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Toronto Maple Leafs: Only 2 Weeks Until Playoffs Start

ByJames Tanner|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 20: Auston Matthews #34 and William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate Nylanders first period goal against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 20: Auston Matthews #34 and William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate Nylanders first period goal against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are taking part in training camp as we speak.

But, two weeks from tomorrow, on Sunday August 2nd, the Toronto Maple Leafs will kick of the resumption of the 2019-20 season with the first game of their best of five series vs the Columbus Blue Jackets.

At that point, we will have been approximately four and a half months since the Leafs beat the Lightning in their final game before the pandemic forced the pause of the season.

In the two weeks before the Leafs and Blue Jackets faceoff, the teams will continue their training camp and play an few exhibition games.

It’s all very exciting, and also, very, very weird.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets

The NHL has had a normal 0ffseason’s worth of time pass since they played, but instead of starting a new season , they’re gong to resume the old one with a best of five qualifier, then a normal playoffs.

This isn’t scheduled to end until October, when the new season would normally start.

I’m not complaining – at this point I’ll take what I can get – but it’s weird.

I think I’ve compartmentalized the situation into halves.  On one side, I’m glad they’re going to play and exciting to get on with it.  I have written about hockey every day since it stopped playing, so the payoff of actually getting to watch a game will be extreme.

But on the other hand, I still wonder if the risk is worth it.  I still wonder how it will go, and if they’ll end up playing or rewarding the cup.

The fact that all the games will be in Canada is a good start, and the fact that there will be no international travel is a good thing too.

I honestly do not see how baseball is going to work – the MLB seems incompetent and delusional.  I seriously hope someone prevents the Blue Jays from playing home games this year.

Then again, I’ll always watch the Blue Jays should they end up playing.

Two weeks to go.   After a third of a year, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be on the verge of their first Stanley Cup in the expansion of era of team history.

I honestly cannot express to you how badly I want this team to show up the doubters.  I don’t know if it’s this summer or next year, but I know its going to happen.

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