And in summation......

[GhostofPotvin29]

Still though..The Bruins in 2010 had a 3 games to none lead against the Flyers. Philly wins three straight.. Then the Bruisn take a 3-0 lead in game 7.. Blow that and lose series go on to win Cup. I think that is much worse to deal with than what we did. Keep in mind we could have been out in 4... We forced the 7...

Blowing a 3-0 series lead is worse, but in game 7 they had an EARLY 3 goal lead, in fact Philly scored in the first to make it 3-1 and then tied the game in the 2nd at 3-3.  Not like Boston blew that final game with 2 minutes left and they couldn't hold a 2 goal lead.

New Jersey blew a 1 goal lead in the last 1:20 of Game 7 in 2009 vs Carolina, allowing 2 goals and losing the game.

It sucks, it's depressing, it's bitter, and equally as dramatic/bad/crushing things have happened to numerous other teams, and recently, too. 

The Leafs will bounce back, the dust will settle, etc.

 

[Mack674]

Still though..The Bruins in 2010 had a 3 games to none lead against the Flyers. Philly wins three straight.. Then the Bruisn take a 3-0 lead in game 7.. Blow that and lose series go on to win Cup. I think that is much worse to deal with than what we did. Keep in mind we could have been out in 4... We forced the 7...

Blowing a 3-0 series lead is worse, but in game 7 they had an EARLY 3 goal lead, in fact Philly scored in the first to make it 3-1 and then tied the game in the 2nd at 3-3.  Not like Boston blew that final game with 2 minutes left and they couldn't hold a 2 goal lead.

New Jersey blew a 1 goal lead in the last 1:20 of Game 7 in 2009 vs Carolina, allowing 2 goals and losing the game.

It sucks, it's depressing, it's bitter, and equally as dramatic/bad/crushing things have happened to numerous other teams, and recently, too. 

The Leafs will bounce back, the dust will settle, etc.

I get what you're trying to say, but it honestly does not compare.

Equally crushing things? Name me one time a team had reached a 3 goal lead late into the third period of a hard fought series in game 7, only to blow the entire thing in a matter of minutes... you can't, because it hasn't ever happened in the history of the NHL.

Teams blow leads, yeah, it happens. But not like that. Well until last night anyway.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Still though..The Bruins in 2010 had a 3 games to none lead against the Flyers. Philly wins three straight.. Then the Bruisn take a 3-0 lead in game 7.. Blow that and lose series go on to win Cup. I think that is much worse to deal with than what we did. Keep in mind we could have been out in 4... We forced the 7...

Blowing a 3-0 series lead is worse, but in game 7 they had an EARLY 3 goal lead, in fact Philly scored in the first to make it 3-1 and then tied the game in the 2nd at 3-3.  Not like Boston blew that final game with 2 minutes left and they couldn't hold a 2 goal lead.

New Jersey blew a 1 goal lead in the last 1:20 of Game 7 in 2009 vs Carolina, allowing 2 goals and losing the game.

It sucks, it's depressing, it's bitter, and equally as dramatic/bad/crushing things have happened to numerous other teams, and recently, too. 

The Leafs will bounce back, the dust will settle, etc.

I get what you're trying to say, but it honestly does not compare.

Equally crushing things? Name me one time a team had reached a 3 goal lead late into the third period of a hard fought series in game 7, only to blow the entire thing in a matter of minutes... you can't, because it hasn't ever happened in the history of the NHL.

Teams blow leads, yeah, it happens. But not like that. Well until last night anyway.

It's no worse than that New Jersey one, and if you think it is, chalk it up to personal feelings.  3 goals in a certain number of minutes is just an arbitrary number picked out to make this into a record, no more relevant to the Leafs future than anything else.  At some point it will be broken as a record and the circle of hockey life will go on.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Sure, but the entire point when Fletcher traded Clark was the fact that Clark was at the high point, and he got maximum value back.  I was devastated at the time but Sundin was a player on the rise and I understood why they did it.  You can do a lot of things with Phaneuf, he doesn't even have a NTC so he can be traded anywhere, I don't think you'll get anything that great back though, certainly not a player of Sundin's calibre.  I have no idea what they do with Phaneuf, but his minutes need to go down, so that means finding another defenceman somewhere that can play #1 minutes.

