Toronto Maple Leafs: A Post-Season Survival Guide
Have you heard the good news? The Toronto Maple Leafs are headed to the playoffs.
The circumstances behind last year’s brief taste of post-season action differ vastly from today’s. The Leafs and their nine rookies were never supposed to stick around to mid- April. For six games, they were playing with house money, setting the stakes precariously low.
That is certainly not the case this season.
The Leafs are about to put a bow on their most successful regular season in over a century of existence. As it stands now, they possess a legitimate shot at accomplishing what this franchise has been unable to for the past 51 years.
And the fans can smell it.
As a fanbase, we haven’t been in a position like this for a very, very long time. We’re entering unchartered territory, which will undoubtedly take some getting used to.
So, here are a few things to remember before the playoffs begin. They may just save your life.
The Lineup From Game One Isn’t Permanent
When the Leafs hit the ice for Game One, Leo Komarov will almost certainly be joining them, with Andreas Johnsson watching from the press box. It’s best to just accept that reality now and save yourself an aneurysm.
But, just because one version of the lineup starts the series doesn’t guarantee it will end it.
The post-season, in essence, is about adapting to your opponent. And Mike Babcock, contrary to some belief, is not a dumb man. If Tampa or Boston turns Toronto’s fourth line into a doormat, changes will come.
The days of rolling out Komarov for 24 minutes to teach the kids about defence are over. Each game is now do-or-die, and Babcock won’t risk elimination for the sake of a lesson.
Look, I get it. Getting Mad Online™ about the lineup is ingrained in our nature. It’s just that in the playoffs, no lineup is set in stone.
Approach the upcoming months with that mindset and you will save a ton of energy.
It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
If all goes well, the Toronto Maple Leafs will play their final game of the 2017-18 season sometime in late June. That’s roughly three months from today.
Do you know how much can happen in three months? A lot. A lot can happen.
In the NHL, the best team rarely ends up hoisting the Stanley Cup. Instead, it’s the team who manages to bend the furthest without breaking that ultimately comes out on top. As the months get hotter, the games become less about skill and more about durability.
The same goes for fan bases as well.
I cannot believe I’m writing this sentence, but we can learn something from Edmonton. There’s really no kind way to say this, so here goes. Throughout last year’s playoff run, Oilers fans lost their minds at every single minute injustice they believed was inflicted upon them by the NHL.
Botched icing call? BLASPHEMY!!! McDavid gets tossed from a draw? THE NHL HATES OIL RIGGERS!!!
It got so bad that, following an admittedly brutal goaltender interference ruling, Edmonton Sun reporter David Staples took a stand.
Yeah, ok, Dave. That’ll show ’em.
Leaf fans, if you take one thing away from this, it’s to be better than the Oilers. Always be better than the Oilers.
The whistles hibernate in the post-season. There will be missed calls, lopsided games, and *gasp* possibly a botched icing or two. If you channel all your rage at each and every infraction, there’s at least a 67% chance you’ll be dead by May.
Choose the hills you wish to die on wisely. Your loved ones will thank you for it.
Brad Marchand
To get to the Stanley Cup, the Leafs will need to go through Boston, and, more specifically, Brad Marchand.
Marchand, for all his offensive prowess, is precisely the type of player the NHL should be ridding themselves of. The guy can’t go a week without actively trying to land someone in the ICU, and you better believe he cranks this garbage up to 11 when the playoffs roll around.
Don’t believe me, just ask Daniel Sedin.
Knowing Marchand will probably get away with an otherwise suspension-worthy act of violence or two is the healthiest way to approach any Leafs-Bruins series.
He’s discipline Teflon. Nothing sticks to the little fella. Accepting that reality is the first step to enjoying a happy and healthy post-season. It’s a shame we’ve arrived at this point, but the NHL clearly isn’t in a hurry to do actually anything about the 9-time repeat offender.
Letting Marchand’s debauchery get you riled up is just as effective as Abe Simpson yelling at a cloud. It’s really not worth it.
Have Fun
It’s easy to forget just how far ahead in their rebuild the Leafs are. Adhering to the initial five year Shanaplan, playoff hockey was only meant to be a fleeting possibility this season.
Now, a first-round exit would be nothing short of disappointing.
Where William Nylander and Mitch Marner stand today, P.A. Parenteau and Michael Grabner stood a mere three years ago. The top-to-bottom turnaround this entire franchise has undergone in such a short period of time is unprecedented and is worthy of celebration.
Ignore all expectations, matchups and personnel decisions for a minute.
In two weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs will play playoff hockey. Only 16 NHL teams earn the privilege to do that each year. And the Leafs happen to be one of them.
Cherish it. Because this fanbase should know firsthand exactly how fleeting that privilege can be.
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