#3. Rivalries Are Back
Remember how fun the “Battle of Ontario” used to be? Thanks to their playoff battles in the early 2000s, every Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators game was a blood-bath. Not literally of course, but the intensity was high.
Even if it was something as simple as Daniel Alfredsson mocking Mats Sundin by pretending to throw his stick in the crowd, it felt like every time these two teams played, a storyline brewed. The anticipation for every match-up was so exciting because you never knew what type of chaos would ensue.
Although the rivalry has been less intense for the past few years, that’s all going to change. The Leafs are going to hate every other Canadian team by the end of the regular season, and that animosity is going to get even stronger in the playoffs.
If the NHL follows their current playoff format, there will be at least one All-Canadian match-up in the First Round of the playoffs. We’ve seen Edmonton vs. Calgary in the playoffs recently, but we haven’t seen Toronto face a Canadian opponent since 2004.
The idea of the Leafs playing any Canadian team in the First Round of the playoffs is so intriguing. However, selfishly, I hope they can play Montreal or Ottawa because that rivalry would officially be back. Regular season hockey is one thing, but a playoff match-up would make for a different story.