Many Toronto Maple Leafs fans are upset that Sportsnet uploaded to YouTube the third period of their team’s Game 7 collapse to the Boston Bruins from 2013.
And you were right to be.
Like, how dare they? I was eating when I saw that!
Then my boss called and goes: “Hey Steve, have you ever gone back and watched Game 7?”
I replied: “No, because why on Earth would I do that?”
“You know what could be a fun idea,” my boss said, unconvincingly. “You should watch the collapse and write about the hurricane of emotion!”
Fine. Alright. I’ll do it. Grab a barf bag. I’m going in…
Watch: Entire third period and overtime of Game 7, 2013:
20:00 left in the 3rd: With the Leafs holding a 2-1 lead, Jim Hughson says, “But there’s still a ways to travel.”
Jim, you have no idea. Also who the heck is No. 36? Oh, right. It’s Carl Gunnarsson. Jay McClement is taking the opening faceoff. The awfulness is all flooding back.
19:59 left in the 3rd: McClement won the faceoff, which I can only assume led to another 25 minutes in ice time.
19:58 of the 3rd: Phaneuf, with all the time in the world, clears the puck for no reason. Carlyle hockey, baby! Wow, do I not miss this team.
19:43 left in the 3rd: Hey, look! Reimer has already had to make a save on Brad Marchand because they gave Boston the puck for no reason.
19:30 left in the 3rd: Leo Komarov works hard in the corner to create a Clarke MacArthur scoring chance. In a few minutes, Carlyle will want to bench Komarov for the rest of the game. Cool, cool.
19:03 left in the 3rd: Icing against Toronto. There could have easily been three already. How did these guys make the playoffs?
18:48 left in the 3rd: Who the heck is No. 39? Oh right, Matt Frattin.
17:52 left in the 3rd: Phil Kessel makes it 3-1 Toronto off a rebound from a JVR shot. Man, JVR was so good in that series. Mikhail Grabovski had a chance about 30 seconds earlier. Bruins in full scramble. Kadri’s so happy. Maple Leaf Square freakout shot. You poor, poor souls.
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17:05 left in the 3rd: Cody Franson just drilled Chris Kelly from behind.
16:15 left in the 3rd: Boston nearly scores. Shawn Thornton slams his stick on the way to the bench.
16:00 left in the 3rd: Jim Hughson just talked about how the Leafs have crawled in a shell and it has worked for them, but asks if they can do it again. Can I please stop this?
15:30 left in the 3rd: Marchand slashing Gardiner for like four infractions in today’s NHL. Playoff hockey, baby!
14:32 left in the 3rd: Kessel is stopped, but Kadri scores on the rebound. I am actually fighting back tears. Kadri’s jumping like a schoolboy. The TD Garden is so quiet.
13:30 left in the 3rd: Somehow the Leafs are outshooting the Bruins 25-17.
13:00 left in the 3rd: A Joffrey Lupul shot is almost deflected by Joe Colborne to make it 5-1.
12:25 left in the 3rd: Colton Orr is open in the slot.
11:50 left in the 3rd: Komarov’s last shift, I think.
11:00 left in the 3rd: The Bruins just got three scoring chances, ending with four Leafs in the crease, only one of whom is James Reimer.
10:42 left in the 3rd: Nathan Horton is wide open, shoots, and scores. TD Garden erupts. If I had to point the finger at anybody it’d be Nikolay Kulemin, maybe Jake Gardiner, but everybody’s puck-watching.
9:28 left in the 3rd: Two amazing Reimer saves. It’s all Bruins until a hard-working shift by Gardiner.
7:48 left in the 3rd: Marchand after-whistle nonsense. Drink! Shots in the period now 9-5 Boston.
7:08 left in the 3rd: Joe Colborne nearly springs Matt Frattin for a breakway.
6:16 left in the 3rd: Chara nearly buries a chance with about 96 people on top of Reimer. Again – how did this series go seven?
4:58 left in the 3rd: Leafs ice the puck. Less than five damn minutes.
4:33 left in the 3rd: They just talked about how Chris Hadfield is on his way back from space. Man he’s gonna be maaaaad.
4:05 left in the 3rd: Milan Lucic just tried to kill Carl Gunnarsson. Can’t believe he got right up there.
3:35 left in the 3rd: Matt Frattin gets his breakaway… and he flubs the backhand. They just said Zdeno Chara has played over 30 minutes.
1:56 left in the 3rd: Tuukka Rask heads to the bench. Toronto is still up by two goals.
1:22 left in the 3rd: Lucic bangs in the Chara rebound. Reimer was sooo close to clearing it with his stick, since nobody else did. Timeout Boston. Security is pleading with a fan not to bang on the glass behind the Leafs’ bench. Shot of Peter Chiarelli and Jim Benning in the Bruins box.
50.2 seconds left in the 3rd: Bruins tie it. I actually want to cry. I thought I was over this. I am so not. Reimer can’t see a bloody thing behind Chara, who is a screen in front. The shot: Bergeron. Fans are littering the ice with yellow Bruins towels. Fallout Boy is lighting mups.
Time for the faceoff now. Carlyle responds with a line of McClement, at centre between Lupul and Kulemin. Fun, fun.
22 seconds left in the 3rd: Leafs respond with McClement between Lupul and Kessel this time.
14 seconds left in the 3rd: Rich Peverley nearly makes it 5-4 Boston.
INTERMISSION
20:00 left in overtime: I totally forgot Marchand just threw a water bottle on the ice to get the ref’s attention.
18:14 left in overtime: Joffrey Lupul absolutely robbed. Or was it the post? It doesn’t matter. I’m dead inside.
18:10 left in overtime: Lupul stopped again. I want to vomit.
17:10 left in overtime: Whoa, is that Ryan O’Byrne?
16:55 left in overtime: Deafening “Reimer” chant.
15:39 left in overtime: Seguin stopped by Reimer. Anybody who thinks Reimer lost them the game is clueless. This team stinks.
15:00 left in the vertime: Gardiner might be the only guy on defence who can move the puck.
13:55 left in the overtime: Bruins scramble to score. Bergeron gets the rebound. Scores. The camera goes to the Leafs bench to the face of Leo Komarov, who we haven’t seen in who knows how long. The hand shakes start amazingly fast.
I leave Maple Leaf Square for a very silent TTC ride home.
The video mercifully ends.
There. I did it so you don’t have to.
That was then. This is now. Leafs Nation has a dragon that needs slaying.