It's ok Leafs fans. Don't worry about last night. Don't worry about Vesa Toskala or the fact we got blown out by the Sabres. You see, I've been around, and I learnt something from the Grapefruit League that applies to our current Leafs woes. Pre-season doesn't mean a thing.
Back in the early 90s, our Toronto Blue Jays weren't just good, we were great. We won the AL East pennant in '91, '92 and '93, and we won the World Series those last two years. It's hard for you kids to imagine the success we had. We were oh so blessed, but you wouldn't know it if you looked at our spring training record.
In 1991, the Jays went 9-19 in spring training, 2nd worst in the American League. In 1992 we went 13-18, 3rd worst in the league. In 1993, the year Joe touched 'em all, we were 11-19 in Grapefruit League action, 3rd worst in the American League. I watched or listened to every game back then, and I remember being concerned heading into the regular season because our pre-season performance was so weak. Then, months later, I remember being champion and realizing that pre-season doesn't mean a thing.
This is good news Leafs fans. It means our current suckage could lead us to Stanley Cup contention. We're a lot like those Jays teams of the early 90s. We've got everything they had, except for the awesome talent.
