Joffrey lupul scoring against Ottawa to secure the playoff birth was unreal

@memoranda1

6 ай бұрын

they had scoring the problem was the defence..... Dion Phaneuf was just an obstacle pylon that players danced around with ease. It was horrible.....Jake Gardiner was good also but they gave up a lot of prospects to put that team together. I didn't like that part. When Mike Babcock came he said there will be pain..... i said fuck it at least he is honest.......I knew we were gonna get a first round pick overall and we're not gonna waste it. Can't remember if we made the playoffs with Matthews in his first year but anyways i was excited cause we were getting younger and talented but 7 years now have passed and none of it has paid off.

@brianscrymgeour5571

6 ай бұрын

They just barely wiggled in the playoffs they beat out Islanders and lightning who went on the headline Eastern Conference the next few years for the 8th seed and final wild card spot and they almost beat Washington every game went to overtime I'm pretty sure

@mumenrider677

6 ай бұрын

It’s playoff berth my friend, not birth!

@DoctorLexus2505

6 ай бұрын

berth pains @@mumenrider677

@alargefarva4274

6 ай бұрын

Still got my Lupul Winter Classic jersey!

Honestly great perspective check for most teams. I'm an Avs fan and I've been through the 90s teams, then the terrible teams of the late 2000s and 2010s up to the resurgence. You have to appreciate the great players, regardless of team success

@JohnnyHawkey

6 ай бұрын

absolutely!

@jeffreycairns767

6 ай бұрын

That's why I don't get the "hate" from so called "fans". It's about respect for what they do

Kulemin - Grabovski - MacArthur was such a great line and the Lupul - Kadri chemistry was worth it. Gardiner was fun to watch for all sorts of reasons, Phaneuf laid some nasty hits from time to time plus we had McLaren and Orr for some really great fights.

I count myself fortunate to have watched the Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1967. I was 10 years old. The last 56 years have been a hell of a roller-coaster of emotions.

@zachlesk5685

6 ай бұрын

You’d think after 56 years you’d learn from your mistakes and follow a better team

@ScottyEvans

6 ай бұрын

@@zachlesk5685once a leafs fan always a leafs fan.

I never take any game for granted I enjoy each game as if its their last I get way too excited when they score and win I get way to nervous and miserable when they lose (given its a blowout, not so much if its a close one) 10-15 years from now i will still remember how i watched this leaf team finally snap the curse And i hope more good fortune comes

@stevencooke6451

6 ай бұрын

Today was one of those games, They were outplayed for much of the game but had more moments of quality in the end. The frustration is that they have struggled to advance in the playoffs. Granted, they've good teams along the way. I grew up a Habs fan, but they never had to manage the higher wages of today and a salary cap. Ditto the Islanders and Oilers of the 80s.

@jeffreycairns767

6 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, the league is now run like a business under Bettman. It's always been a business but before Bettman came in every team had a chance and played like it. These days, the winner is decided in advance. It's the team that either needs it the most, in terms of fans/money, or the team that will bring in the most new fans. For example, last year was Florida (who was in talks about moving due to lack of fans, despite being the President trophy winner the previous year) and Vegas (Bettman's team that he hand picked and gave the biggest advantage from day 1). It's not overly surprising who won. Florida got away with murder their first 3 series' but got called for EVERYTHING against Vegas. It's not the first time this has happened with teams and will continue. Canadian teams have the fans no matter what happens but Bettman is trying to grow the league in America. You can't do that when Canadian teams win. I understand it's just business but it's not fair to the players or fans to not even have a shot.

@zachlesk5685

6 ай бұрын

Wow they got 5 wins instead of.3 in the playoffs… you do realize it takes 16 to win? And the leafs went 1-5 on home ice in playoffs last season, not to mention they got horribly outplayed in round 1, and most likely lose that series if Michael Bunting doesn’t murder two of the Lightning’s top players… but then y’all got mad when Sam Bennett did the same to two of your guys. Leafs nation is a JOKE

@jeffreycairns767

6 ай бұрын

@zachlesk5685 Bunting was suspended for 3 games, nothing happened to any player on the lightning or Panthers. Haters are the joke, not the fans

@zachlesk5685

6 ай бұрын

@@jeffreycairns767 you mean the core 4 is the big joke? Talk about missed calls all you want blah blah blah but here’s what happened. Tampa bay completely outplayed Toronto, and Toronto FINALLY managed to win a 4th game in the post season 🤣 then Toronto outplays Florida, but Florida ends up winning and leafs nation hits the surprised Pikachu face. How many goals did Matthew’s, Marner, Tavares, Nylander have in round 2? I think 3… combined… that’s IT. So you can say leafs haters are the joke but we hate them because they come back with the same team every season and y’all act like it’s gonna be a different result for some unknown reason.

