Tom Mayenknecht: Leafs and Knicks are big brands with small success
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The Leafs shared the limelight with the Knicks in the mid-1990s, last making the eastern conference finals of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs in 1994. Their last Stanley Cup victory at the end of the Original Six era in 1967 has become the stuff of legend. That was 57 years ago. And that's where the two storied teams went on divergent paths this past week. The Knicks eliminated the defending Larry O'Brien Trophy holders — the Boston Celtics — to reach this week's eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. That keeps them alive for a chance to win their first championship in 52 years. And the television numbers will reflect that potential.
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The Leafs were in a similar position, playing against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in an eastern conference final that saw them an overtime goal away from a 3-0 best-of-seven series lead. That's where the Leafs took a wrong turn. And yet again, they are empty-handed after another missed opportunity for the core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. The Game 7 loss last Sunday night effectively closed the door on the Brendan Shanahan era and a team presidency that goes back 11 years. It isn't what the scriptwriters were looking for in the rebuild of the mid-2010s. All that's for sure is that there are more questions than answers in Toronto this week. And it's over to the Edmonton Oilers as Canada's last chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993.
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