Let me be the first one outside of Leaf Nation to suggest that there something legitimate to the team's early success this year. For the record, I am a Habs fan who bleeds Bleu Blanc Rouge, but I am also a fan of the game of hockey.
The history of the much maligned Toronto Maple Leafs has not been very pleasant for its fans over the past 43 years. Recent history has seen the team miss consecutive playoffs since 2004. Last year, they weren't even close.
Last night's weird loss notwithstanding, there is something about this year's team. What is most interesting is that their roster is not much different from last year. If you recall, the Leafs ended the 2009-2010 season with a series of wins that saw them steadily crawl from the basement of the league's standings. Too little, too late perhaps, but it may have portended the direction of this season's Maple Leafs.
There are a number of factors that attribute to the team's early success. Among them has been the play of sniper Phil Kessel, already with 5 goals this season. There's is also solid offensive-defensive play from veteran Tomas Kaberle as well as surprises like Clarke MacArthur, a pick up from the Atlanta thrashers, who also tops the Leaf's stats with 5 goals and 1 assist. MacArthur is one of a few key acquisitions the team made in the off season that included Kris Versteeg, fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Chicago Blackhawks, and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, a proven veteran between the pipes. Add to this mix the solid leadership of captain Dion Phaneuf.
If you know anything about hockey though, a roster of talented players does not a contending team make. In the pre-salary cap era, Maple Leafs management were well known for attempting to stack their roster with talent, which often led to disastrously disappointing results.
What makes this year's iteration of the Buds worthy of raised eyebrows is not so much who is on the team, but rather how the team is playing. We have seen flashes of this in the past, but the Leafs have a remarkable capacity to bring passion and energy to their play much to the surprise of many opponents. When they play as a team, they are often far more impressive than the sum of their roster's talent.
If we look beyond the early season stats, we might discover that it is not so much the number of wins, but how the team is winning. Grit, determination and unselfishness. The players don't seem to be bickering amongst themselves about ice time, and there is a synchronicity to the team's on-ice play that has not been seen in years.
Before we start painting a blue parade line down main-street Toronto, there are still some things that could easily derail this train. The team's best and worst asset is coach Ron Wilson. While Wilson is the architect of the teams cohesive and passionate play, he also has the propensity to strike discord among players by periodically throwing them under the bus when he sees something he doesn't like. Injuries could also wreak havoc with the team. Losing one or two key players could expose some of the weaknesses in the lineup that the team has thus far been able to contain. There is also a downside to having a winning streak. Given last year's record, it's not a stretch to assume that many of the Leafs' early opponents were not expecting the team they saw on the ice. After exploding out of the gate, the Leaf's will soon face teams in the coming weeks who have spent a bit more time watching tapes and developing schemes to counter the Leaf's attack. As good as they have been, sustaining that momentum is not going to be easy.
Another key challenge is one that the Habs themselves had to deal with: that is the weight of history. The Canadiens seemingly endless 100 year celebration was occasionally a boost for the team, but more often than not it was a distraction loaded with ridiculously high expectations for a very average team. So too, the pressure upon the Leafs to extricate themselves from a history of loss and disappointment is also daunting. The secret to their success might come from abandoning their history to focus on the here and now. As one commentator said during the Habs playoff run, it isn't about honouring history, it is about making history.
All that said, I think there is reason for optimism in Leaf's Nation this year. The components are there for success. And besides, there has to be some kind of mercy rule for fans. Even if it means quietly tolerating Toronto's own bluster and bravado.
As someone who loves the game of hockey, maybe it's about time. I have a feeling that Leafs Nation concurs.
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