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For more than 30 years the Maple Leafs have done nothing but disappoint the legions of faithful blue-and-white in this city. Season after season the owners have managed to put chronic underachievers on the ice who tease us with greatness in the early playoff rounds only to choke before the final.
Meanwhile, our upstart NBA franchise has charged into the second round of the playoffs for the first time. The Raptors’ historical first-round-series win was a thing of beauty.
This season, every Raptor playoff win should be savoured. But until the Leafs make it to the final, they’re always on the verge of suckering us again.
Most recent historic playoff moment
Leafs: 1967 – Defeat Montreal in six games to win the Stanley Cup.
Raptors: May 4, 2001 – Knock off the New York Knicks in the fifth and deciding game of the first round at Madison Square Garden to win the franchise’s first-ever playoff series (buh-bye, Spike Lee).
Game seven record
Leafs: Since 1939 they’ve played in 16 series that have gone to seven games (not including Wednesday, May 9, 2001), with a record of nine wins and seven losses (5-6 on the road and 4-1 at home).
Raptors: Now playing in their first best-of-seven series against Philadelphia.
TV ratings
Leafs: Game six against New Jersey – according to the Nielsen ratings, over 3.1 million Canadians tuned in coast to coast.
Raptors: Game five against New York averaged 525,000 national viewers.
Headlines
Number of local (paid) daily newspaper front pages after 2001 first-round playoff series wins
Leafs: 4
Raptors: 4
Game-day chow
Leafs: Team meal after morning skate (buffet-style assortment of foods). No big meal prior to game time.
Raptors: Team meal after morning shoot-around (buffet style with pasta, chicken, fish, salads, waffles, eggs). No big meal prior to game time.
Team curfew
Leafs: No
Raptors: No
Team prayer
Leafs: No
Raptors: Some players go to chapel or pray individually. Although he’s been on the injured list since joining the team mid-season, Mamadou N’diaye does a meditation-type prayer before every game.
Wives allowed on road games
Leafs: No
Raptors: Yes
Share hotel room with teammate
Leafs: Yes
Raptors: No
Favourite team pastimes
Leafs: Movies, restaurants, partying
Raptors: PlayStation
partying
Rules on drinking and partying on or prior to game day
Leafs: No
Raptors: No
Number of Canucks on team
Leafs: 15
Raptors: 0
Top salaries
Leafs: Mats Sundin ($11.5 million/year)
Raptors: Charles Oakley ($8.9 million/year). Vince Carter currently gets $3.85 million/year.
education
Number who attended college or university
Leafs: N/A (several played college hockey)
Raptors: 13
Number who graduated
Leafs: N/A
Raptors: N/A
Youngest player
Leafs: Petr Svoboda, 20 (two months younger than Alexei Ponikarovsky and four months younger than Nik Antropov)
Raptors: Morris Peterson, 23 (seven months younger than Vince Carter)
Oldest player
Leafs: Glenn Healy, 38 (an avid bagpiper)
Raptors: Charles Oakley, 37
Fluffy franchise star info
Mats Sundin: drives an Audi S8, watches Letterman and his favourite sports team is the Dallas Cowboys.
Vince Carter: played saxophone and was a drum major in high school
Research assistance by Kimberley Ann Edwards