Man what a trip down memory lane for just a random November game!

Grabo’s shootout spin goals were awesome, he even tried the Zegras flip before it was cool, his skill was super underrated, him and Antropov have a soft spot in my heart as a Leaf fan

I 100% agree and think about this all the time. The quality of the hockey and games is just so entertaining to watch. Especially thinking back to the prior teams as you mentioned. it is a great era to be a Leafs fan, regardless of what happens in the playoffs.

@bl9531

6 ай бұрын

We have experienced much much worse haven’t we 😂😂😂

Jake Gardiner was a unique player in that if you just looked at the score sheet stats every night he seemed like a solid defenseman that any team would love to have, but if you watched all the games you would see just how brutal he really was out there. He had a tremendous talent for making the wrong play at the wrong time that would cost you the game, no matter how good he played the rest of the time. Absolutely impossible to win a playoff series with him if he was playing 20 min a night because he would straight up lose you at least one game out of 7 by himself. I was so happy when the leafs let him walk in free agency.

I remember back in those days when after a postgame Ron Wilson was asked about the 1st line by one of the reporters, and Ron responded talking about MacArthur, Grabovski, Kulemin, because THOSE guys were getting the job done and were plus players while that "Top Line" with Kessel on it was struggling to get it done. That was such a good team that made the playoffs that year. It definitely wasn't Reimer's fault the leafs kept caughing up breakaways in OT in the playoffs...I also remember the days when Sundin had two beast wingers named Ponikarovsky and Antropov during the Maurice days, and I remember them completely dominating teams some nights. That lineup missed the playoffs by one point decided by the final game between the NYI and NJ in a shootout

Two things that I liked about the Leafs in those days. 2012-13 when they had Orr, McLaren, Fraser. If you are going to lose, go down swinging. There were some wild games that year. The other thing I liked was that you usually could tell in the first 5 minutes whether they were going to win or lose the game. That way you could decide to waste 2 hours of your life watching it, or go do something else.

I'm a Leafs fan and you're spot on! Best moment from the dark era was Sundin scoring his 500th goal in OT, shorthanded on Hockey Night in Canada to complete a hat trick vs Calgary. Funny enough, Giordano scored his first career goal that night.

This felt really special, a joyous moment for any Leaf fan. You are right, Johnny, enjoy the moment. Skol!!

The game against Ottawa in 2013 when they clinched for the playoffs for first time years was one of my favourite moments from that era. Esspecially when Bob Cole says "the playoffs are coming up Toronto". I remember just being so excited that they were back in for the first time since I was kid.

I am from Pittsburgh. We had both Mario and Syd. Both got tons of grief from fans around the league. Not any more. It took years of losing. Then, winning. Enjoy and appreciate what you have.

Great GREAT video! Thank you so much for putting things into perspective, giving us a chance to have some fun! ☝🏽😊

Clarke MacArthur was actually a solid player for us it was injuries that messed him up he was really good. And when we had bozak JVR and kessel bozak was actually instrumental and he helped the blues in the cup run ppl forget that bozak was a good solid faceoff guy as well

I’ll never forget the time vesa toskala let in a goal shot from 197ft away, I think it was in 08… basically sums in a nutshell what it meant to be a leaf’s fan back then

Imagine where they'd be if Shanahan hadn't hired Babcock. "Beware the Toronto Media" -Borje Salming. And I still love Thrill Kessel.

Everyone's just jealous of Phil's ability to eat what he likes and remain the Healthiest player ever the man hit DBL retirement without a missed punch on this time card, a prototype never even considered for mass production.

Grabovski's spin goal in the shootout, I was there and it reminded me what feeling joy about the Leafs was like

Imagine someone like me who’s been a fan since the 70’s. 50 years watching this madness. The Harold Ballard years in the 80’s was real low. Time is a head spinner as you get older. In 1997 some of my friends who are Montreal fans were razzing me about Toronto being pathetic. 30 years without a cup. Now they’re sitting at 30 years without a cup and I get to remind them that by their metric that their is team pathetic right? Then they come back at me with the 56 years. And I’m like yeah that’s way worse….. but your team is pathetic right? That’s the game we’re playing with decades invested. I’ve seen 20 year old players drafted. Play their entire carrer, retire and then pass away. And in all that time we haven’t even made it to the finals let alone win it.

