Is the Battle of Ontario still a rivalry?

Once these playoff series ended, so did the packed arenas, the boos, the banter, and the roar. To some, the ‘Battle of Ontario’ had lost its battlefield. This was mainly due to the fact that the two teams left the battle on two different trajectories. Ottawa remained a robust contender with 113 points in 2005-2006, a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2007, and a couple more playoff appearances, while the Maple Leafs missed the post-season completely. Once the Auston Matthews era began in Toronto, the tides also began to turn in favour of the blue and white. After Ottawa’s surprising ‘Hamburglar’ run to a Game 7 double-overtime Eastern Conference Final match in 2017, the team collapsed and began to rebuild while the Leafs had a near decade of consistent playoff hockey. The rivalry was alive and well when the teams were both competing, but with an unfair playing field, it lost the spark. 

Won the battle but lost the war

When the Senators and Maple Leafs met in the playoffs again in 2025, history repeated itself, and the confidence amongst both fanbases tried to reignite the battle with some hard-hitting facts. Toronto is now 5-0 in playoff series against the Senators. However, fans in the nation’s capital know that if we look at the regular season statistics, Ottawa enters this coming season with an all-time record of 79 wins, 56 losses, and 16 ties, overtime losses, and shootout losses against Toronto. One can say that Ottawa has won plenty of battles, but so far, Toronto has won every war.

In recent years, both teams have similar parallels. Whether it is trading a star player to a state with no income tax or drafting and developing a young and talented roster, the two teams are providing some ammunition for a new rivalry. The Battle of Ontario doesn't need to look like how it did in the early 2000s. After years of holding onto old memories (and repeated heartbreak), this next generation, led by Matthews, Gavin McKenna , Tim Stützle, and Jake Sanderson, finally has a rivalry of its own. The next chapter begins tonight at Scotiabank Arena.