Leafs win: it’s madness in Toronto

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

It was a very different and unusual awakening for the world of field hockey to see Leafs fans still smiling at the end of April.

Since 2004, the Leafs had become accustomed to making their fans suffer, and the rest of field hockey fans laugh, in April by being eliminated in the first round.

We were all used to seeing the leaves fall in spring.

That curse finally came to an end last night, however, as the Maple Leafs won 2-1 in overtime against the Lightning in Tampa Bay to end the series.

It had been exactly 6948 days since the Leafs had reached the second round of the playoffs.

The last time the Leafs won a series, the Expos presented the same line-up on the same day.

A season that promised to be perilous 😅 pic.twitter.com/kO315tS9AP

– Daniel Richard (@DanRichard_RDS) April 30, 2023

So it’s easy to understand the different reactions in Toronto last night after John Tavares’ goal.

PASSION ERUPT 🗣 pic.twitter.com/jcCXDHOFWu

– Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 30, 2023

In Tampa, too, we saw some big reactions from the crowd.

Here’s one from Auston Matthews’ parents.

We may be disappointed that the Leafs’ curse has been broken, but parents’ reactions are always a pleasure to see.

In fact, it’s not just the fans who have had crazy reactions.

Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe jumped like they’d just won the Stanley Cup.

I sincerely believe that Sheldon Keefe broke a high jump record on the sequence.

This is the third time the Leafs’ general manager and head coach duo have reached the second round together for the first time.

In short, it’s been crazy in Toronto since Tavares’ goal in overtime.

Fireworks went off after the goal, just as they did in Montreal after Artturi Lehkonen’s goal against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Even though my heart as a CH fan is saddened to no longer be able to laugh at the Leafs, part of me is happy for its fans, most of whom have been waiting for this moment forever.

They’ll be experiencing for the first time what a second-round series is all about.

The Leafs players were surely celebrating loudly last night in their locker room and afterwards.

The entire organization has the day off today.

The Leafs are now waiting to find out their opponent in the second round.

They’ll face the winner of Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers tonight at Boston’s TD Garden.

On the move

– Aaron Rodgers was on hand last night at Madison Square Garden.

Aaron Rodgers, Breece Hall and Allen Lazard in the house for Devils-Rangers 🤩 pic.twitter.com/1freAS1LnZ

– ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2023

– He already seems to like it there.

🚨 AARON RODGERS SINGING THE GOAL SONG 🚨

(allenlazard/IG) pic.twitter.com/Y6NdN9Xnii

– Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) April 30, 2023

– Oliver Kapanen’s season in review.

– It’s actually quite new for them not to be on vacation.

Nobody in management know what to do now, and need to figure things out. 🤪 https://t.co/lWFzf3i7vP

– Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) April 30, 2023

– What to expect this off-season from the Wild?

– Perez champion in Baku.