This was a great video, you brought up a lot of good points. I remember the Brian Burke era well. So many years of disappointment. The 200 ft goal let in by Vesa Toskala was probably the best way to sum up the feeling of being a Leafs fan in that era. We are spoiled now with all the talent, enjoy it while it's here.

The 2013 playoff series, which saw James Reimer make some crazy saves to bring the Leafs from 3-1 down against the Bruins to 3-3 in the series. And we don't talk about game 7.

thanks for keeping it real, i get following a particular team i really do but surely we can enjoy games when "our" side loses & yet were entertained. sport is for fun unless ur a milionaire business backer, it aint life or death but a bit of fun to watch & argue over with our mates. thanks again johnny h i'm loving what u do from over here in britain. cheers

Well said Johnny! Gotta cherish every game!

Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren vs montreal I will never forget. Colton Orr takes a huge run at a guy then knocks out i think Bourque for no reason then McLaren laughing mid fight vs georges. Most satisfying moment so far as a leafs fan

The NHL did everything they could for the Leafs on the Sweden trip. They made sure that both of there games were away games so they didn’t lose any home revenue and then they made sure both teams they played were playing the second game of a back to back against the Leafs.

@johnsummerhill8323

6 ай бұрын

Second game in a row was an advantage for the RedWings because of the amount of days between games for the Leafs.

Bin a big fan since I was a teenager...and I'm not anymore 😅 I will always love my boys..love grama

spot on. we are witnessing some of the most talented players to put on the blue and white, can't take that for granted.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Post lockout was sad as the star players and depth players of the early 2000’s were past their primes and guys started getting traded or bought out. Brian Burke was the worst GM we ever had, tried to skip the rebuild phase and fast forward to a contending team and it turned into a wasted era. While we haven’t had playoff success, at least this new era of the Core 4 has given us exciting hockey to watch again.

Love your videos ! As a Leafs fan, that also tries to be a realist, I tell people this all the time. Enjoy the ride and everting that cokes with it. We are seeing some of the greatest Leafs ever right now !!

Being a Leafs fan made me so pessimistic about nearly everything. It's like you know the heartbreak is going to happen, so it's hard to celebrate the current triumphs.

@Dratchev241

6 ай бұрын

I always hope for the best, experience however has taught me to expect the worst.

@AC-ri2ph

6 ай бұрын

That's like saying nothing matters in your life cause you're gonna die one day and it's not gonna matter. So what are you gonna do? Just sit there?

Idk why my favourite goal from that era is Kessel coming in alone about to snipe it and his stick breaks and goes through lundquvist’s 5 hole.

As a big Leafs fan I'm loving the games right now but it's nothing new. A .500 October. A great November. An average rest of the season. A disappointing playoffs. In spite of the predictability of this, I'm still hopeful every year. This year is no different.

Mannnn I don’t remember what game this was, but Kessels fake-shot shootout goal circa 2013-2015??

I think Leafs fans appreciate the big 4’s talent level just fine tbh. What they appreciate a little less is how two of them routinely disappear in the playoffs and how they haven’t had a contending level D core through this entire era. It’s not that they don’t appreciate the firepower those four guys have, it’s that they see how good those guys are and get frustrated that the team just isn’t good enough to win a cup with them.

Absolutely true...This has been the best leaf years I have seen since I started watching them in 1987

Great video!

Some of us leaf fans remember not making the playoffs and only watching for colton orr fights ...these last 8yrs have been great

winter class in 2013-14 was awesome

you kno wwhat, you're right. thanks. i remember those days. man were they ever dark

I subscribed because of this video. Well done.

@JohnnyHawkey

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Progger!

I remember when Nikolai Kulemin truck-sticked Adam McQuaid that one time in playoffs. Now THAT was wild.

Well put... games are fun to watch ... firepower undeniable, goalies may be better than they appear and there are some young rookie D players that may amount to something. Just enjoy the ride.

Excellent video and I totally agree. I'm in one of my happiest times in over 40 years of being a fan.

Remembering Toronto history without remembering Mats Sundin? (btw just saw that he scored points in 30 something games in a row, while Nylander currently is on 17 games in a row?)

A few star players and everyone expects their favorite team to dominate. They forget it takes depth, good defense and good goal tending to win as well.

@genecrosby3776

6 ай бұрын

Just look at Edmonton. They illustrate perfectly how you need more than a couple of star players.

Losing in the playoff series agains Boston, because it was the first thing that made me feel emotion as a leafs fan since Sundin having left. *in response to favorite moment during era*

@stevenbrooks5429

6 ай бұрын

And then it happened all once, Matthews ushered in a new era of leaf hockey in 1 game. And I beleafed again.

