An old/new chapter for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Today I learned something new. Consider for a moment the Stanley Cup and its size. It is obvious there is no room for every name. For every team and player who have won a championship to remain on Lord Stanley’s contribution to Canada’s game, the Cup might weigh Seventy-five pounds and be seven to eight feet long. A crane would be necessary to hoist it.
The Last Toronto Maple Leafs team to have their names engraved were the 1967 geriatric team. Filled with mostly battle-hardened veterans and a few young stars like Ellis, Stemkowski, and Walton. Dave Keon was 26, the Big M 28 and already the winners of three cups in a row, 1962, 63 and 64.
The Toronto Maple Leafs three year reign as Cup champions ended April 13th, 1965 with a 4-3 semi-final overtime loss to who else? The Montreal Canadiens. The following season, 1965-66 the team was swept in the semi-finals by the same dreaded Montreal Canadiens. It appeared the reign of the Toronto Maple Leafs was history. In the 1966-67 season the Leafs, at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since1957-58, got back on track after a mid-February ten game losing streak. They turned it around, eventually winning their 4th Cup in six years.
Out with the Old, in with the New Toronto Maple Leafs
When the Penguins have their names engraved this year, they will use the last remaining empty slot. Before the new season begins, the NHL will remove the oldest ring on the barrel and add a new blank ring so next year’s Champion will have the space to engrave their names.
"As a new NHL-commissioned documentary on the Cup explains, “It takes about half a century for a man’s name to move from fresh-carved fame to ancient history.”It’s actually a bit longer than half a century, Pritchard says.“Any winning player or team stays on there for anywhere from 52 to 65 years — which is probably going to be the remainder of your lifetime if you win the Cup. It made a lot of sense.”Phil Pritchard news.nationalpost.com"
To think of a Stanley Cup without a Toronto Maple Leafs engraving depresses me. A team with 11 championships. A cornerstone of the NHL. A team with the largest fan base on the planet. Canada’s team.
Time for the New Toronto Maple Leafs
VP and curator Phil Pritchard stated that the NHL changes the rings every 52 to 65 years. While relegated to Lord Stanley’s Vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame, former Champions are gone but not forgotten. Because 50 years have passed since the last Toronto Maple Leafs championship, the clock is ticking. Will there be a time when not a single Toronto Maple Leafs player engraved on the cup?
A Stanley Cup with no Toronto Maple Leafs? None of the greatest Leafs ever to play? No Keon, Mahovilich or Bower. No Red Kelly, Tim Horton or George Armstrong. To a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, this is sacrilege, a travesty of justice. Perhaps my emotions are running a little strong, yet as a Leafs fan who has lived through a half-century of Ballard, Burke, and B.S., my heart breaks at the thought.
The Stanley Cup is Coming Home
Oddsmakers have the Toronto Maple Leafs at 16/1 to win the Stanley Cup next season. Those odds are better than the Blues, Kings, Blue Jackets, Sharks, Bruins and 14 other teams. Those are the best odds this century.
Furthermore, with the Leafs in a position to take advantage of teams forced to shed players and dollars, it seems destiny has intervened. Brendan Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello, Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter have created a golden opportunity. In addition to good management and the foresight to see what expansion and a stagnant salary cap might bring, a few good moves will vault the Leafs to the top of the odds chart.
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50 years is too long. For Gord Downey, Bill Barilko, and every fan that lives breathes and sleeps the Toronto Maple Leafs, it is time to for our team bring home the Cup and once again engrave your names on the greatest trophy in sportsdom.