It’s been a 16 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators faced off in the Battle of Ontario in the playoffs, but it’s always fun to look back at great rivalries.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have never lost a playoff series to Ottawa, so that’s probably why we’re revisiting this.
It was a simpler time in the early 2000s and a few things were constant. The sun would rise in the morning, set in the evening and we would watch the Leafs beat the Senators in the spring.
It’s not like the Senators had bad teams during this time-frame either. Led by Daniel Alfredsson, the Senators made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons from 1996 to 2007.
If it wasn’t for the Maple Leafs beating them every time they faced each other, they very well could have found themselves in multiple Cup Finals in that early 2000s run.
Both with Swedish-born captains in Mats Sundin and Alfredsson, the one advantage Toronto always had was their goaltending.
Patrick Lalime was the goaltender for three of the four playoff series for Ottawa, with Tom Barrasso making an appearance in the 2000 series. The Leafs had a much more prestigious duo with either Curtis Joseph or Ed Belfour between the pipes.
Part of me wishes that Ottawa rebuilds quickly so we can revisit the Battle of Ontario in the playoffs, but at the same time it’s always nice when the Leafs are successful and the Senators are not.
Let’s look back at the top three playoff games in the Battle of Ontario.