This is how I've been trying to think recently. Especially with the Nylander situation.

Went to a game way back on a tuesday. Shots were like 20-15 at the the end of the game. Both teams sucked, clearly no once care... except Grabovski. He was skating his ass off and did a pretty good job making chances. Can't even remember the score. At the end of the game we banged on the boards and yelled at Reimer and Phaneuf came and smacked his stick on the glass where we were lol. It was all in good fun though.

Honestly I know many leafs fans that need to hear this

Completely agree and I think about it every time I see the loss column getting higher ! I want them to win a cup so badly, but at the same time I'm happy where they're at and how fun it is to watch a bunch of used to be kids, getting TO on the map !

Feb 15 2011- grabo getting crunched from behind by Chara twice, and still scoring the winning goal…very worrisome that he was still in that game after the second hit though (I’m glad conclusion protocol is more strict)

Totally fair perspective and good to keep in mind, but I also think at some point fans stop caring about their talent if they can’t get it done when it matters. I also don’t think the entire core needs to be wrecked, but keeping all 4 just hasn’t yielded the right results (like not even close, 1 rd win in 7 years is not good enough). We’ll see if year 8 is suddenly going to be different but I’ve lost faith in this core for sure.

No matter what we gotta remember the times when 40 year old Rob Blake was our star player X_x

My thoughts exactly and everyone has to remember it's Maple Leafs Sports and entertainment. At the end of the day it's entertainment and are you not entertained? Be grateful because anyone older than 7 has PTSD with this team

That's true, you might not see a comparable talent level for Toronto's forwards for decades.

so true. I think the Tkachuk and Gaudreau trade really made you wise.

great video

this past summer I made a total 180 in how I see the Leafs now. I basically realized that 31 of the 32 teams have a negative end to the season. That your history of stanley cup wins or lack of wins is no guarantee of your team winning this year. So I hope for the best but enjoy this very talented team in the meantime. It's the best Leafs team I've ever seen since and including the 1970's. It's not just the Leafs, but 30 other teams also say "maybe next year will be the year." At least these days, the Leafs have a fighting chance!

@delby66

6 ай бұрын

I've been a Leaf fan all my life. I'm 67 now and I've watched them since I was 5. I've seen the great teams of the 60's, 70's 80's, 90's and the bad teams as well. I still say the best team we had assembled, since the cup winning years was the Pat Burns team with Gilmour, Andreychuck, Clark, Potvin and co. A high stick non-call stopped us from getting to the Stanley Cup.

Well said my friend 👏👏👏

Was fun to watch Dion SHMUSH People. A Good ole "Captain Crunch". Take nothing away from Jonny T. after all, he's far greater skilled.

Not sure what year it was. But Clark taking Curtis Joseph's mask off with a slap shot

I think Kulemin and Grabovski are good friends in real life and still live in Toronto

I agree that the recent Leafs regular season success should be appreciated but c'mon man. That might be good enough for newer franchises but as a Leafs fan myself it's just not good enough. That's not a knock on newer teams but a knock on the Leafs.

hella nostalgic video

They finally got to round 2 of playoffs with this core. Leafs fans should be pumped to see how things go this season.

Good points, but the difference for me is I just can't cheer for the current lineup (except Morgan Reilly), and believe me I've tried.

Perfectly said, nailed it.

It doesnt matter how good or not they are, in the playoff one team might be a tougher match up for them than the rest, it is what it is. Always a diffrent team every year. Lets not forget that Tampa almost won it three times in a row, I have a feeling even Oilers is gonna wake up sooner or later and IF in play off, will be just as dangerous as last year.

I agree that leaf fans (including myself here) take for granted the team we have right now....I still miss the 2000's era with Tucker Mogilny Roberts Sundin Domi....we were a rough team to play against...different league now I guess

Nylander in Vancouver with matching years with Petey. Thanks for the freebie Kyle Dubas

Dude, Leafs are getting very good Goaltending since Sammy started recovering. Woll is just unlucky. So many deflections that are near indefensible, but on 95% of the defenses he could have made, he has. Sammy was wobly but if he keeps being good, it's just a matter of getting the Defense depth we need and then we'll be fine. That is the toughest part though. Cap space and Nylander are gonna be crucial moving forward as it has to be

@stevencooke6451

6 ай бұрын

Woll can perhaps be faulted on the first goal, assuming there was no deflection, but he has looked more like himself. Ditto for Samsonov. One thing they need to cope better with is overcoming the other team's forechecking. The Wild were very effective at stealing the puck in the Leafs' end and other teams have flummoxed the Leafs that way, notably the Panthers in last year's playoffs.

