Toronto Maple Leafs tickets may not be the same in 2005-06. Or then again they may be better. When the Leafs sent Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk packing, and Brian Leetch was allowed to lave for Boston, Leafs fans threw a fit. Things calmed down when the Leafs made some major moves to replace their talent, adding Alexander Khavanov, Jason Allison, and Eric Lindros. Is it enough? Fans will have to wait and see but one thing's for sure: The Air Canada Centre and Toronto Maple Leafs tickets will be one of the must have NHL tickets in the new year.
Toronto Maple Leafs history features 13 Stanley Cup Championships between 1918 and 1967, the result of appearing in the Stanley Cup Finals 21 times in the same period. 64 playoff appearance through 2004 and 5 trips to the Conference Finals since 1968 are also a part of the Maple Leafs winning tradition. The Maple Leafs were most impressive from 1962 to 1963, a period in which they won the Stanley Cup three straight years.
The Maple Leafs put together a 39-19-12 record in 1961-62 to finish in 2nd place. It took 6 games for Ottawa to get past a tenacious New York Rangers squad but they managed to do it in 6 games. The Chicago Blackhawks managed to hold out for 6 games but the Maple Leafs ended things with a 2-1 win in Chicago to claim the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1951. The 1962-63 season ended with Toronto compiling a 35-23-12 record to advance into the NHL playoffs. The Maple Leafs faced a tough series with the Montreal Canadiens and managed to slip away with the series after 7 hard fought games. The Maple Leafs grabbed a Stanley Cup with a 5 game Finals contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Toronto finished their 3 year championship streak in 1964 with a Stanley Cup Finals win over the Detroit Red Wings.
More recently, the Toronto Maple Leafs put together a playoff appearance in 2004. Facing the Ottawa Senators in the first round, Toronto came back to even the series at 2-2, then fell back on the talents of goalie Eddie Belfour, who blocked 21 shots in Game 5 to give the Maple Leafs a 2-0 win. After Washington rallied to claim Game 6, Toronto came back with a 4-0 triumph to move on. The Philadelphia Flyers claimed the first 2 games in the next series before Toronto claimed 2 of their own to even things up. It was a last gasp effort though, and the Flyers eliminated the Maple Leafs with victories in the next pair of games.
Toronto Maple Leafs ticket holders know one thing: Mats Sundin will lead the offense. Sundin has made his mark in Leafs history and he'll be the man for years to come. In 2003-04, Sundin notched 31 goals and 44 assists in the regular season, then added another 4 goals and 5 assists in the playoffs. On the other end, Eddie Belfour has made his mark too. The aging Belfour though, will have to recover from his back injury if the Leafs are to challenge for a Stanley Cup. If this pair of wizened veterans can hang tough, Toronto Maple Leafs tickets will disappear like a slap shot. |