I am not saying Clark and Phaneuf are equivalent, but please do remember we did NOT trade Clark for Sundin. That was a complicated deal involving some prospects and 4th liners, an exchange of first round picks -- and above all -- we had to gave up Sylvain Lefebvre AND Clark to land Sundin.

I am not saying the Phaneuf straight up would get us a franchise centre. But as part of a package? It might. If so -- it's worth exploring if the deal presents itself. On a 1-for-1, straight up? Unlikely to get enough for him that a trade would be worth it.

Edmonton, in particular, needs some serious help on D. A home town boy like Dion Phaneuf would be a great fit. Just sayin.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I hope this is the depression talking, but:

It's the depression talking. That does not mean your reaction is not justified or that it is irrational.  HOWEVER, what it is more than anything right now is raw and emotional.

In a few days, if that long, you'll feel much better -- and during the summer the pains of that game will recede and your affections for the Leafs will be rekindled by the boundless hope for the future.

Because someday, it really WILL be "the year".

I do not suggest for a moment that last night's game will become some distant forgotten memory. That game will be burned into the DNA of the Toronto Maple Leafs as one of the greatest disappointments in the history of the franchise.  As well it should be. It was an historic collapse at a time when there was a genuine HOLE that might have seen TML advance to the conference final. And given the Pens goaltending and TML's superiority over Ottawa, we might have even advanced to the Cup final. (where we would NOT have won, but whatever). I still think the loss of Bozak and Fraser had already sealed the team's fate. It was only a matter of time.

Still, it will sting for decades. But it will sting a whole lot less shortly, and even less than THAT as we gear up for the next season.

The one thing that being a Leafs Fan since the mid 70s has taught me is what you already know yourself:  every season is a new year and hope springs eternal.

Devastating loss though. Being up 3 goals on Vancouver only to have Bure break our dreams of the Cup in '94 was the last time I remember feeling *close* to this.  And really, losing to Vancouver in the Western Conf Final was far worse than this.

I would remind you that dropping that three goal lead to the Canucks lead DIRECTLY to the loss of Wendel Clark and the acquisition of Mats Sundin. So these things have a way of having unforeseen consequences that are not always seen as being so disastrous in the longterm.

Stings like a witch today though.

Such is the lot in life of a Leafs fan. *sigh*

 

[AlmosGirl]

Well said Steel Wind and welcome to the site.

 

[Jimmified]

Having slept on it, I can be a little more positive.
Imagine if this happened in a game 7 of the stanley cup finals.
Now that would be the worst 

As for what they gain from this...
I just hope this becomes the Leafs "Aaron Boone" moment (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9273362/paradise-lost-again)

 

[KW Sluggo]

On the one hand I realize that we were not going to win it all this year and I recognize that you have to learn how to lose to know what it takes to win but this still really stings.

Better than the way Montreal went out but at least as painful having see it all careen downhill so far so fast. We broke every branch on the way down.

Still it has been a year of great advance and the promise of more to be built upon the 2013 platform.

 

[13th fan]

A hypothetical question but if the Bruins win the Stanley cup this year, again it's hypothetical,would it make this lost easier to accept or even harder to accept ? For myself I haven't figured that out yet .

 

[Redleaf]

A hypothetical question but if the Bruins win the Stanley cup this year, again it's hypothetical,would it make this lost easier to accept or even harder to accept ? For myself I haven't figured that out yet .

The only way the Bruins are going to win the cup this year is if they play like they did in the last 10 minutes of last nights game (the rest of the way).

 

[Bullfrog]

A hypothetical question but if the Bruins win the Stanley cup this year, again it's hypothetical,would it make this lost easier to accept or even harder to accept ? For myself I haven't figured that out yet .

Indifferent. Which is how I've felt for the last seven years during the playoffs.

