Former Leaf gives his thoughts on the Leafs following Game 7 loss to Bolts
Well, it's Groundhog Day, again. The Leafs lost a series deciding game for the 6th year running. Regardless of the fact that the result was the same, it felt different. It was different. The Leafs didn't back down from the challenge. They didn't blow it. In fact, they stepped up and played their hearts out. We all know how it ended, but this year's Leafs team has a lot more reason to hold their heads high after the effort they put forth over the 7-game series. Tampa has an incredible hockey team, you don't win 9 straight playoff rounds without being an incredible hockey team. To simply say the Leafs blew it again is both lazy and untrue.
Former Leaf Peter Holland was clearly of the same opinion watching the game and he took to Twitter to share his thoughts on it.
I, like Peter, am proud of the effort our boys in blue put forward all season, but especially in this series. There was no shortage of effort, no drop off in quality of play. Game 7 was a fantastic hockey game. It's difficult not to wonder what could have been had John Tavares' goal counted, or if the interference that led to both Nick Paul goals was called. We'll never know. Having said that, to lay the loss at the feet of the officials isn't a great way to look at it either. Both teams got away with calls. Tampa took advantage of theirs, and that's what great hockey teams do. Capitalize on opportunities.
It will be interesting to see how this season is handled by everyone from upper management down to the coaching staff. On its own, this series definitely doesn't justify tearing things down or firing anyone. But after 6 straight exits in the first round, Larry Tanenbaum and the rest of the MLSE board of directors could be running low on patience. I still believe in this core. This year's playoffs were the test, and in my eyes, they passed it. They outplayed the Lightning, in large, and just did not get the desired result.
