Darryl Sittler: ‘Maybe this is finally the year those hockey Gods will be’ with Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have never been one to be on the right side of luck when it comes to winning a Stanley Cup, but former legend Darryl Sittler hopes this might be the year that changes.
During this year’s Leafs & Legends Charity Golf Classic, Sittler spoke with the media, and when asked about what advice he’d give to new players joining the team this season, he also hoped that this may finally be the year where the bounces go their way.
“I know every season you look forward to training camp,” Sittler said. “We’ve got new players on the team, so you’re looking to blend in with them. And obviously have a good training camp and a good year. Maybe this is the year finally those hockey gods will be with us and we can win a few rounds and challenge for the Cup.”
The Leafs have famously been without a Stanley Cup since 1967, which was the final year of the NHL’s Original Six era. It’s the longest drought in the NHL, although surprisingly it’s only the 11th-longest in North American pro sports history.
While many thought the Leafs would end that drought after drafting Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander and signing John Tavares, they have struggled in the playoffs despite having the longest-active streak, only winning two playoff series in nine years.
“I played with a lot of the guys that won the Cup in ’67,” Sittler said about his first NHL training camp. “Those guys came to training camp with the idea of getting in shape. I was looking coming out of London, and I believed that if I was in the best shape possible, coming into camp, I had a chance to make it to the team. So, instead of being overweight and drinking beer in training camp, I was ready to go. And I was fortunate to make the team my first year. But nowadays the guys train as you know, all year long, they’re ready for it. Training camps are much shorter than they were when I played.”
Sittler played in the NHL for 15 seasons, with 11 and a half of those coming with the Leafs, before spending his final few seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. In 844 regular season games with the Leafs, he had 389 goals, 527 assists and 916 points, which is third, third and second in franchise history. He also had 25 goals, 40 assists and 65 points in 64 playoff games, one of just two Leafs to score at above a point-per-game pace in the playoffs with at least 15 games played. Sittler also holds the NHL record for most points in a game after getting six goals and 10 points against the Boston Bruins on February 7th, 1976.