Tag: Toronto Maple Leafs

The pink Stanley cup craze led to so many NHL jokes about Canada and the Maple Leafs

NHL fans are roasting Canada and the Maple Leafs as the pink Stanley cup craze went viral.

We’ve explained to you the craze over the pink Stanley cups everyone is lining up to buy at Target, but we mentioned in there that there’s a very large difference between the 40-ounce limited-edition Stanley cup and the much larger Stanley Cup that’s awarded to the NHL’s champion every year.

But of course when there’s something that shares a name even if it’s a cup versus a Cup, you know the jokes are going to be everywhere.

The theme here? Ragging on Canada and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The entire nation hasn’t had a Stanley Cup winner since 1993 (when the Montreal Canadiens won) and the Leafs haven’t hoisted one since 1967.

So … here you go. So many jokes:

Ouch.

 

 

 

 

Hockey fans were speechless after the Maple Leafs discovered a new, excruciating way to lose

Only the Maple Leafs would lose after a five-goal third period comeback.

The Toronto Maple Leafs really know how to put their fans through the wringer.

After years of playoff disappointments, you’d think Maple Leafs fans would be used to the epic highs and lows of Toronto hockey by now. And yet, on Thursday, the Maple Leafs found a new, agonizing way to lose a hockey game.

Headed into the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Maple Leafs were down 5-0 after actively being booed off the ice by their fans. Things weren’t looking great for the Maple Leafs when suddenly, the team started to wake up. Goals from William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Jake McCabe, and Auston Matthews quickly cut the Blue Jackets lead to 5-4.

And then, with less than a minute left in the third, Matthews tied the game 5-5 to send it to overtime!!

But unfortunately, even though the Maple Leafs got themselves back in the game to force a miraculous overtime, the Blue Jackets stole the win in the extra time off Kent Johnson’s tally.

That right there is the Maple Leafs experience in a nutshell. Absolute agony as they dig themselves into a hole, a spark of hope as they make an inexplicable comeback, then back to misery as they lose.

At least this was a regular season game — where the Maple Leafs got a point in the standings no less! — and not in the playoffs. Silver linings, perhaps?

NHL fans, on the other hand, were stunned at this latest catastrophic Maple Leafs loss after engineering a five-goal third period comeback.

Watch: Former Notre Dame forward Jake Evans scores on breakaway

Nothing was going to stop him on this.

Former Notre Dame forward [autotag]Jake Evans[/autotag] had a rough 2022-23 season, missing over two months with an injury. He didn’t score after coming back, meaning his last goal of the season came Jan. 12. The new season already appears promising though.

Evans’ Montreal Canadiens played their first game of the year against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Early in the first period, he pounced on a turnover by TJ Brodie and had an easy breakaway. Despite the Leafs’ attempts to stop him, it was too little too late as he finished in front of the crease:

As exciting as the moment was for Evans, it proved to be a footnote in the game. Auston Matthews scored a hat trick, which included his 300th career goal to make him the fastest U.S.-born player to achieve that milestone. However, it took a shootout for the Leafs to defeat the Habs, 6-5.

While surely a disappointing outcome for Evans and his teammates, he at least has to be encouraged by this particular play. Here’s hoping he has many more of those over the next several months.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen had a thrilled on-stage reaction after learning the Maple Leafs won

The Force is strong with this Maple Leafs reaction from Toronto fan Hayden Christensen.

Star Wars and Shattered Glass actor Hayden Christensen got the most welcomed surprise during an appearance at the Calgary Expo on Saturday.

Christensen, who earned global notoriety for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the Star Wars prequels, is from Canada and has been a Toronto Maple Leafs fan for quite some time.

As the Leafs made history by advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years, a fan shouted out the result to Christensen while he was on stage doing a Q-&-A.

Sporting a Maple Leafs cap, he promptly stood up and looked absolutely delighted as he cheered for the news.

Toronto hasn’t advanced in a playoff series since 2004, back when Christensen was still actively playing Anakin Skywalker.

As you can imagine, Maple Leafs fans are jubilant for their historic series victory, and Christensen joins his fellow Canadians in celebrating the massive achievement.

The radio call of John Tavares’ game-winning goal for the Maple Leafs will give you goosebumps

The radio call for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ seismic series win on Saturday is everything.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made history on Saturday night as the team advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Leafs forward John Tavares knocked in the series-winning goal in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road, which naturally sent the Toronto bench and players into a celebratory frenzy.

It’s just the best thing in the world to see a long-suffering team like the Maple Leafs finally get over the playoff hump after such a drought. The call on Maple Leafs radio exclaimed those extremely joyous feelings as good as anyone.

Like, how can you not love that? The thrill of hard-fought victory is exciting enough in the playoffs of any sport, but this radio call sums up the nearly two decades it’s taken for the Maple Leafs to get back into hockey’s good graces.

While Toronto still has a formidable road ahead of it to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, the Leafs are going to soak in this franchise-altering series win for quite some time.

