Toronto Maple Leafs Greatest Playoff Moments Since 1967
1992-93-Toronto Maple Leafs Defeat the St. Louis Blues to Advance to the Conference Final
Following the Toronto Maple Leafs most wretched decade, the 1980s, the they were due for some playoff success. The early 1990s was the heyday of Doug Gilmour, who was acquired by the Leafs in one of the biggest trades in NHL history.
Gilmour was expected to be a cornerstone of the team’s rebuilding; however, few would have predicted just how dominant he would be in blue and white.
In 1992-93, Gilmour recorded 127 points-a total which still stands as the most ever by a Leafs player. Gilmour was ably supported by Nikolai Boschevsky, Glenn Anderson, Dave Andreychuk, John Cullen, and the mighty Wendel Clark.
The Leafs managed to pull off two seven-game series wins that spring in seven game series against the Detroit Red Wings and the St.Louis Blues, respectively.
The Leafs won the first series (Norris division semi-final) on an overtime winning goal by the diminutive winger, Nikolai Borchevsky.
Throughout the minute and a half that that overtime took, the Leafs starting line of Gilmour, Clark and Borchevsky hemmed the Wings in on their side of the blue line with dogged forechecking.
The Leafs forwards caused the Wings to cough up the puck several times and on a redirected shot from defenseman Bob Rouse, Borchevsky put the Buds in the quarter-finals.
The Leafs met the St. Louis Blues in round two. The Blues were clearly no match for the Leafs considerable firepower.
If not for the goaltending heroics of future Leaf Curtis Joseph, this series would not have seen a 7th game. The Leafs finally proved too much for the Blues, and the Leafs Buds won game seven by a score of 6-0.
The Leafs had made it into the conference finals, but this controversial series saw the Maple leafs lose in seven games to the Los Angeles.
The Leafs were in a position to win the series in game six; however, a Wayne Gretzky high stick on Doug Gilmour went uncalled by referee Kerry Fraser.
The Great One should have received a game misconduct, but he stayed in the game and scored the winning goal. Game seven at Maple Leaf Gardens saw the lose the series in front of the home fans.