Sympathy cards are again in season for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who every spring see their Leafs fall in the most excruciating ways. The yearly anguish must weigh on them terribly, unless by now they're numb to it.
You get punched in the face often enough, it's just part of your routine, I suppose. Get up, make coffee, watch the Leafs choke again. That sort of thing.
This time it was two-time champion Tampa Bay who punched out the Leafs, winning Game 7 in Toronto. The Leafs had a 3-games-to-2 lead in the series, because of course they did. They blew a 3-2 lead in Game 6 and lost in overtime, because of course they did. Then they lost 2-1 in Game 7 thanks to two goals by Tampa's Nick Paul, who had never before scored a playoff goal.
Because of course they did.
The Leafs are now 0-for-5 in close-out games across the last two seasons. Last year they blew a 3-games-to-1 lead to the Montreal Canadiens, who won in seven games.
I'm not a betting man, but I bet by this time every Leafs fan k-new in his or her heart that their boys were going to blow it again when they won Game 5 to go up 3-2 in the series. Only the details remained unwritten.
But, hey. Last I looked, the Blue Jays were a game over .500. So folks in Toronto have that going for 'em.
No comments:
Post a Comment