Jack Todd: We should feel sorry for the Leafs and their fans, eh?
Jack Todd #JackTodd
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Despite all the Hogtown hoo-haw, the team consistently comes up small when it matters most.
Author of the article:
Jack Todd • Special to Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:
May 15, 2022 • May 15, 2022 • 4 minute read • 127 Comments 
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul (20) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Photo by Dan Hamilton /USA TODAY Sports Article content
Once again, the Canadiens owned the Maple Leafs in the month of May.
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This time, it wasn’t quite as obvious. But when the Leafs did their predictable fold and were bounced from the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night, the golden moment came a couple of weeks short of a full year since the Habs did the world a similar favour, coming back from a 3-to-1 deficit to win three straight against Toronto.
This year, the Canadiens won the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery the same week the Leafs broke out the golf clubs.
Sweet.
By rights, we ought to feel sorry for the Maple Leafs and their fans. It has been 55 years since they last won the Stanley Cup. They haven’t escaped the first round since 2004. Despite all the Hogtown hoo-haw, they consistently come up small when it matters most.
Coach Sheldon Keefe’s comment that the Leafs “got a lot of respect in the handshake line from that team” is a new low, even for an organization that excels at setting the bar low. Even the sycophantic Toronto media had a tough time swallowing that one.
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Meanwhile, Leaf fans and their media brag. They boast. They sneer. They pound their chests and act as though the country’s other six teams are the Washington Generals.
And they lose. Once again, the Leafs and mixed blessing Auston Matthews have an early date on the first tee.
It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch: The reward for a catastrophic Canadiens season is that coveted No. 1 pick — a pick that will be far more coveted next season when Connor Bedard is expected to be that “generational” talent every team wants.
A good time to remember the 2000 entry draft, when bumbling Islanders GM Mike Milbury chose goalie Rick DiPietro with the first pick, just ahead of Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik. A while later, the rival New York Rangers plucked a goaltender out of the seventh round with the 205th pick — a chap named Henrik Lundqvist.
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That is not to suggest that the Canadiens might go so disastrously wrong, but the draft is an uncertain process and if recent seasons are any indication, the best player in the draft is often lurking somewhere behind the top rung.
We’re all painfully familiar with the 2018 draft, when the Canadiens used the No. 3 pick to draft Jesperi Kotkaniemi, most recently seen justifying the $6.1-million contract he’s on this year and the $38.56-million, eight-year deal the Canes handed him by putting up zero goals, zero assists and a minus-4 in the first round of the playoffs for Carolina.
With the wisdom of hindsight, the Canadiens could have done better by drafting Brady Tkachuk or Quinn Hughes.
Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes know well that the top pick can be a blessing or a curse — or something in between. This draft, coming so early in their tenure, will determine much of how their work will be judged for a decade and more.
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If Shane Wright really is the next Patrice Bergeron, they can’t go far wrong. But this year of all years, there’s a good possibility the best pick is farther down the chart.
Every taxi driver, beautician and dentist in Montreal has an opinion on this pick, but I’m sitting this one out. Penance for backing the Kotkaniemi pick. Just don’t draft a Rick DiPietro or a Nail Yakupov, fellas, and we’re cool.
CF Montréal defender Alistair Johnston (22) celebrates with midfielder Djordje Mihailovic (8) and defender Rudy Camacho (4) after scoring a goal in the second half at Bank of America Stadium on May 14, 2022. Photo by Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Rolling, rolling, rolling: Don’t look now, but CF Montréal is atop the chart in the Eastern Conference of MLS with six wins, two draws and 20 points. The club has three losses on the season — all in the first three games.
This isn’t your father’s Montreal Impact, with one massive star like Didier Drogba or Ignacio Piatti — and that’s a good thing. CF Montréal is well-coached by Wilfried Nancy and the team has relentless star Djordje Mihailovic among multiple scoring operations.
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How far can they go? It’s early days, but CF Montréal looks deep and organized — and they can win on the road, which might be crucial. At the very least, the club is a bona fide contender. You can’t ask for more.
They wouldn’t, would they? If there’s one league on the continent that can’t afford a lengthy labour stoppage, it’s the CFL. I’m squarely on the side of the players in this one — no one in the CFL is like James Harden, who flopped for the 76ers this year while earning US$41 million.
But this must be settled and quickly. The pandemic was a real body blow to the CFL, a gate-driven league. This is not the time to quarrel over the pie.
Heroes: Nick Paul, lottery luck, Connor McDavid, Djordje Mahailovic, Wilfried Nancy, Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Diamond DeShields &&&& last but not least, WNBA star Brittney Griner, still held hostage in Russia.
Zeros: The Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Kyle Dubas, Sheldon Keefe, Alexander Ovechkin, James Harden, Dillon Brooks, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and forever.
jacktodd46@outlook.com
twitter.com/jacktodd46
Maple Leafs give their all, but fall short again, losing Game 7 against Lightning 
Squad depth a key factor in CF Montréal’s eight-game undefeated run Share this article in your social network Advertisement 1
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