The Toronto Maple Leafs are without doubt the most pathetic franchise in the NHL. Their useless model is to be bad enough never to go far in the play-offs, but not bad enough to collect a high draft choice.
The Leafs won the Stanley Cup in 1967 but things have been a bit slow since then. The fans rarely get a chance to stop bellyaching and, instead, to feel good about their mediocrity-defining team.
So let us note that the Leafs had a very good day last week. Not only did they beat a far better team, the Boston Bruins, by 6-1 last Wednesday, they drove the rival goalie from the net.
That would be Tuukka Rask, who helped the Bruins win the Cup in 2011 and was, at one time, a Leaf. But in one of their many dumb-and-dumber moves, the Leafs traded him to Boston for the not-so-good Andrew Raycroft, also a goalie, in 2006. It later emerged that the Bruins were planning on releasing Raycroft, anyhow, so the Leafs could have picked him up for peanuts.
Rask is one of the league’s best goalies, even if he stank in last Wednesday’s game.
The Leafs let him go because they believed they had their goaltender of the future in young Justin Pogge, who had played well in international competitions. Alas, that was as good as Pogge got while wearing a Maple Leaf.
As for Toronto’s Leafs, they resumed their regular programming on Saturday, losing 6-2 to this year’s worst team, the Buffalo Sabres, who at least should get a high draft choice as their reward.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
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