A few former Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning this week.
Although we all wish the current Toronto Maple Leafs roster would have won a Stanley Cup this season, it’s always great to see a few former players get their due. Especially in this weird world we’re all living in, it’s nice to see happiness and pure joy.
For anyone who thinks this Stanley Cup run is tarnished or needs an asterisk beside it, you’re wrong. Whether you’re travelling across the country or staying in the same hotel for two months, winning a championship is such a hard accomplishment.
Damien Cox mentioned on Twitter that this Cup was easier to win because there were no road games for Tampa, which I don’t agree with. If nobody has home games, there’s no home-ice advantage, which means everyone has the same advantage. Based on who Tampa played, they should have had home-ice the entire way through, but instead they didn’t get that luxury, so they were on an even playing ground with the rest of their opponents.
In my opinion, that makes the chances of winning even harder because in a seven-game series, your building would help motivate you four times, but instead, there’s no advantage at all for being the better seed.
We could argue this point all day and talk about the difficulties and challenges that came with this playoff-run, but at the end of the day, I was just happy the NHL pulled it off. But I hope we never have to see something like this ever again, because fans make the game 100000 times better.
Ex-Toronto Maple Leafs Win Stanley Cup
A few former Maple Leafs lived out their childhood dream, finally winning a championship this week with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Carter Verhaeghe: The 25-year-old played his first full NHL season with the Lightning this year and was rewarded with a Stanley Cup championship. Although he only played eight total post-season games, he finished with two assists. Verhaeghe was a former third round pick with the Leafs in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and only played two games with the Toronto Marlies before being traded in the Michael Grabner deal.
Curtis McElhinney: He’s continued to showcase how important he is as a back-up goalie and was crucial to the success of the Lightning this season. Finishing with a decent 8-7-3 record this year, McElhinney didn’t see any time in the postseason but was a reliable back-up. Playing two seasons in Toronto, McElhinney was a beloved, especially in the 2017-18 season where he finished with a 2.14 GAA, .934 save percentage and 11-5-1 record.
Luke Schenn: I can’t believe that Schenn is only 30-years-old. It feels like he’s been in the league for 20 years now. After a tough few seasons that saw him playing in the American Hockey League, Schenn found a home in Tampa and ended up playing 11 post-season games with the Lightning. Head Coach Jon Cooper loved the experience that Schenn brought, including the toughness in his game, as quoted in an article with the Tampa Bay Times.
"“Schenner keeps them in check. You don’t see too many of their guys lined up to anywhere close to Schenner.”"
Schenn was a former fifth overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft with the Leafs, playing four seasons with the club, before getting traded for James van Riemsdyk. Schenn was loved during the first few seasons in Toronto and it’s great to see such a good guy win a championship.
Hopefully the next time we’re talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs and a Stanley Cup, it means they’re lifting one after the 2020-21 season. Until then, Go Leafs Go.