Leafs president Brendan Shanahan is flanked by MLSE CEO Keith Pelley, left, and Leafs GM Brad Treliving on Friday.
The dream is over, folks. Even Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan has lost faith in the Shanaplan- or, at least, in the players at the heart of it.
It was a little less than eight years ago that the Leafs, on an early season road trip in the rookie year of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, made a stop in Chicago, home of a Blackhawks team that had won the Stanley Cup in three of the previous seven seasons. And Mike Babcock, Shanahan's hand-picked coach at the time, allowed his imagination to wander.
"To be honest with you, I'm hoping we're a lot like Chicago was," Babcock said.
If it sounds delusional now, back then it didn't seem insane that a team built around Matthews and Marner could be the heirs to the cap-era dynasty Chicago built around Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Certainly Babcock, and his cohorts in the Leafs organization, saw similarities. And, hey, the Leafs were a playoff team in the rookie year of Matthews and Marner. The Toews-Kane Blackhawks didn't make the post-season in
heir first season together.
"They've had a real good run here," Babcock said of the Blackhawks, "So we'd like to have a real good run. We've got lots of kids and we're learning how to play, just like they were."
This story is from the May 11, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 11, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A perfect fit
Meet the Toronto tailor to the stars who ensured Nicola Coughlan's look was ready for the red carpet
Justin Trudeau's kitschy socks Doug Ford's ugly shoes
Social media's fashion Guy ranks Canadian politicians' style
This summer, grow your mind to grow your wealth
There’s an amazing variety of personal finance books now; add just one or two of these titles to your summer reading list and I’m confident you’ll learn a trick or two about making progress on your money.
Canada's tipping culture is a 'Wild West'
If he was speaking to a visitor or newcomer to Canada, Michael von Massow would struggle to describe our tipping culture to them.
Building wealth, TOGETHER?
Community savings groups can be useful, but they can hold you back from becoming financially literate. And then there are the scams
Naylor named Canada's best, with assist from Votto
Josh Naylor accepted his first Tip O’Neill Award in the quiet of the Cleveland club-house, before the Guardians dropped Sunday’s rubber match of their series against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, and the Mississaugan may well be on his way to a second.
JUDE AWAKENING
Bellingham continues to emerge as England's superstar with game winner in Euro opener
Tkachuk-McDavid scrum hints at tone for Game 5
Tensions between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers boiled over midway through Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final on Saturday night, with a post-whistle scrum featuring two of the most important players in the series.
A different perspective on winning
Nearly 30 years into his career, Maurice is chasing a goal he once thought had passed him by
DeChambeau wins a dramatic duel with McIlroy
The best sporting events — whatever the sport — are those in which opposing teams or individuals battle to the bitter end.