They’ve always been a great regular season team

Just got nam flash backs lol. Anyways honestly I think our goaltending will be fine down the stretch of the season, defensive depth is defo a concern tho

Tough to chose a moment between the Sundin clapper inside the blueline OT winner playoffs vs Ottawa, and the Sundin clapper for OT winner vs Calgary completing the hat trick and hitting 500 goals scored.

Dude i used fucking flamed for being a leafs fan. All my friends junped ship to the good teams and i stayed loyal and miserable. So much so that seeing video made me realize how jaded i had become..so thank you for giving some perspective back on that its not so bad right now and enjoy what i can. Thanks dude.

@LucicPower

6 ай бұрын

Me Tarzan you Jane

i remember when ron wilson was coach of the leafs and ottawagh0st still made videos

Phil Kessel was a great player for the Leafs. Worth the trade.

So well said

N9t sure of my favorite moment with that Era of leafs, but my favorite player they had during that time was leo komarov. Wish we had him at his best on this team rn

They can pat themselves on the back for the performance they did in the last two games Way to show what we about! GO LEAFS GO

yeah I wish more leaf fans would appreciate what we currently have going for us

Not since the 90s have they been this consistent.

Well said

dunno if i would agree marner is dynamic as ever

I 100% agree, we leaf fans have got it good

Favorite time was getting Eddie Belfour

good episode

RIP Lucic

Super jealous over here in Calgary

Goaltending isn't an issue Johnny, Joseph Woll has been great, he didn't even have a bad game in Sweden. Ilya played well in Sweden and against Vancouver. Sorry, Goaltending is actually getting back on track. Great video however!

this is the year.. 😎😎

These tight games are good from-layoffs tho

You're right - I don't care about anything other than the playoffs. Because that's all we ever get trolled on by other hockey fans.

I no longer care about The Stanely Cup as it has become a useless part of the season. How many President's Cup teams have fallen in the first or second rounds because the refs are suddenly working with a different set of rules giving the advantage to the dirty, cheap teams like Tampa Bay, Florida and Boston (which makes their loss last year even more perplexing, btw - I guess Florida was dirtier which The Leafs also found out about). The playoffs are nothing but bad calls, clutching and grabbing and dirty hits (looking at you Sam Bennett - I was there less than 20 feet away from your punch to the back of Knies' head - dirty prick!). Anyway, I love watching The Leafs and, when they do get their defensive footing, they will be even better. This is the best offensive hockey I've seen in my life which has been fairly long considering I was alive for the last 4 Leafs Stanley Cup wins. It's like they are doing a magic show out there and it is always exciting and, since I no longer care about the NHL or The Stanley Cup, I can just sit back and enjoy the show. See ya suckers!! I'M FREE!!!! LOL

@user-ec2ub4kx7m

6 ай бұрын

Now I’ve heard it all. Amazing..don’t care about lord Stanley..can’t win because everyone else cheated. Leafs are the victims here. I miss the good old days when at Christmas time leaf fans would be wondering if they were mathematically eliminated yet..hilarious

@viewfromthehighchair9391

6 ай бұрын

@@user-ec2ub4kx7m Learn to read; I didn't say everyone. I said the modified rules in the Stanley Cup playoffs favour less talented teams that have learned how to cheat and referrees who suddenly stop calling obvious penalties. The Leafs have benefitted from that from time to time by the way; however, they tend to be on the wrong end a lot. I don't care about The Stanley Cup anymore because it has been made meaningless by the NHL. I have decided for my own sanity to simply enjoy the game during the season and ignore the playoffs entirely. For context, if you watched the Leafs and Wild this morning, you probably noticed that the Wild kept having their centremen thrown out over and over. I notice this often and wish the linesman would just drop the f***ing puck no matter who delays benefit more. It's annoying. Does that make it clearer junior?

@user-ec2ub4kx7m

6 ай бұрын

Ok Kreskin

@viewfromthehighchair9391

6 ай бұрын

@@user-ec2ub4kx7m I have no idea wtf your point is and I'm old enough to actually know who Kreskin is. Funny because he was a mentalist as well. Clearly I have none of this abilities....at least, not as it relates to you. LOL

Did you watch the same game that I watch Toronto Maple Leafs give up a 3-1 lead … wow !!!!

@johnsummerhill8323

6 ай бұрын

Who won the game?

this team is so strong, could be a multiple cup winner

This is the best team the Leafs have had in over 20 (maybe 30?) years...that's something special, for real,....cups though....😬