This is a verifiably crazy season. If you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey fan, you know today what you didn’t know yesterday: your team has a 12.5% chance of winning first place in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. All the Maple Leafs have to do to get this chance is to lose their five-game series with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Would you do it on purpose? No chance!
See also: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Spezza, Campbell & Andersen
In this issue of Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’m going to share what I’ve read with the Ottawa Public Health Board and a legendary television commercial that is now almost 30 years old.
Point One: The NHL Draft Lottery: Not a game, but pretty exciting
Last night at the NHL Draft Lottery, it went crazy again when neither of the two teams that had the highest mathematical chance of winning the draw did so. Ottawa’s senators were given third and fifth choices, and the Detroit Red Wings were unlucky and slipped to fourth place. This gives a team that loses in the warm-up round a 12.5% chance of reaching first place overall.
When the night started, the eight “mysterious” lottery placeholders had little chance of winning. In fact, the chances were between 1% and 6%. Still, a team did not expect to win the first draft. While that’s exciting if you’re an NHL traditionalist, it’s probably not good news.
Of course, that will change if you are a Maple Leafs fan and your team loses against the Blue Jackets, but is lucky and wins the second phase of the draft lottery with the first overall selection. Does this make sense? There is more excitement on the way.
Point two: Defense perspective Kalle Loponen will play in Finland next season
Kalle Loponen, the choice of Maple Leafs in the seventh round of the 2019 draft, will return to Finland next season to continue his career there. The 19-year-old defender, who played for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL between 2019 and 2020, is reportedly ready to rejoin Karpat in the top Finnish professional league early next season.
Although no reason to move has been given, this is logical from a competitive perspective. The 5-foot-11, 187-pound right-hander Loponen will continue to advance its development by playing against older and tougher rivals. He may not get as many options as in the OHL, but it will make a big contribution to staying on the Maple Leafs radar if he plays well. It’s not like right-handed people are a dozen.
Related: Worst Toronto Maple Leafs Trades
Loponen has played well this season, especially in power play. He has a “heavy” point shot that the wolves used as a weapon. During his only season in Canada, he scored six goals and 18 assists in 56 games. 17 of these points were scored in the power game.
Point three: Even the government makes fun of Maple Leafs fans
Maple Leafs fans are a tough bunch, but sometimes there seems to be no end to the abuse. Now an arm of the government is taking action. Last week, Ottawa Public Health had a little bit of fun when they encouraged citizens to wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. Guess who the butt of the joke was?
I liked the addition, but I’m not sure if all Maple Leafs fans appreciated the latest joke at their expense. However, there is a wealth of research that combines a good sense of humor with high intelligence.
See also: Maple Leafs’ Forgotten Ones: Jeff Finger
Regardless, the message from Ottawa Public Health was that wearing a mask is a way to stay healthy in dangerous times. I encourage everyone to wear one to ward off the virus. To complement your Maple Leafs jersey, I share this link.
Point four: Wayne Gretzky & Mats Sundin in a legendary McDonalds commercial
In preparation for the Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, McDonalds marketing director Paul Schrage wanted to use Michael Jordan’s fame as the greatest basketball player in the world. He created one of the best sports ads ever – a game of HORSE between Jordan and Larry Bird. It became a classic.
The NHL’s response to this was to play Big Wayne Gretzky against Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin when they tried to outdo each other and shoot pucks online, with the loser buying lunch. It became one of the best hockey commercials ever and remains as fun today as it was then.
Gretzky was playing for the New York Rangers at the time and had just overtaken his idol Gordie Howe (who scored 802 points) as the all-time NHL leader with 894 points.
In this classic McDonald’s ad, the two shoot out of all the ice and eventually the rafters of the stadium. Every time the recordings are more amazing.
What’s next for the Maple Leafs?
As phase 2 of the Return to Play plan continues and Maple Leafs players return to Toronto, it’s interesting to speculate how far the team will be with their entire squad (with the exception of Andreas Johnsson and almost for the first time this season) could go healthy. If they can get hot, they have a good chance of getting far in the postseason.
Related: What Happens When Maple Leafs Nick Robertson Is Really Good?
Of course, 24 other hockey commentators probably wrote the same thing for each of the other teams moving into the off-season. As I said, it was a crazy season.
