April 2: On this day in 1969…
On this day in 1969, the Boston Bruins defeated the Leafs by a sorry score of 10-0 in Game 1 of their best of seven Quarter Final playoff series. It was one of the worst playoff annihilations of all time. Phil Esposito had four goals and the Bruins set a playoff record that has never been equalled with six power play goals. The Bruins went on to win the series in 4 straight games, outscoring the Leafs 24-5. Leaf fans have been accustomed to being humiliated for a long time. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to bother them.
April 1: On this day in 1988…
On this day in 1988, the Leafs lost 7-3 to the Red Wings and set a new team record of desperation by losing their 11th consecutive game on the road. Mercifully, this was their last road game of the 1987-88 schedule. Otherwise, who knows how long the streak would have lasted. The awful Laffs of 1987-88 won just 7 games out of 40 away from home. It’s easy to see how other teams got excited when the Laffs came to town.
March 31: On this day in 1985…
On this day in 1985, the Leafs lost to the New York Rangers 7-5 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Leafs were in the midst of a five-game losing streak to end yet another disastrous season. In those last five games of the 1984-85 schedule, the Laffs gave up 35 goals, an average of seven goals per game. What a way to go! By early April, the Laffs were golfing again.
March 30: On this day in 1944…
On this day in 1944, the Montreal Canadiens bombarded the hapless Leafs 11-0. It was the worst beating the Laffs have ever endured in the playoffs. The Canadiens set a record that has never been equaled of 7 goals in one period. The also took the pleasure of knocking the Laffs out of the playoffs on that night. What a way to go. Those Leafs – no pride whatsoever. In nets for the Leafs was Paul Bibeault who actually belonged to the Canadiens but was on loan to Toronto because the Laffs couldn’t find their own goalie. “Here, take Bibeault,” offered the Habs. Then the massacre proceeded.
March 29: On this day in 1992…
On this day in 1992, the Leafs were thumped again by the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1. The Leafs lost often to Chicago and many other teams in 1991-92. With a dismal losing record of 30-43-7, the Laffs finished last in their Division and did not qualify for the playoffs again in 1992. Meanwhile, in front of the brilliant goaltending of Ed Belfour, the Hawks went all the way to the Stanley Cup final. The Laffs have not been to a Final since the days of the “Original Six”. Ed Belfour won all kinds of awards with Chicago, including the Calder and a couple of Vezinas. He won a Stanley Cup with Dallas. He also played for the Laffs later in his career and won nothing.
March 28: On this day in 2009…
On this day in 2009, the Leafs lost to the Boston Bruins again, 7-5. Leaf “goaltender of the future” Justin Pogge took the loss. The Leafs played six games against the Bruins in 2008-09 and lost five of them. The Bruins finished first in their Division. The Laffs finished last and out of the playoffs again. And now, Justin Pogge is gone. Things just didn’t work out for Justin in Laffland. Oh well. Leaf fans have nothing to worry about, though. The Leafs are REBUILDING. Yeah, that’s it. Idiots.
March 27: On this day in 1945…
On this day in 1945, Brit Selby was born in Kingston, Ontario. There are lots of Leaf fans in Kingston, mostly in the penitentiaries. Brit was the last Leaf to win the Calder trophy as rookie-of-the-year. It was in the old six-team NHL in 1966. It must have been a relatively light year for rookies. Selby never really blossomed into anything that substantiated his Calder trophy winning honor. On left wing as a Leaf, Selby recorded just 29 Leaf goals over a few very trying seasons. The Leafs don’t have time anymore to draft, nurture and develop young promising talent. The best rookies are always somewhere else.
