Why it could be worse

The Leafs are awful, and neither the author nor any other Leafs fan will ever attempt to tell you otherwise. They have been awful from before the season began, and nobody ever expected any more than what they've gotten this season. No what really hurts for Leafs fans are the countless trade and free agent flops, such as Larry Murphy, Owen Nolan, and Andrew Raycroft. Not to mention the ever popular practice of signing and trading for good players who are either broken or well past their prime, such as Eric Lindros, Jason Allison, and Jeff O'Neill.(all in the same season).

Over the previous three seasons, though nobody would claim that they could have been cup contenders, the Leafs were capable of more, and regularly showed it with late season surges which would fall just short of a playoff berth, and would result in the loss of a possible high draft pick. Considering that the NHL has the thinnest draft pool in the universe, Leafs fans have come to feel insulted by these wins (and OT losses).

But again, it could be worse. Consider for a moment the 1983 Stanley Cup finals. The Edmonton Oilers versus the New York Islanders. At the time, the Oilers had several young stars on their team, and were just coming into their own. Like last year's Penguins. The Islanders were an established hockey power with a much greater depth of playoff experience. Like last year's Red Wings. Like last year's Cup finals the more experienced team beat the snot out of the newbies, and the newbies (presumably) learned a valuable lesson on what it takes to beat the toughest opponents when the games matter most. The Edmonton Oilers came back the next season and dominated the league, winning 57 of 80 games, and going 15-4 in the playoffs en route to the first of 5 Stanley Cups in 7 years. And this year's Pittsburgh Penguins are in real danger of missing the playoffs. For all of the so-called evolution of hockey, and all of the all-star ballot stuffing (By the way, the Canadiens with their FOUR starting all-stars are also in trouble), these guys just can't seem to get it done.

Christ, this year you're better off being a Leafs fan.