Leafs' series against Capitals shines light on Toronto's bright future
Narrow 1st-round loss shows young team is on right track
Within about 10 seconds of the scoring of the goal that squashed their dreams, the sheer disappointment of the enthusiastic crowd that had just witnessed its team lose in overtime at Air Canada Centre abruptly turned to cheers. It was like somebody hit a switch.
The fans get it. Their enthusiastic support of a team that had just suffered a heartbreaking defeat was a tribute to management's patient approach to producing a winning formula.
In a city where, for so many years it was incorrectly stated that hockey fans would never tolerate a rebuild, the Toronto Maple Leafs are proving that to be utter nonsense.
Nobody knows that better than Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who signed an eight-year contract May 20, 2015, and said from the get-go there would be growing pains.
"I think we have had great growth of our team," Babcock said following a 2-1 over loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. "It has been an exciting year. If you are not from Toronto and you come to Toronto, you have no idea how spectacular it is. From the media coverage to the fan base to the love of the team, it's like nothing you have ever seen.
"If you are a good player and you like winning, this is the best place you could ever play. I've never seen anything like it; it's fantastic. Now we have to have a team to match that opportunity."
Making the playoffs is an achievement
Making the playoffs this season – in the second year of the rebuild – was huge. Moving forward, the kids that are the solid foundation of what team president Brendan Shanahan envisions to be a championship team in the making have nothing to fear.
The Maple Leafs have been to the dance. They know what the post-season is all about. And they threw a heck of a scare into the Capitals, winner of the Presidents' Trophy for topping the league. The Leafs lost the best-of-seven series 4-2, but took the Caps to overtime in five of the six games.
Babcock said having the opportunity to lose to a great team like the Capitals should pay dividends.
"From our perspective we got to play a really good team, a really well-coached team with real good players," he said. "We got to find out where we're at and where our players are at. Until you have been through the playoffs with players you really don't know the level of the player you have so you learn a lot about your team. I'm really proud of our guys. Our young guys are good."
Few gave the Maple Leafs much of a chance to make the playoffs at the start of the season, but Toronto prevailed.
Washington goaltender Braden Holtby acknowledged the push the Maple Leafs gave his team in the opening round.
"They have young legs and they play a good, structured game," Holtby said. "They have a deep lineup and their forwards come at you. They gave us everything and it was a great series – all the credit to them."
'They have a very good future'
Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin also had some kind words for the upstart Maple Leafs.
"Give them credit," Ovechkin said. "They battled hard. They are a young team, but they are strong. They have a very good future. They have good young players and they will be successful in the next couple of years."
The top building block, of course, is centre Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft who is the odds-on favourite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year following a 40-goal, 69-point season. Chipping in four goals and five points in six playoff games won't hurt his reputation.
Matthews doesn't generally wear his emotions on his sleeve, but he looked quite perturbed after his team was eliminated.
"Yeah, it's not the best feeling, but I think we gave it our all I think we left it all on the ice," Matthews said. "Every one of us is proud of each other and I think we have a bright future."
Toronto is the third of five Canadian-based teams to be eliminated from the opening round, joining the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames. The Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers have advanced to Round 2.
"I think we definitely turned a lot of heads from where we were to where we are now," Matthews said. "We definitely want to be in the same situation next year, but hopefully with a different outcome."
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