The Toronto Maple Leafs have an opportunity to do something this upcoming season that not many fans have witnessed in their lifetime. Something that has not happened since the year 1935.
Last season, the Leafs were able to finally break through and win something that has been a mystery for almost this entire century: their own division. Finally, the Maple Leaf sat on top of their division for the first time since the 1999-00 season (we are not counting the bogus COVID bubble year where they got to beat up on the other Canadian teams). With a powerful 52-26-4 record but not even the highest point percentage they have had in this modern era, Toronto earned first place in the Atlantic Division.
While the entire campaign ended in yet another playoff disaster, it was at least nice to see the No. 1 next to the Leafs' logo on the standings for a little bit. But with that win comes this almost century-old opportunity.
The Maple Leafs have not won their division for two consecutive years since the 1934-35 season. We're serious. It has been 91 years since this team has been able to string together two years where they were on top of their division. It's honestly surprising and a little pathetic.
This team was not able to have two consecutive division titles even before the league expanded before the 1967-68 season. Ample opportunity to be able to get enough wins to be labeled as division winners -- but no, they're the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Just to get an even clearer picture of what the NHL was like the last time the Leafs were able to do this, the league was comprised of nine teams during the 1934-35 season. The "Original Six" that we know and tolerate and then of course there's the Montreal Maroons who never financially recovered from the Great Depression, the New York Americans, and the St. Louis Eagles.
The 1934-35 Maple Leafs were led by the great Charlie Conacher, who led the entire NHL in goals (maybe foreshadowing for this upcoming season) and players like Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau, Flash Hollett, and King Clancy himself. George Hainsworth was in between the pipes at 39 years old for all 48 games played -- all except three minutes where apparently Conacher himself went in the crease.
That is the last Maple Leafs team to achieve this feat. And it's such a simple one. The Boston Bruins did it in 2012; the Tampa Bay Lightning won the division for two consecutive seasons in 2019; even the Montreal Canadiens and their recent history of being big losers, were able to do this in 1989.
While doing this guarantees nothing in the playoffs, it would be nice for them to at least have two years on top and potentially home-ice advantage through the Eastern Conference Final (if they even get there). There's another thing to cheer for this upcoming season.