Matthews’ 70-Goal Attempt Is Familiar Story for Maple Leafs Fans

Of course, he did not score and finished the season with 69 goals. That means he’s in a smaller elite group than he would have been if he had scored. Matthews is the third player in NHL history to end a regular season by scoring 69 goals. Mike Bossy was the first to do it in 1978-79. Mario Lemieux did it twice, in 1992-93 and 1995-96. In Bossy’s case, 69 was the most goals he scored in a season. He scored 68 goals in 1980-81, but he never hit the 70-goal mark. Lemieux, on the other hand, had already scored 85 goals in 1988-89, so 69 goals in a couple of seasons was probably more disappointing for him. 

But 70 goals in today’s NHL, with goalies twice the size in their current state-of-the-art equipment and with video and personal coaches, is quite different than 30 years ago. Matthews’ accomplishment would have been huge. Heck, 69 goals in today’s game is amazing; it just isn’t 70.  

Matthews’ Failure Brings Up History for Old Maple Leafs Fans

For some reason, Matthews’s failure to reach 70 hit us just as hard, if not harder, than the succession of failures this team has had over the past two decades. Looking back, few of us were truly aware of what was going on in 2004 when the NHL and the NHLPA were in a standoff over creating a league salary cap. We never knew just how profound an effect that event would have on our beloved Maple Leafs. 

The team had a resurgence in the 1990s and the early 2000s following Harold Ballard’s death in 1990. They were a bad call away from going to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 and had a couple of bad seasons between 1996 and 1998 but were one of the best teams in the league from 1989-90 to 2004. They built their success not on having a successful farm system but on paying big bucks to proven NHLers who were just past their prime but had winning histories. It was a formula that worked to the point where deep playoff runs became the norm.  

Yet, the Maple Leafs were never able to get over the hump of getting to the Stanley Cup Final, let alone winning it. They always seemed to run out of gas or healthy bodies at some point during the postseason. But at least we, as fans, could depend on them making the playoffs, winning a few rounds, and giving us some enjoyment beyond the regular season. 

Then came the disastrous salary cap. 

The Salary Cap Changed Life for the Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs were the worst-prepared team for the salary cap. The organization was so sure the league would fail to win that battle that it continued business as usual in the 2004 offseason. They signed several of their overpaid, slightly over-the-hill players to big extensions.

The league dug its heels in the sand. They forfeited the 2004-05 season to hold firm on their demand for a hard cap. Finally, the NHLPA capitulated, and a hard salary cap became a reality, much to the dismay of the Maple Leafs. To make matters worse, the 2005-06 season cap was set at a measly $39 million for the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs had $62.5 million committed to players on the day that number was announced. They were a whopping $23.5 million – or 60% – over the cap. 

The Maple Leafs were forced to dismantle the team they had built. To make matters worse, they did not have a functional farm system to fall back on. They had an American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the St. John’s Maple Leafs. However, they had shipped most of their draft choices and good prospects to other teams over the years to gain more experienced players. 

The team decided to move their AHL franchise to Toronto, thus birthing the present version of the Marlies. However, the team had no experience running a proper farm system or developing players. Getting some semblance of a functioning farm system took years and several resets.

The Maple Leafs Went Through a Long Drought

What followed was the longest playoff drought in the history of the franchise. After making the postseason for the previous six seasons and 10 of the previous 12, the Maple Leafs would fail to make the playoffs for seven straight seasons. They finally squeaked into the postseason in 2013. And, after going down three games to one to the Boston Bruins, the Maple Leafs won two games to force a Game 7. For older Maple Leafs fans, that last game is still etched in our minds. They blew a 4-1 lead and lost 5-4 in overtime. 

But we left that season with the promise of a whole new era opening up for the Maple Leafs. This was a team built on “pugnacity, testosterone, truculence, and belligerence” to quote GM Brian Burke. 

There was one little flaw in that whole idea. The Ontario Teachers Union had just taken over the ownership of the team. They did not think recreating the Broad Street Bullies and resorting to violence to win hockey games was a good look for their shiny new toy. After a preseason that featured a brawl between the Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres, the team did a complete about-face. The whole concept was tossed in the dumpster, and the team was forced to rebuild itself again. It was back to the basement for the Buds. 

Fortunately, Toronto Hit the NHL Draft Jackpot, But Then …

Then Toronto hit the NHL draft jackpot. After picking up William Nylander with their 2014 first-round pick and Mitch Marner in 2015, the Maple Leafs won the Draft Lottery and used it to pick Matthews. 

Then, in the euphoria of the moment, Toronto also signed Superstar UFA, Toronto boy, and lifetime Maple Leaf fan John Tavares to a multi-year deal. Seemingly overnight, the Maple Leafs had one of the most talented top-end teams in the league. It cost a good chunk of their salary cap to keep the players, but as the future cap rose, the organization had the opportunity to build a good team around them. 

But hold on. There’s a world beyond hockey, and it rose to quash the Maple Leafs’ grand plans. Specifically, we all faced this thing called a worldwide pandemic. Once again, the Maple Leafs were dealt an extremely bad blow caused by another league shutdown. First, there are no games. Then, the games were held in a fixed location with no fans. Eventually, teams played in their venues without fans in attendance.

All in all, the NHL lost millions of dollars. As a result, the potential cap space the Maple Leafs were looking forward to using was not there. The salary cap froze at the same level it was when the team signed all their core players for three years and rose at a fraction of what it usually would for two more years. 

Thus, we are stuck in this cycle of the Maple Leafs being a good enough team to make the postseason and take each series to the maximum number of games. Yet, they are not quite good enough to get past the first round.  

Finally, in 2023, Toronto slayed the demon and beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to advance to Round 2 of the playoffs. What do they get for their reward? The right to face a team that just finished the best regular season in league history. Their loss in five games to the Florida Panthers felt worse than if they would have lost once again in the first round. 

Back to Matthews’ Failed 70-Goal Quest

That brings us back to Game 82 of this season—Matthews did not score his 70th goal. To add insult to injury, Nikita Kucherov reached his own milestone quest by gaining his 100th assist of the season.  

It’s funny. When Tavares scored with 35 seconds left in the game, he did it with a one-timer from the spot usually occupied by Matthews. For a second, it looked as if Matthews had scored. Rather than feeling elation over it, we just felt relief. Then, we realized it wasn’t Matthews who fired the shot. He was in front of the net. 

We begged the hockey gods that the puck went in off of Matthews’ stick, his head, his rear, any part of him. Just, please be his goal. Our prayers went unanswered. 

Tavares’ goal was not Matthews’ goal. Instead, it was just one more frustration on a list that goes back 20 years (and more).

All Is Not Lost: Maple Leafs Fans Hope Springs Eternal

But all is not lost. The hope of Maple Leafs fans springs eternal. Due to the unforeseen circumstances of the Bruins losing their last two games of the season, the Maple Leafs have the opportunity to avenge the past losses to Boston. (Was it on purpose so they could play Toronto? We can only hope.)

It would be fitting for the Maple Leafs to slay two past demons, smite the Big Bad Bruins once and for all, and then get past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  

We’ve had enough of frustration. Give us a reason to rejoice. Please!

[Note: I want to especially thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. His memories of the Maple Leafs’ history were key to this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]