Written by: Mikaela Consales

Photo by Claus Andersen on Getty Images 

On April 29th, 2023, the Toronto Maple Leafs won the first round of the playoff series, for the first time since 2004. That’s right – 19 years since the Leafs have advanced to the second round. To say this has been well overdue, is simply an understatement. 

The last time the Leafs made it to round two in 2004, they defeated the Ottawa Senators in 7 games. Ever since then, the Leafs have had no luck whatsoever to make it out of the first round. Some will say that they have been ‘cursed’, following continuous failure year after year, ultimately leaving fans disappointed every time. 

As the years passed, their failures have sparked great controversies across the whole hockey world, making the whole team essentially a joke and only fueling their Stanley Cup drought. Despite the ongoing letdowns, Leaf fans couldn’t help putting on a jersey and watching every year. 

After many years of hearing “this is our year”, the Leafs Nations’ hopes finally came true and quite the battle is was. Having to get through the Tampa Bay Lightning first round was anything but easy. In game one, the Leafs took a hard loss of 7-3, which was not a very settling start for fans. However, by game four the Leafs changed the tone of the game, not only taking the series lead of 3-1, but with two of the three games being overtime win’s. Leaf fans will truly know how nerve-wracking OT games are and the fact that they happen to pull it off twice, is truly incredible. At this point fans had extraordinary belief that this would be the year and they were proved right in game six.

This slow, nail-biting game put the whole hockey world on edge. Auston Matthews putting the first goal on the board late in the second period, assured fans that Tampa didn’t stand a chance. By the third period, Tampa’s Captain Steven Stamkos took charge, scoring off the rebound,  forcing the game to the third overtime of the series. This was it – one more goal for Toronto and the curse would be broken. The pressure was on and it was anyone’s game, but Toronto ended up coming out on top, with Captain John Tavarus’s goal which rebounded off Tampa’s Raddysh’s skate and into the net. Leaf fans were finally right – this year was the year. 

What a crazy series this truly was but the battle for the cup has just begun. The Leafs lost game one of round two last night, against the Florida Panthers 4-2. There are many games ahead which they will have to prove their skill in, if they want to win. With Leaf Nation and all of Toronto cheering them on, all odds are out and who knows; perhaps Stanley will spend her summer in Toronto.

Works Cited

“NHL Game 6 Highlights | Maple Leafs vs. Lightning – April 29, 2023.” YouTube, 30 April 2023, https://youtu.be/zKA8l02Fe8E. Accessed 3 May 2023.

“2004 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Summary.” Hockey-Reference.com, https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2004.html. Accessed 3 May 2023.