Canadiens–Maple Leafs rivalry

The Canadiens–Maple Leafs rivalry is a ice hockey rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, two professional ice hockey clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Canadiens and Maple Leafs are the league's oldest teams, with the former established in 1909 and the latter in 1917. Both clubs compete in the Atlantic Division of the NHL's Eastern Conference.

Canadiens–Maple Leafs rivalry
First meetingDecember 26, 1917
Latest meetingJanuary 13, 2021
Next meetingFebruary 10, 2021
Statistics
Meetings total819
All-time series401–318–88–12 (MTL)
Regular season series359–289–88–12 (MTL)
Postseason results42–29 (MTL)
Largest victoryMTL 11–0 TOR
March 30, 1944
Longest win streakMTL W14
Current win streakTOR W1
Postseason history

The rivalry between the two teams picked up after the Montreal Maroons folded in 1938; resulting in the Canadiens and Maple Leafs being the only Canadian-based teams in the NHL until 1970. Both teams saw success during the Original Six era, with the Stanley Cup having been primarily awarded to either the Canadiens or Maple Leafs during that period. In addition to the on-ice rivalry the rivalry was exacerbated by societal issues in mid-20th century Canada; with the two teams serving as stand-ins for a variety of cultural dualities in Canadian society. The rivalry's association with larger societal issues in the country has left a imprint on Canadian culture, most notably through the publication of the short story, The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier.

The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have met in 15 Stanley Cup playoff series, including five Stanley Cup Finals. However, the two teams have not met in a playoff series since 1979. The rivalry between the two teams has "waned" since the Original Six era, with the Canadiens and Maple Leafs having played in separate conferences of the NHL from 1981 to 1998. Although the rivalry is no longer influenced by its historical associations, it remains symbolic of the relationship between the country's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal.

Background

The rivalry between Montreal and Toronto predates the foundation of either hockey club, with the two cities having been considered economic rivals since the mid-19th century, as well as cultural rivals from the mid-20th century. Toronto emerged as an economic rival to Montreal during the 1850s;[1] although Montreal remained the Province of Canada's largest city during this period, doubling the population of Toronto.[2] Although Montreal and Toronto were economic rivals, their early identities were rooted in the cultural differences between the two cities.[3] From its foundation, Montreal was historically viewed as Canada's cosmopolitan centre for culture; which contrasted Toronto's pre-World War era reputation as a small city and bastion for "Victorian morality".[3] Following Canadian Confederation, the two cities had became obvious rivals for cultural and financial control over the "Canadian hinterland".[1]

After the Second World War, Toronto began to eclipse Montreal as the "cultural gateway" to Canada for Americans; making it a potential cultural rival to Montreal.[4] For the most part however, Toronto remained to be viewed as a provincial industrial city, subservient to Montreal in culture and finance until the 1960s.[5] The financial situation would reverse by 1971, with Toronto having eclipsed Montreal as the financial capital of the country; and the population of the Greater Toronto Area overtaking Greater Montreal shortly afterwards.[3]

Sports

The rivalry between the two cities eventually extended into sports, with rival national athletic sports bodies, the Toronto-based Canadian Amateur Athletic Union, and the Montreal-based Amateur Athletic Federation of Canada, fighting for control over amateur sports in the country during the early 20th century.[6]

A dispute between Eddie Livingstone, the owner of the National Hockey Association's Toronto Blueshirts, and the other owners of the NHA, including the Montreal Canadiens owner George Kennedy led to the creation of the National Hockey League in 1917. Because the NHA's constitution prevented the disgruntled owners from expelling Livingstone, they opted to instead form a new professional hockey league; and voted to suspend NHA operations for the year.[7] The resulting dispute led to the creation of the modern NHL, as well as the present hockey club in Toronto; with the new NHL owners opting to establish a hockey club in Toronto in an effort to maintain a four team circuit that included the Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, and Ottawa Senators.[8] A temporary franchise was awarded to the Arena Gardens of Toronto Ltd., which was later made permanent in October 1918.[9]

History

During the NHL's first 25 seasons, Montreal and Toronto had played in only two playoff series, during the 1918 NHL Championship, and the 1925 NHL Championship.[10] Toronto won the inaugural NHL Championship, outscoring Montreal 10–7. The Canadiens won the second playoff series played between the two clubs, with the Canadiens outscoring the St. Patricks 5–2. Both series consist of two games, where the winner was determined by the total goals scored. The champions from both NHL Championship series advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals; which until 1926, operated as a champship series between top-tier professional hockey leagues in North America.

