the curse of the toronto maple leafs
04/29/2023the curse of the toronto maple leafs
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As many of you are probably very sadly aware, Thursday night marked a crushing defeat for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they lost by 2 points to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The loss would send their first-round playoff series back to Tampa for a forced game 6 (the results of which you will already know by the time this article is published). The final score was 4 - 2, but late in the third period, Toronto looked as though they could make a miraculous comeback.
In the third period with just over 3 minutes before the end of the game, the Leafs scored a defining goal, bringing the score from 3 - 1 to 3 - 2. The crowd went wild and a glimmer of hope seemed to shine through. However, with only 4 seconds to go, the Lightning widened their lead by scoring another goal, bringing us to the final score of 4 - 2, as mentioned. It was a disaster.
The Leafs haven’t been able to advance in the postseason since 2004. They were eliminated by the Lightning in seven games in the first round last year. With such a dismal track record, it’s no wonder they can never seem to win the Stanley Cup. But is there another reason for why the Maple Leafs always come up short, other sub-par player performances or unstoppable opponents? Maybe a curse that was set all the way back in 1967, the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, is to blame?
As “The Leafs Nation” puts it, GO Transit debuted for the first time in May of 1967, which could have symbolized the Leafs becoming a trainwreck. Or possibly Lester B. Pearson stepping down as Prime Minister and handing the leadership over to Pierre Elliott Trudeau is what cursed the Leafs? After all, since Pearson’s resignation, no Ontario serving Member of Parliament has led the country, mirroring the faltering of Ontario’s hockey teams.
However, a theory even further beyond belief has been circulating for decades that might just be so crazy that it could explain the apparent Toronto curse. Former Leafs player Larry Hillman is said to have put a curse on the team, known as the Hillman Hex, that ensured they would never win another Stanley Cup from the time he left the team - also in 1967.
Hillman was fined $2,400 (which considering the value of the Canadian dollar today converts to a penalty of just under $21,000) for “ a contract holdout” following the team’s historic win. Once he left the Leafs, Hillman said they would never win another cup until he was paid back the money with interest. For decades, many believed the Hillman Hex was the source of the Leafs curse - and for good reason - but relatively recent events beg the question of why Toronto has still been unable to bounce back.
Many may not be aware that Larry Hillman actually lifted his hex in 2017. Brendan Shanahan, the team’s President, paid him back the $2,400 plus fifty years of compound interest. Yet, the Leafs continued to lose. Much like the second act of a movie, we thought we found the solution, but perhaps the true cause of the curse plaguing the Toronto Maple Leafs for all this time will forever remain a mystery.
Only time will tell…
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WRITTEN BY: SARAH ROSENHEK
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