The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since May 1967, when the NHL was a six-team league. At that point, Canada was celebrating its centennial anniversary, and Elvis Presley had just got married.
According to Sportsnet, the Maple Leafs now own the longest Stanley Cup drought in terms of days in NHL history (19,786), surpassing the New York Rangers drought from 1940-1994.
The @MapleLeafs now own the longest #StanleyCup drought in terms of days in NHL history. pic.twitter.com/b36oc3jEid
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 3, 2021
Toronto has struggled for years, and the Leafs haven't made it out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2003-04 campaign. They haven't made it to the conference finals since the 2001-02 season.
After winning the NHL's North Division with a 35-14-7 record this season, the Maple Leafs were considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Toronto even boasted a 3-1 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens, who now trail the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final, in the first round before blowing it in seven games.
After another disappointing season, the Maple Leafs are in for a slew of changes this summer. Some have suggested that a player such as Mitch Marner could be traded to add to the defense, but that alone won't make much of a difference.
While Toronto's goal is to reach the Stanley Cup Final, they might want to focus on making upgrades in order to just get out of the first round.
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