I'm not going to sugar coat this. The Chicago Blackhawks are 8 wins away from winning the Stanley Cup. That result would be devastating for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Allow me to explain...
Leaf fans are often taunted with the year 1967. That's the last time we (yeah, I wrote "we") won the Stanley Cup. Only one NHL team can claim a worse drought, and that's the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks haven't won since 1961. Sure, they've made it to the Stanley Cup finals since then, but they haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup in 48 years. That somehow comforts Leaf diehards who have only suffered for 42 years.
But, those Blackhawks (who used to be Black Hawks), are 8 wins away. If they win it this year, we'll be in an unmatched stretch of futility.
And if that's not depressing enough, below are the active teams who haven't played in a Stanley Cup final since 1967. One of these teams is not like the others.
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Atlanta Thrashers
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Minnesota Wild
- Nashville Predators
- Phoenix Coyotes
- San Jose Sharks
Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery. Go Leafs Go!