 

[Seymore Pucks]

I haven't posted on here for a while but yesterdays events are forcing my thoughts to surface onto this forum.  Im from New Zealand where hockey doesnt mean much to many but alot to me.  I have been following this team since the late 80's after visitng family in Toronto and going to the Gardens to see the Leafs beat Quebec on NYE 5-2.  I am a Leafs fan as much as anyone who bleeds blue and white.
What happened yesterday is a much heart break any sports fan could handle.  4-1 up and I was jumping around the room trying not to spill my beer.  10mins on the clock and I thought pull your head in because if they lose from here you are going to feel very sick afterwards.  So it happened and I sat there by myself like WTF.  I had no expectations of this team so what they achieved in this series was more than we probably all expected.  Im proud of the way they played in this series.  I think alot of players showed why the need to stay on this rooster.  I hate Lucic as a oppostion player because he is that good but he showed a lot of class in his interview straight after the game saying that the Leafs and the fans should be proud of this team.  I agree.

 

[cabber24]

Argos don't count, we are talking about professional sports, not semi-pro. I don't mean that as a slight against CFL fans either.

Agreed Argo's do not count... 5 or 6 team league?

 

[cabber24]

One thing is clear: TML does not have enough skill at face-offs. Number one weakness on the team is at centre ice. It is **intolerable** to continue with this key deficiency.

Are they just that bad or is Boston just really good? The Leafs regular season faceoff stats were not that bad.

 

[Kin]

One thing is clear: TML does not have enough skill at face-offs. Number one weakness on the team is at centre ice. It is **intolerable** to continue with this key deficiency.

Are they just that bad or is Boston just really good? The Leafs regular season playoff stats were not that bad.

It's a combination of the two, I think. Boston was #1 in the league but Toronto's relatively good numbers are a little misleading in as much as a ton of it comes from Bozak who took the second most face-offs in the entire league. Without Bozak, they're really going to suffer on the draw and being as Bozak isn't a definite to return/susceptible to injury there does need to improvement throughout the roster on the draw.

 

[Derk]

I think the last big Leafs meltdown that stuck with the team (and more precisely, with the trolls who enjoyed sticking it to Leaf fans) was "6 shots".

Sometimes it is how you lose, and that is why this one will stick for a while.

 

[Redleaf]

I think the last big Leafs meltdown that stuck with the team (and more precisely, with the trolls who enjoyed sticking it to Leaf fans) was "6 shots".

Sometimes it is how you lose, and that is why this one will stick for a while.

I agree this one will be around until they win a playoff series or longer, but I'm having an issue with it being a real important, long-lasting morale crusher.

1) I think the leafs could have bounced back from it if there was another game left in the series.

2) I think I'd rather know that the Leafs could compete and nearly beat the Bruins, than if they were swept or the Bruins won game seven 7-0, or something like that.

I think there really is one significant reason the collapse happened, and that was because this current team has never been on the verge of winning a playoff round, and their inexperience caught up with them at the most crucial time. My guess is that they were getting ahead of themselves, probably thinking about the next round, and just stopped working.

Having said that, I really believe they'll chaulk this up as a learning experience, use it as a catalyst, and learn to hold down the fort the next time they get into a similar situation.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I think the last big Leafs meltdown that stuck with the team (and more precisely, with the trolls who enjoyed sticking it to Leaf fans) was "6 shots".

Sometimes it is how you lose, and that is why this one will stick for a while.

The team came with 2 wins of the Finals 2 seasons later.  Not sure how much that stuck with them in any negative way.

 

[Derk]

I think the last big Leafs meltdown that stuck with the team (and more precisely, with the trolls who enjoyed sticking it to Leaf fans) was "6 shots".

Sometimes it is how you lose, and that is why this one will stick for a while.

The team came with 2 wins of the Finals 2 seasons later.  Not sure how much that stuck with them in any negative way.

I don't remember how long it was, but I do remember that we heard the phrase "6 shots" A LOT for the next few years - reminded of it over and over - making it to the semis certainly helped mitigate it, but it still popped out.

 

[Corn Flake]

I think the last big Leafs meltdown that stuck with the team (and more precisely, with the trolls who enjoyed sticking it to Leaf fans) was "6 shots".

Sometimes it is how you lose, and that is why this one will stick for a while.

The team came with 2 wins of the Finals 2 seasons later.  Not sure how much that stuck with them in any negative way.

I don't remember how long it was, but I do remember that we heard the phrase "6 shots" A LOT for the next few years - reminded of it over and over - making it to the semis certainly helped mitigate it, but it still popped out.

I think the point is.. while it haunted us as fans for a long time, it didn't haunt the players. They overcame it.