A game between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs in March 1938.

After the Montreal Maroons folded in 1938, the Canadiens and Maple Leafs remained the league's only remaining Canadian teams from 1938 to 1970; enabling both teams to accrue a number of fans across Canada as the only two NHL teams in the country.[11]

Original Six era (1942–1967)

During the 1940s and the 1960s, the two teams reigned exclusively as Stanley Cup champions during the decade, with the exception of 1961, which was won by the Chicago Black Hawks.[12] The rivalry between the two teams picked up in 1946, when assistant manager Frank J. Selke left the Maple Leafs to become the general manager of the Canadiens; having left the Maple Leafs organization partly due to ongoing tensions between himself and their managing director, Conn Smythe.[13]

The rivalry perhaps reached its zenith in the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals during the centennial year of Canadian Confederation, and the year Montreal was hosting Expo 67.[14] An exhibit space had been prepared for the Stanley Cup at the expo's Quebec pavilion, as the Canadiens were expected to beat the Leafs quite handily.[14][15] However, underdog Toronto upset the Canadiens to capture their most recent Cup;[14] with the team opting to exhibit the Stanley Cup at the expo's Ontario pavilion instead.[16]

Expansion and modern era (1967–present)

After 1967, the rivalry cooled slightly due to NHL expansion and realignment. The fanbases of both teams began to erode somewhat: new franchises in Vancouver (the Canucks), Calgary (the Flames), Edmonton (the Oilers) and Winnipeg (the Jets) captured the allegiances of Canadians in Western Canada, while the Quebec Nordiques competed with the Canadiens for the loyalties of Quebecers from 1979 to 1995.

From 1981 to 1998, Toronto and Montreal were in opposite conferences – the Maple Leafs in the Clarence Campbell/Western Conference and the Canadiens in the Prince of Wales/Eastern Conference. The fortunes of the two teams since 1967 have also seen a marked difference; the Habs have won ten Stanley Cup championships since that year, while the Maple Leafs have yet to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Toronto came close to reaching the Finals in 1993, where they would have faced the Wales Conference champion Habs in the 100th anniversary year of the Stanley Cup.[17] However, they were narrowly defeated in the Campbell Conference Finals by the Los Angeles Kings.[18] At the 1994 NHL All-Star Game in New York City the following January, however, the then-starting goaltenders of the two teams—Montreal's Patrick Roy and Toronto's Felix Potvin — were the starting goalies, Potvin substituting for future Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour. The Eastern Conference, coached by the Canadiens' Jacques Demers, won the game, 9–8.

On May 29, 1992, Pat Burns resigned as the Canadiens head coach and was hired as the Maple Leafs head coach that same day, adding more fuel to the fire.[19] Burns coached the Canadiens to the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Calgary Flames in six games.[20] However, he would win the Stanley Cup as coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2003.[20]

In 1998, the Leafs moved into the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division.[21] This has served to rekindle the rivalry, although the two teams have yet to appear in a playoff series against each other.[21] For the Maple Leafs, this realignment also put them in the same division as the Ottawa Senators, their in-province rivals.[21]

21st century

The Canadiens and Maple Leafs take a face-off to begin the 2008–09 season.

Although the two teams have not met in the post-season since 1979, the two teams have eliminated the other from Stanley Cup playoffs contention on occasion; with the Canadiens eliminating the Maple Leafs from the playoffs during the 2005–06 season, and the Maple Leafs returning the favour the following season.[13]

Another realignment in 2013 kept the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Senators in the same division, now going by the Atlantic Division name (the old Atlantic Division was renamed the Metropolitan Division).

