The Toronto Maple Leafs are the Top Hanukkah Team in the NHL

Don’t call it a Hanukkah Miracle. The Toronto Maple Leafs have proven themselves to be the top team in the NHL during Hanukkah.

The NHL often looks at different windows within the year. There’s preseason, off season, playoffs, and pre and post trade deadline. Until now, no one has evaluated the short eight-day span that is Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights. It lasts for eight days beginning on the 25th day of Kislev (in the Hebrew Calendar).

The holiday celebrates the Maccabees successful defeat of the Syrian-Greeks, where they were able to reclaim the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The Toronto Maple Leafs on Hanukkah

Each night of Hanukkah, a new candle on the menorahs is lit until all eight candles glow (plus the helper candle called the shamash). It’s a tradition that dates back to the recovery of the Holy Temple. This is done as a reenactment of the ancient Jews’ single-day’s supply of oil miraculously lasting eight days to keep their menorah lit.

The Maple Leafs have enjoyed their Hanukkah this year. .

Leading up to the start of the holiday, the Maple Leafs lost two straight games. They dropped their Dec. 15 game to the New York Rangers and then the Dec. 17 tilt to the Washington Capitals. Things may have looked bleak to any who pay close attention to Maple Leafs success during Hanukkah but they quickly turned things around.

During the back-to-back losses, each of the Leafs goaltenders started games. Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov were both on record for a loss but bounced back over the Jewish holidays. Murray was in goal to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 20 and Samsonov was between the pipes when the Leafs took down the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 22.

The Leafs only had two games during Hanukkah this year. Both were at home, which may have helped the squad begin to simulate the playoffs. The Maple Leafs won both their contests, which is different from how they fared last season.

In 2021, the Maple Leafs split their four contests during Hanukkah. They won their two first games before dropping the next two. However, one of those losses did come on a shootout giving the team a total of five points.

There isn’t a very good chance that the eight-day Hanukkah window catches on for analysis by NHL pundits. However, the team may be alerted to their success this year and begin to consider it a tradition to go undefeated during the festival of lights.

If we’ve learned anything this season about this particular group of players, it’s that they’re great at going on streaks. Hopefully, 2022 is only the start of the Maple Leafs new undefeated Hanukkah streak.