time list.
With that out of the way, the best Leafs team I've watched is the 2001-2002 team.
We won 43 games and earned 100 points. We were third in the league in goals, with five 20-goal scorers (Sundin, Tucker, Mogilny, Roberts, Reichel). Joseph played and won the fewest games as a Leaf (51 and 29, respectively) but was still rock solid in net.
What sticks out to me the most about that season is the playoff run. We played an absolutely grueling seven-game series against the Isles in the first round.
After one day off, we faced the Sens (the NHL team that I hate the most, even more than the Habs, and the seeds were sown during this period) and got shellacked 5-0 in Game 1 of the second round.
In Game 2, we blew a 2-0 lead and went into OT, and Roberts got the winner in the third extra period.
That was as animated as I saw Ken Dryden get during his tenure as the Leafs' president. What a huge goal. A loss would have put us in a 2-0 hole heading into Ottawa.
This was a 2-2-1-1-1 era. We got the split in the capital; they won at ACC; and then we won at Corel. Then we shut them out 3-0 at home in Game 7. Cujo only had to make 19 saves for the clinching win.
(An aside: Speaking of Joseph, I recently read Cujo's autobiography, aptly titled Cujo: The Untold Story of My Life On and Off the Ice. In the early pages, he talks about his tough upbringing in Ontario. For hockey fans, or fans of the Leafs during the time he played for us, Cujo offers some interesting tidbits and behind-the-scene stuff across several chapters. I enjoyed those parts the most. I just love reminiscing.
Given how he was raised by his adoptive parents at a mental insitution and suffered through all sorts of abuse, it's hard not to admire the man's determination and drive that made him one of the best NHL goalies in his era. As a father of two myself, I felt terrible about the way he was neglected by his parents. No kid should ever go through that. But I stopped feeling sorry for Joseph after reading about how he met a former Playboy playmate and married her in 2012. Back to the blog.)
It was emotionally draining just to watch those two playoff rounds. Then in the conference finals, we faced the Hurricanes after getting just one day off again. It was almost a miracle we beat them 2-1 in Game 1, but then we dropped the next two games in OT.
We ended up scoring just six times in six games. I remember feeling just resigned to our fate after losing 3-0 in Game 4. We won the next one 1-0 to force Game 6, but ended up losing 2-1 in OT.
I cheered hard for the Red Wings in that year's final. I didn't want the team that eliminated us to go on to win the Cup. Some would say, "Well, you can at least tell yourself you lost to an eventual champion," but I don't buy that stuff. If someone beats us, then I want that team to take a spectacular fall the very next moment.
Cujo left in free agency, and it was an end of an era. We haven't been back to the conference finals since then. Starting with the 2005-06 season, we missed the playoffs in 10 of the next 11 seasons.
Anyway, that's the bar for me: winning back-to-back seven-game series with a banged-up team and going down fighting.
Over the past two seasons, we lost in the first round. Keeping my fingers crossed we'll go much, much deeper this time around.
On a closing note, if you have 45 minutes of free time, sit back and watch highlight package from Game 7 vs. the Sens. (I know I will.) Considering the circumstances and my hatred level of the opponents, this was one of the most gratifying Leafs wins I've enjoyed.
After a nice little Christmas break from blogging, I am back, ready to fire away. Since this is the off-day for both the Leafs and the Raptors, I'll continue with my "Best Toronto Team I've Seen" series. I'll cover the Leafs this time.
But first, some random musings.
1. I can understand why Raptors fans would be upset that we didn't get a Christmas Day game this year. You know, we had the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference last year, and though the schedule was made well before the season started, we now own the best record in the NBA. So why not give us some national (U.S.) spotlight during the holiday season? The Bucks visited MSG for the first of the five-game set, but Bucks-Raptors would have been a far more compelling showdown, right? It's a status thing in the NBA to play on Dec. 25.
But here's my point. Who cares? I have already taken a jab at Canada's inferiority complex and insecurity when it comes to the country's only NBA franchise. After the Raptors beat the Warriors for the second time, it seemed like Canadian media just couldn't have enough of glowing U.S. media coverage.
Anyway, as a fan, I'd rather my boys enjoy their Christmas break with their family and friends and come back recharged. And since we have so many injuries already, this is a perfect time for those banged-up bodies to heal and rest. I bet some players and coaches don't mind not playing on Dec. 25. And if we were to host a game on that day, then the team employees, game operations/presentation crew, arena staffers, etc, etc, would all have to work. Don't they all deserve their Christmas off?
(I had to work this Christmas Day. But that's not why I sound grumpy.)
I used to think we've never played on Christmas, but it turns out we did play on Dec. 25, 2001, against the Knicks and lost 102-94. I was still in Toronto at the time but I must have missed it. Or if I watched it, it probably wasn't memorable enough anyway. As much as I love basketball, I'd like to think I had better things to do on that particular day than to watch NBA. Charlotte and Memphis are the only two teams never to have played on Christmas Day.
Now for the topic of the day.
2. From the '95-'96 season to the current one, the Leafs, like a lot of other teams, have had their peaks and valleys. We went to the playoffs my first season there, but missed the next two under Mike Murphy. Then Pat Quinn took over and led us to the conference finals the very first season, 1998-99. And in my final summer there in 2002, we went to another conference finals. Well, we lost both, but those were some heady times.
