Brad May predicts that the Leafs will win the Stanley Cup this season

“ I think it’s the best Toronto Maple Leaf teams that I’ve been watching,” May said. “ I think they are playing as a team, they’re playing in different areas. They don’t need to outscore teams by three and five goals every night. You just got to score one more than the other team. I love Chief. I think he’s, first of all, a great guy, but I respect him, played against him, but he’s done a heck of a job as a coach.”

“Here’s my prediction,” May added. “And I might be proved wrong way before it happens, but I think Max Pacioretty scores the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s wearing the number 67. The last time they won the Stanley Cup was 1967. And I think it’s a great storyline. And if it comes to fruition, you heard it here first.”

Of course, there is still a lot of time between now and the end of the Finals so who knows if his prediction will end up coming true. Having said that, it would be fitting for Pacioretty to score the last goal of the Leafs’ campaign since he was also their first goal-scorer of the season.

May would know what a winning team is like since he was a member of the Anaheim Ducks when they won the Cup in 2007 and was on the Leafs during one of their lean years. He recounted the story of the day he was traded to Toronto which happened to fall on his son’s 13th birthday.

“ I kind of thought it would be one of my last seasons, so we rented a house that was right on the ocean,” he said. “I had a 270-degree view of the ocean and there was dolphins. As I was drinking my coffee, there was literally dolphins coming from the south from Laguna Beach coming up the coast. And my phone rings and it’s Bob Murray and sure enough, I get traded and then he says he trades me to the Toronto Maple Leafs.  At this moment, I’m like, ‘This sucks that I have to leave this wonderful place where we’re playing hockey. This is a great place to wake up.’  But I was so fired up about Toronto.”

May went on to mention that he had to fly directly to Montreal to meet up with the Leafs for a game in the middle of a blizzard but kept his promise of being with his family for his son’s birthday and ultimately left Anaheim later in the day. As a result, he had to take an ambient to fall asleep and passed out on the floor before the flight attendants politely told him to return to his seat.

While he appeared in 38 games for the Leafs in the 2008-09 season, he was grateful to have received the chance to play for his hometown team. He was unable to spend much time with his wife and kids during that time as they remained in California, May did get accommodations from one of his neighbours and later rookie Luke Schenn.

“I a always wished and dreamed about it as a kid.  It didn’t happen for me for 18 years,” he said. “Going home, the blue and white iconic obviously. Our team wasn’t that great at the time, which it would be a much better experience if the team was rolling like they are now. But the the city of Toronto and Toronto Maple Leafs fans made me feel incredibly welcome. My parents live 40 minutes from the arena or inside an hour anyways, and they were able to see a lot.”

You can listen to the full interview with May down below: