Sep
24
Written by:
Norman Rumack
9/24/2009 11:33 PM
'Will the Leafs win the cup'?. That's probably not a relevant question for this season. Back in the mid-nineteen sixties, that was an annual question. For Maple Leafs fans, it was a very special era, and as it turned out the end of an era that will not likely ever return. As the 6 team National Hockey League began to wind down, it was still a time when there were no agents, no players association and the players had no power and very little control over their professional destinies, beyond their own God given skills. Back then the owners and general managers ruled with an iron fist. Every year at training camp, the players would be presented with their new contract, and it was laid out for them to sign. If a player declined the offer, there was always a chance that they would be sent down to the minors, and whether the individual was the best player on the team or the least skilled on a 17 member roster , it didn't really matter. Many if not all of the players of the six team N.H.L. had part time jobs. They needed them to make ends meet. I remember Bob Baun, hero of the 1964 Stanley Cup final for the Leafs, telling me that then coach and general manager Punch Imlach used to get upset with him because right after practice Baun would head off to his other job, selling cars at a local dealership. In the 6 team league, four of the teams made the playoffs, and the the Stanley Cup winner only needed to win 2 playoff rounds that were best of 7 in format. It was much easier to be a dynastic team then, than it is now, with 30 teams as well as free agency and a very long playoff season. The final years of the six team National Hockey League were also the end of those clubs owning the player rights of youngsters who were just starting their junior hockey days. The draft was implemented in 1963. With all the demands and pressures of being a player in the six team era of the NHL, those gentlemen would truly have to play for the love of the game. It obviously wasn't for the money. For the fans it was also a unique time as well that will never be repeated. For youngsters like myself then, the closest we would get to our heroes, was usually through trading cards that we would initially buy for five or ten cents along with the great tasting bubble gum in the pack. To get more cards with hockey players (same for baseball) we would play "Wallsies" or "Shootsies" with our cards during school recess or after classes with the neighborhood guys. As the name implies, you would throw your cards against the wall or drop them to the ground, and apply rules that would determine if you won or lost all the cards on the ground based on where they landed. That was how one would build up their collection of cards and of course we would also trade, almost like a current fantasy league, based on our own perceived value of a player and our respective team loyalties. Of course nowadays, card collectors would have a breakdown at the thought of using cards in games, because if they aren't in mint condition, they can't be sold for very much money if any at all. Any fan of a team or player in the league right now can purchase any team jersey with a number and or name on it. The 1960's were a time when a Leafs or Canadiens fan could only get a wool or polyester replica jersey through an Eatons catalogue, referring to the former department store that was such a big part of life in this country until the end of the 1980's. The Toronto sweater only had Maple Leafs stitched on it. The name Toronto was not part of the replica jersey we purchased and it was only the home blue, with white trim that was available. You didn't have a choice of home or road sweater and there were no names or numbers on them either. In an era when you couldn't find posters of your favorite players, we would save the tops from "Beehive Corn Syrup". For a certain number of these items, you could send away for a black and white photo of any NHL athlete on a beige colored piece of paper. It was larger than the trading cards we collected, but much smaller than today's wall posters. It was also a time when we could watch our team at most, twice a week on TV, and almost never would it be a road game, unless it was Toronto and Montreal, or if it was a Stanley Cup playoff game. Sunday night games were on CBC national radio, not on television . Brian Burke may eventually have a Stanley Cup winner in Toronto, but that might take several years if it ever happens. That goal will be difficult to achieve without a few top 2 or top 3 players in the draft, the ones scouts would refer to as "franchise" players (i.e.; Tavares; Ovechkin, Crosby ,etc ) Having said that I'm glad I grew up in an era when my heroes were dynastic champions. It was an amazing time to be a young hockey fan and especially at that time, a fan of those very special Toronto Maple Leafs. That's when we could legitimately ask the question every year...'Can the Leafs win the Stanley Cup?'
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8 comment(s) so far...
Re: ' WILL THE LEAFS WIN THE CUP'?
Not in my lifetime!
By Smurfz on
9/25/2009 3:16 PM
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Re: ' WILL THE LEAFS WIN THE CUP'?
Hi Norm,
My dad met you in a Coffee place a while back, and I haven't had the chance to check out your site. It looks really good so far.
The Leafs have looked very good so far in the preseason and I think a trip to the playoffs isn't a ridiculous thought. I sure hope we get to ask that question in the next coming years because these past few years have almost been like torture as a Leafs fan. Norm, where do you see the Leafs ending up this year? I've heard lots of opinions, many saying top 7, many saying bottom 3. Do you think this preseason is just a mirage and eventually reality will strike in or is this team as talented as they've looked so far?
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