I grew up watching a-little-past-prime Doug Gilmour, in-prime Mats Sundin, almost-washed-up Wendel Clark, peak Curtis Joseph, emerging Tomas Kaberle, etc etc. Other names that are popping up at the moment: Alyn McCauley, Mike Johnson, Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe, Jason Smith, Danny Markov, Felix Potvin, Tie Domi, Alex Mogilny, Larry Murphy (we booed him out of town), Dave Gagner, Mike Gartner, Dave Ellett, Dave Andreychuk, Mathieu Schneider, Sergei Berezin (a player of his speed and skillset could probably score 50 in the new NHL), Jonas Hoglund, Kris King, Dmitry Yushkevich, Wade Belak, Shayne Corson, Darcy Tucker (Corson's brother-in-law).
I should stop or this could go on forever. These names take me back in time. They played a vastly different game in a vastly different league back in those days. There are some skilled guys on that list up there, but we had a lot of grit, especially during Quinn years. Hard-nosed guys both up front and on the blue line.
Back to the task. Last season's team set the franchise record for wins (49) and points (105), but we got knocked out of the first round in the playoffs. So they're out of this conversation.
Now, this year's team is an interesting case. We have the second-best record in the NHL after 37 games, with 25 wins and 52 points. We're No. 2 in goals scored and No. 8 in goals allowed, though four teams ahead of us in that category have played fewer games.
Numbers aside, this is by far the most entertaining Leafs team that I've watched. And talent-wise, I don't think any of the teams that I've watched can hang with this group. JT, Matthews, Marner and Rielly are all having career years, and it could be argued that only Tavares is in his prime, with the other three not even there yet.
After our convincing win over the Panthers last week, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston had this to say about the Leafs.
"There are a lot of folks in this city who’ve watched a lot of hockey and never seen a team this good."And you know what? That's so true. Certainly for young folks who don't have memories of watching the Leafs in the early aughts, this is clearly the best Leafs squad of their lifetime. And even grown-ups will feel the same way, too.
BUT... these boys will still have to prove themselves in the playoffs. I'll have to wait and see how this team does in spring before deciding their place on my all-time list.
With that out of the way, the best Leafs team I've watched is the 2001-2002 team.
We won 43 games and earned 100 points. We were third in the league in goals, with five 20-goal scorers (Sundin, Tucker, Mogilny, Roberts, Reichel). Joseph played and won the fewest games as a Leaf (51 and 29, respectively) but was still rock solid in net.
What sticks out to me the most about that season is the playoff run. We played an absolutely grueling seven-game series against the Isles in the first round.
After one day off, we faced the Sens (the NHL team that I hate the most, even more than the Habs, and the seeds were sown during this period) and got shellacked 5-0 in Game 1 of the second round.
In Game 2, we blew a 2-0 lead and went into OT, and Roberts got the winner in the third extra period.
That was as animated as I saw Ken Dryden get during his tenure as the Leafs' president. What a huge goal. A loss would have put us in a 2-0 hole heading into Ottawa.
This was a 2-2-1-1-1 era. We got the split in the capital; they won at ACC; and then we won at Corel. Then we shut them out 3-0 at home in Game 7. Cujo only had to make 19 saves for the clinching win.
(An aside: Speaking of Joseph, I recently read Cujo's autobiography, aptly titled Cujo: The Untold Story of My Life On and Off the Ice. In the early pages, he talks about his tough upbringing in Ontario. For hockey fans, or fans of the Leafs during the time he played for us, Cujo offers some interesting tidbits and behind-the-scene stuff across several chapters. I enjoyed those parts the most. I just love reminiscing.
Given how he was raised by his adoptive parents at a mental insitution and suffered through all sorts of abuse, it's hard not to admire the man's determination and drive that made him one of the best NHL goalies in his era. As a father of two myself, I felt terrible about the way he was neglected by his parents. No kid should ever go through that. But I stopped feeling sorry for Joseph after reading about how he met a former Playboy playmate and married her in 2012. Back to the blog.)
It was emotionally draining just to watch those two playoff rounds. Then in the conference finals, we faced the Hurricanes after getting just one day off again. It was almost a miracle we beat them 2-1 in Game 1, but then we dropped the next two games in OT.
We ended up scoring just six times in six games. I remember feeling just resigned to our fate after losing 3-0 in Game 4. We won the next one 1-0 to force Game 6, but ended up losing 2-1 in OT.
I cheered hard for the Red Wings in that year's final. I didn't want the team that eliminated us to go on to win the Cup. Some would say, "Well, you can at least tell yourself you lost to an eventual champion," but I don't buy that stuff. If someone beats us, then I want that team to take a spectacular fall the very next moment.
Cujo left in free agency, and it was an end of an era. We haven't been back to the conference finals since then. Starting with the 2005-06 season, we missed the playoffs in 10 of the next 11 seasons.
Anyway, that's the bar for me: winning back-to-back seven-game series with a banged-up team and going down fighting.
Over the past two seasons, we lost in the first round. Keeping my fingers crossed we'll go much, much deeper this time around.
On a closing note, if you have 45 minutes of free time, sit back and watch highlight package from Game 7 vs. the Sens. (I know I will.) Considering the circumstances and my hatred level of the opponents, this was one of the most gratifying Leafs wins I've enjoyed.
Comments