What a difference 70 hockey games makes.

You may remember that the Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens opened this NHL season way back on Oct. 1, a night when the Leafs looked like world-beaters for more than two periods, blew a late lead and then allowed Josh Gorges to score the winner for the Habs in overtime.

Incredibly, that one defeat cued a complete Leaf collapse. They didn't win a game until the ninth match of the season, and only three of their first 20 as they set the stage for the necessary enema Brian Burke performed on the roster during the winter.