Top 5 Toronto Maple Leafs Moments of 2020-21 Season
Although 2020 was a year to forget, the Toronto Maple Leafs 2020-21 season will be remembered forever.
After only playing five games from March to December, Toronto Maple Leafs fans were starving for action. The pandemic shortened the 2019-20 season, which resulted in a five-month break between games.
Nobody knew what to expect after the long break, as Toronto faced a pesky Columbus Blue Jackets team in the newly formed “play-in” games. They played well against the Blue Jackets, but couldn’t score, and in a matter of days, their season was over once again and another five month layoff ensued.
Toronto may have been bounced early but the 2020-21 season brought optimism. The addition of Wayne Simmonds, Joe Thornton, T.J. Brodie, Zach Bogosian and others were a welcomed-sight as Toronto decided to value veterans and grit for the first time in the Auston Matthews Era.
The season was going to be weird, regardless of how Toronto finished. They no longer had to face the power-houses of Tampa Bay and Boston, but instead were stuck only playing the other six teams in Canada, without fans.
Also, instead of starting in October, the season didn’t get started until the second-week of January, after plenty of uncertainty. Teams all across the NHL continued to face Covid concerns, and the season looked in jeopardy, but five months later, everything seems resolved and the playoffs are about to start without a hitch.
Instead of getting sad about not possibility enjoying a Stanley Cup parade, as Ontario continues to face pandemic restrictions, let’s try to enjoy the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs are at least playing hockey and are one of the favorites to excel in the playoffs.
Watching hockey in the winter is great, but hockey in the summer, poolside, is even better.
To recap the year that was, here are the top five moments of the Toronto Maple Leafs 2020-21 season.
No. 5: 3-3-3 in Edmonton
When the Toronto Maple Leafs went out west to face the Edmonton Oilers for a three-game road trip, a lot of people thought this could be the turning point of the season.
The Leafs had the divisional lead, but the Oilers were riding a five-game winning streak. Connor McDavid had been playing unbelievable, as always, and he was showing the hockey world that the Oilers may be the best team in the division.
Although this isn’t one specific moment, it was a collection of three games, three wins and three goalies (3-3-3) that sparked one big moment.
Toronto showed that they were clearly the deepest team in the division, by going to Edmonton and not only winning all three games, but doing so with three goalies. Michael Hutchinson, Jack Campbell and Freddie Andersen all collected wins, and they did so, in convincing fashion.
The Leafs only allowed one goal in three games and collectively beat Edmonton 13-1.
If Leafs fans weren’t convinced already, those three games showed them that they were serious contenders to win the division, but go on a long playoff run.
No. 4: Opening Night OT Win
An opening night matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens is always must-watch TV, but this year, it was even more heightened.
Many people predicted that Montreal would be the best team in the North Division, so it felt like they could be Toronto’s biggest competition in the regular season. Midway through the second period, you could see why.
Montreal was up 3-1 and seemed in control of the game. Instead of waiting a few games to get comfortable, Wayne Simmonds dropped the gloves in his first game as a member of the Leafs and it changed the game.
The Leafs found life after Simmonds’ fight and stormed back to tie the game and eventually force overtime.
After a few minutes of intense 3-on-3 excitement, Morgan Rielly found the back of the net and won the game. That moment was the start of a magical season thus far and was definitely a top-five highlight of the year.
No. 3: Jack Campbell 11-0 Start
If you were to ask a majority of Toronto Maple Leafs fans, prior to the season, about their wish for goaltending, they probably would have said the following: “I want the Leafs to play Freddie Andersen 60 percent of the time and Jack Campbell 40 percent of the time, so that Andersen is fresh and healthy for the playoffs.”
Fast-forward five months later and some fans don’t even want Andersen to be on the roster anymore.
Campbell has been spectacular all season, but his winning streak to start the year is one of the highlights. After being a back-up for most of his career and almost being considered a “bust,” Toronto has been the perfect fit for him.
After starting his first game on January 16, it took all the way until April 12 for Campbell to finally lose a start.
In that timeframe, Campbell won his first 11 games, which resulted in an NHL record for most consecutive wins to start a season.
Campbell’s had a lot of ups and downs during his career, but it feels like he’s found a home in Toronto and is here to stay. Hopefully he can recoup that winning streak in the playoffs and help Toronto win a few playoff series and make it to the Stanley Cup.
No. 2: Matthews scores 40 goals
Auston Matthews is the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs player of all-time and he’s only 23-years-old. If you don’t believe that statement is true, you’re lying to yourself.
Matthews’ ability to score goals is amazing. Whether it’s a wrist shot, slap shot, deke, back-hand, or whatever, Matthews can find the back of the net. His consistency is incredible and it’s a shock when he doesn’t score a goal.
Scoring 40 goals is a world-class season for any player. However, scoring 40 goals in 49 games is on a whole different level.
Matthews is out there playing checkers, while everyone else is playing chess. If it wasn’t for Connor McDavid scoring 100 points in a shortened season, Matthews would be running away with the Hart Trophy, as the MVP of the league.
If you’re not appreciating what Matthews is doing every night, you need to now. Similar to Lebron James, Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky, Matthews is part of that exclusive list of must-watch athletes and is just getting started.
Scoring 40 goals in 49 games is something that may never happen in Leafs history, so it was clearly one of the best moments of the seasons, right behind this one…
No. 1: Leafs win Division
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the NHL for 104 years now. As such, you’d think that winning the division wouldn’t be a big deal, right? Wrong!
This was only the sixth time in Leafs history that the team won their division. Yes, you read that right. What’s even crazier about that stat, is that this is only the second time since 1938 that the Leafs have won the division.
In 83 years, this team has only won the division two times. That’s so bizarre to me.
Anyway, that’s the reason why this moment has to be the biggest of the season. Winning the division is less common than winning the Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs, so as fans, we need to cherish this moment and make it more special, than how it sounds.
Winning the division will now unlock home-ice advantage for the Leafs and should make their path to the Stanley Cup, much easier than year’s past. However, we’ll have to wait and see because in those previous five seasons that they won the division, they never won the Stanley Cup in the same season.
Next. 3 Reasons Why Leafs Will Win Stanley Cup. dark
Here’s to hoping that Toronto doesn’t repeat history and can add “Winning the Stanley Cup” to the best moment of the 2020-21 season.