The 9 most electric photos from the Maple Leafs’ cathartic first round victory celebrations

A celebration 19 years in the making for the Maple Leafs and fans!

You can forgive the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans for these rambunctious celebrations, considering it’s been nearly two decades since their last playoff series win.

In Game 6 on Saturday, the Maple Leafs bested the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime on John Tavares’ series-winning goal. The Maple Leafs last advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2004 and now, after years of heartbreak and disappointments, the dream has come true.

Seriously, the scenes coming out of Toronto right now are something else. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup! But no, this is what nearly two decades of back-breaking playoff losses do to a franchise and let me tell you, it’s glorious to see the catharsis.

All that celebrating from players and fans alike definitely have made for an unforgettable moment. Here are the nine best photos from the Maple Leafs incredible first round victory celebrations.

The Maple Leafs won their first playoff series in 19 years and fans went absolutely wild

The curse is finally broken, Toronto!

This is a day Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been waiting to see for nearly two decades.

On Saturday, the Maple Leafs bested the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. John Tavares scored the overtime winner for the Maple Leafs after Tampa Bay tied the game up early on in the third period.

After going up 3-1 in the series, the Maple Leafs allowed the Lightning to bring the series back to Tampa Bay for one more game. Thankfully for Maple Leafs fans, the team finally closed out a playoff series with a gritty victory for the first time in 19 years thanks to Tavares’ stunning overtime winner.

Talk about a moment many, many years of playoff disappointments in the making! For years, the Maple Leafs have failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, with many a Game 7 loss to their name. Now, however, the team gets to play a new slate of playoff hockey with the weight of the world off their shoulders.

And clearly, it meant a lot to the team, as here’s how general manager Kyle Dubas reacted to the victory.

Plus, Maple Leafs radio went wild, as expected.

Here’s how Maple Leafs fans reacted on Twitter after the historic and cathartic victory.

A Leafs fan absolutely losing his mind with joy after Toronto’s stunning 4-1 comeback was so relatable

He was so happy, he literally couldn’t contain himself!

After years of torment, the Toronto Maple Leafs look like they’re finally exorcising their playoff demons.

On the road Monday night, Toronto fell behind 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It eventually came back to win the game 5-4 in overtime to take a 3-1 series lead. And everyone referenced the same famous Maple Leafs’ playoff collapse nearly a decade ago to the Boston Bruins.

After the game, a fan near the ice was caught on video trying (emphasis: trying) to have a conversation on the phone. There was just one problem. He was too overwhelmed with joy about the Maple Leafs’ comeback to do anything but seemingly scream at the top of his lungs.

It was such a relatable moment for anyone who’s seen their team win like this in stunning fashion.

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Toronto is now one win away from its first playoff series win in almost two decades. Call it a hunch, but this fan won’t be the only one overcome with happiness if the Maple Leafs finally get to the second round.

The Maple Leafs erased a 4-1 deficit in Game 4 to force OT and NHL fans all made the same joke

IT WAS 4-1!

The Toronto Maple Leafs will never be able to outrun the “it was 4-1” meme, but this moment against the Tampa Bay Lightning surely has to feel good.

On Monday, the Maple Leafs erased a 4-1 deficit in the third period of Game 4 to force overtime with the Lightning. Toronto was able to score three straight times in the third, with two goals from Auston Matthews and the tying tally from Morgan Rielly to drag themselves back into the fight.

In case you’ve forgotten — or are new to hockey — the Maple Leafs infamously experienced coughing up a three-goal lead of their own a decade ago. Back in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs lost a 4-1 lead to the Boston Bruins in Game 7, instantly spawning the “it was 4-1” meme that Toronto has never been able to shake.

But now, thanks to Rielly, the Maple Leafs finally invoked “it was 4-1” on someone else for a change!

Considering this is the first time the Maple Leafs rallied from three down since the 1993 playoffs, this has to be a moment of catharsis for Toronto fans.

As expected, NHL fans had so many jokes after the Maple Leafs climbed back from a 4-1 deficit in Game 4.

Auston Matthews instigated his first NHL fight with Steven Stamkos during tense Leafs win

This was such a shocking brawl, even if it was a tight playoff game.

Usually, when you think about Auston Matthews and Steven Stamkos, you think of the two forwards scoring electric goals. During the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the pair made headlines for a different reason.

They got into a fight that set off an all-out brawl in the early parts of the third period. For two players of this kind of offensive talent, it was a little jarring to see. Normally, a fight is started by a fourth-line “gritty” player trying to spark their team to a rally.

Not two of the best players on the ice, period.

Beyond how shocking it is to see Matthews and Stamkos fighting, their little battle made NHL history. They are the first two players in NHL history to each have a 60-goal season on their resume and duke it out.

Per ESPN, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe had a different opinion of the entire sequence.

“The fight, itself, that’s a classic example of a veteran championship team like Tampa Bay manipulating the officials and taking advantage of a situation, right.”

If Keefe was upset about the brawl, at least he and Matthews took home the most important result: A win and a 2-1 series lead.