The Leafs

IT’S DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT EXACTLY THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS WILL BE CELEBRATING TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE AIR CANADA CENTER…
16 PLAYERS FROM THE 1967 STANLEY CUP TEAM WILL BE HONORED…
AS YOU MAY KNOW…THIS SPRING WILL MARK THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAST TIME THE LEAFS WON IT ALL…
ON ONE HAND IT WILL BE NICE TO PLAYERS SUCH AS FRANK MAHOVLICH…EDDIE SHACK AND JOHNNY BOWER…
BUT AT THE SAME TIME IS THIS NOT THROWING MORE SALT INTO A VERY OLD WOUND???
NO TEAM IN THE NHL HAS SUFFERED A LONGER DROUGHT FROM GOING TO THE FINAL THAN THE LEAFS…
AND ONLY THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS HAVE GONE LONGER BETWEEN CHAMPIONSHIPS…
FOLLOWING THE FINAL IN 67 THE NHL EXPANDED TO 12 TEAMS…
OVER THE NEXT 4 DECADES A TOTAL OF 17 DIFFERENT EXPANSION TEAMS HAVE GONE TO THE FINAL FOR A TOTAL OF 48 TIMES…
THAT INCLUDING THE CANUCKS…WHO HAVE GONE TWICE…
10 OF THOSE EXANSION TEAMS HAVE GONE ONTO WIN THE CUP A TOTAL OF 22 TIMES…
OF THE ORIGINAL 6…THE LEAFS ARE THE ONLY FRANCHISE WHICH HAS NOT BEEN TO AT LEAST ONE CUP FINAL IN THE LAST 40 YEARS…
HOW LONG AS IT BEEN???
WELL THE FINAL GAME OF THAT SERIES WITH MONTREAL WAS SHOWN ON HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA IN BLACK AND WHITE…
IN 1967…THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA WAS LESTER B. PEARSON…
PAMELA ANDERSON…ANNA NICOLE SMITH…AND JAMIE FOXX WERE BORN…
THE BEATLES RELEASEED SGT. PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND…
MUHAMMAD ALI REFUSED THE DRAFT…
AND ELVIS AND PRISCILLA WERE MARRIED…
THAT’S HOW LONG IT’S BEEN…
4 GENERATIONS OF LEAF FANS HAVE GROWN UP WITHOUT EVER EXPERIENCING THE JOY OF WATCHING THEIR TEAM PLAY IN A STANLEY CUP FINAL…
YES IT WILL BE EMOTIONAL ON TOMORROW NIGHT IN TORONTO…
BUT FOR THE REST OF US IN CANADA…THE ONLY TEARS…WILL BE CROCODILE TEARS…