Rank each Leafs game seven/winner take all losses from most to least gut-wrenching (2013-present)

[Maestro84]

I didn't want to include 2013 since that was a completely different era but the magnitude which they lost in was so hilariously bad that I wouldn't be doing this thread justice if I didn't include it.

If I were a Leafs fan, player, or part of the franchise in any way, here would be my ranking:

1. 2021 vs Canadiens (placed in mickey mouse division due to travel restrictions, easiest path to final four ever, most complete Leafs team in Matthews/Marner era, take a 3-1 lead against arch rival Montreal, and proceeded to blow it all by losing 2 games in OT while looking like a dead corpse in game 7. This series will haunt Leafs nation until this core picks up a cup, there's no other way to put it)

2. 2019 vs Bruins (with other contenders dropping like flies, the Leafs had a wide open path to the cup if they could only get by Boston in R1. Shocker, they didn't. Led the entire series just to lose a series clincher at home and then got destroyed in game 7)

3. 2013 vs Bruins (I know the Leafs weren't even that good a team at the time but anytime you lose a game 7 when you're up 4-1 with 10 minutes to go and you still manage to lose, that's an embarrassment of all proportions. This will continue being a black eye on the franchise for the foreseeable future)

4. 2018 vs Bruins (Bruins were simply the much better team at the time and if Andersen didn't stand on his head, Boston wins in 5 even though the Leafs had the lead going into the 3rd period in game 7 just like 5 years prior. This was valuable experience for Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Rielly and they got a prized gift that coming summer in Tavares....this loss is merely a footnote compared to what we know now lol)

5. 2020 vs Blue Jackets (Leafs were a subpar team this season as they only finished 2 games above 500 up until the pandemic hit, there's a chance they miss the playoffs entirely if the virus never struck. There was little to no expectation for this team and they should've been gone in 4 games. Not to mention, 2020 was the weirdest year in our lifetimes so this one was sort of a wash)

Again, I love Leafs slander as much as anyone, but this time, I'm genuinely upset with you Leafs fans over how badly they blew it these last 3 games. I could never imagine investing/cheering for a team who let's me down like this all the time...

Click to read more...

 

[jcs0218]

I didn't want to include 2013 since that was a completely different era but the magnitude which they lost in was so hilariously bad that I wouldn't be doing this thread justice if I didn't include it.

If I were a Leafs fan, player, or part of the franchise in any way, here would be my ranking:

1. 2021 vs Canadiens (placed in mickey mouse division due to travel restrictions, easiest path to final four ever, most complete Leafs team in Matthews/Marner era, take a 3-1 lead against arch rival Montreal, and proceeded to blow it all by losing 2 games in OT while looking like a dead corpse in game 7. This series will haunt Leafs nation until this core picks up a cup, there's no other way to put it)

2. 2019 vs Bruins (with other contenders dropping like flies, the Leafs had a wide open path to the cup if they could only get by Boston in R1. Shocker, they didn't. Led the entire series just to lose a series clincher at home and then got destroyed in game 7)

3. 2013 vs Bruins (I know the Leafs weren't even that good a team at the time but anytime you lose a game 7 when you're up 4-1 with 10 minutes to go and you still manage to lose, that's an embarrassment of all proportions. This will continue being a black eye on the franchise for the foreseeable future)

4. 2018 vs Bruins (Bruins were simply the much better team at the time and if Andersen didn't stand on his head, Boston wins in 5 even though the Leafs had the lead going into the 3rd period in game 7 just like 5 years prior. This was valuable experience for Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Rielly and they got a prized gift that coming summer in Tavares....this loss is merely a footnote compared to what we know now lol)

5. 2020 vs Blue Jackets (Leafs were a subpar team this season as they only finished 2 games above 500 up until the pandemic hit, there's a chance they miss the playoffs entirely if the virus never struck. There was little to no expectation for this team and they should've been gone in 4 games. Not to mention, 2020 was the weirdest year in our lifetimes so this one was sort of a wash)

Again, I love Leafs slander as much as anyone, but this time, I'm genuinely upset with you Leafs fans over how badly they blew it these last 3 games. I could never imagine investing/cheering for a team who let's me down like this all the time...

That would be the exact order I would put them in. And for many of the same reasons.

The only thing missing in your 2019 explanation is how certain many Toronto fans were that they would finally get past Boston since they now had Tavares. Only to see things end the same way things ended in 2018 the year before.

 

[CatchyTune]

It was this year for me. Expectations were very high for this 1st place team. Only close one was 2013 just because of the blown lead. But expectations werent nearly as high in any year compared to this.

2020 against Columbus is also up there. Underrated and probably worse than 2018/2019 for me.

 

[JaegerDice]

It's clearly this one.

Yes, losing a game when you're up by 3 goals with mere minutes left is a gut-punch.

But it was ONE GAME against a vastly superior opponent.

Losing THREE GAMES to a significantly weaker opponent that you had outplayed badly for the four games preceding is just absurd.

 

[treple13]

If you are just using "gut-wrenching", I think it's clearly 2013

But by the definition you seem to be using, I think your list is pretty accurate.

It's the same reason as a Flames fan that the game 7 losses that feel the worst are 2006 and 1994. Both years we had great teams and wide open paths to make a deep run.

 

[ricky0034]

this is the only year where they were heavy favorites

they were a bit better than Columbus last year but nothing like Montreal this year, and even though it was close enough that they probably should have won one out of the three series Boston was better than them each of the years they played so they shouldn't have really been expected to win any individual series out of those anyways

 

[leafsfan5]

1.) 2021 - Pretty obvious, we had an easy path to the final 4 and blew it. f***ing choke artists
2.) 2019 - This one hurt, we outplayed Boston for most of the series and had a path to the finals without facing TB/WSH/PIT. Still stings a lot, especially considering we had a 1-0,2-1, and 3-2 series lead and STILL lost.
3.) 2013 - Hurt due to the awful collapse. Up 4-1 in the third I was jumping for joy thinking we were moving on......
4.) 2020 - How the f*** do you have the greatest comeback in team history to save your season and follow that up with being shutout??????? Just awful. I remember thinking this could be a turning point for the core and unsurprisingly it wasn't
5.) 2018 - Hurt to blow the 4-3 lead in the third but we were clearly outmatched and battled hard to comeback from 3-1 anyways. Following the loss we still had hope and belief in our young core

 

[banks]

Why isn't this on the Leafs' board?

They lost to 3 different teams up there. That's 10 percent of the league, minimum, that wouldn't consider those losses "gut-wrenching".

 

[Mickey Marner]

I'd probably rank them present to past in descending order.

 

[ESH]

It's clearly this one.

Yes, losing a game when you're up by 3 goals with mere minutes left is a gut-punch.

But it was ONE GAME against a vastly superior opponent.

Losing THREE GAMES to a significantly weaker opponent that you had outplayed badly for the four games preceding is just absurd.

They lost 4 games both times, not 1 and 3

 

[ER89]

f*** the leafs.

 

[icerocket]

They are all great.

 

[HarryLime]

Garbage team

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

My ranking...


1. 2020

The year COVID handed them home rink advantage for the first three rounds and a lesser opponent in Columbus...and they couldn't get it done.

2. 2013

Total collapse against Boston.

3. and 4. 2018 and 2019

Both examples of the obviously lesser team losing to the obviously superior team.

5. 2021

The pattern is set. The leopard can't change his spots. The playoffs separate contenders from pretenders.