On October 14, 2017, the Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens 4–3 in overtime, ending a record-breaking 14-game losing streak against their rivals dating back over three years to January 18, 2014.[22][23] It was also their first win in Montreal in over four years, stretching back to October 1, 2013.[24]

Cultural impact

From the early to mid-20th century, professional ice hockey was viewed as one of the few "battlefields" where French Canadians could excel against English-speaking Canadians.[25] Because of this, the Montreal Canadiens had developed rivalries with several hockey clubs, in which the teams were linked to larger class, linguistic, and religious divisions in the country.[26] Prior to the Original Six era, the Canadiens had developed rivalries with the Montreal Wanderers (1903–1918), and the Montreal Maroons (1924–1938); with francophone hockey fans in Montreal supporting the Canadiens, and anglophone hockey fans in Montreal supporting the latter two teams prior to them folding.[26]

During the Original Six-era, the rivalry between the Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs found itself linked to these societal issues, with the two teams representing a myriad of Canadian societal dualities.[26] In addition to the cities and provinces the teams were based in, the Canadiens found itself associated with French Canada, and historically to Roman Catholicism and les Patriotes; whereas the Maple Leafs found itself as the stand-in for English-speaking Canada, and historically for Protestantism and the United Empire Loyalists.[26][27][28] The rivalry has been called a "microcosm of Canadian society," given the two teams' association with the two solitudes of Canada.[26] However, the rivalry between the two hockey clubs became less associated with these cultural dualities after the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s; mirroring the rise of a more equitable society in Quebec, and as the economic situation improved for francophones.[26]

Roch Carrier at age 10, in a Maple Leafs sweater that served as the inspiration for The Hockey Sweater

The Canadiens-Maple Leafs rivalry plays a role in the children's book The Hockey Sweater, in which the protagonist, a Canadiens fan and presumably author Roch Carrier as a child, is forced to wear a Leafs sweater. In 1980, the story was adapted into an animated short, The Sweater, by the National Film Board of Canada.

The rivalry is also featured in the murals of Toronto's College subway station, in a work by Charles Pachter called Hockey Knights in Canada, in which the Leafs are depicted on the southbound side mural and the Canadiens are depicted on the northbound side mural. The two murals are installed appropriately in opposition, with one facing the other across the subway tracks. The Montreal Canadiens is on the northbound side of the station, while another mural of the Maple Leafs stands directly across from it on southbound side of the station. College station is the closest station to Maple Leaf Gardens, the Maple Leafs home arena from 1931 to 1999.

Playoff results

The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have met in the playoffs 15 times. To date, Montreal has won eight playoff series while Toronto has won seven. Scores of games won by the series winning team are in bold.

Season Round Result Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7
1917–18NHL Championship[lower-alpha 1]Toronto 10–7 3–7 3–4
1924–25NHL Championship[lower-alpha 1]Montreal 5–2 3–2 2–0
1943–44SemifinalMontreal 4–1 3–1 1–5 2–1 4–1 0–11
1944–45SemifinalToronto 4–2 1–0 3–2 4–1 3–4 3–10 2–3
1946–47FinalToronto 4–2 0–6 4–0 2–4 1–2 1–3 1–2
1950–51FinalToronto 4–1 2–3 3–2 2–1 3–2 2–3
1958–59FinalMontreal 4–1 3–5 1–3 2–3 3–2 3–5
1959–60FinalMontreal 4–0 2–4 1–2 5–2 4–0
1962–63SemifinalToronto 4–1 1–3 2–3 2–0 1–3 0–5
1963–64SemifinalToronto 4–3 0–2 2–1 3–2 3–5 2–4 0–3 3–1
1964–65SemifinalMontreal 4–2 2–3 1–3 2–3 2–4 1–3 4–3
1965–66SemifinalMontreal 4–0 3–4 0–2 5–2 4–1
1966–67FinalToronto 4–2 2–6 3–0 2–3 6–2 4–1 1–3
1977–78SemifinalMontreal 4–0 3–5 2–3 6–1 2–0
1978–79QuarterfinalMontreal 4–0 2–5 1–5 4–3 5–4

See also

Notes

  1. The NHL Championship was a series from 1918 to 1926, whose winner was determined by the total number of goals scored. The winner of the NHL Championship advanced to Stanley Cup Finals. From 1914 to 1926, the Stanley Cup Finals operated as a championship series for a number of professional hockey leagues in North America.
  2. The Maple Leafs franchise did not have an official name for its first season of play, but were informally called "the Blueshirts," or "the Torontos" during the 1917–18 season.

References

  1. "Toronto Vs Montreal: The Struggle for Financial Hegemony, 1860–1875". Canadian Historical Review. 22 (2): 133. June 1941. doi:10.3138/CHR-022-02-02.
  2. White 1996, p. 108.
  3. Wiggins & Rogers 2012, p. 175.
  4. White 1996, p. 247–249.
  5. Relph 2013, p. 1.
  6. Harper, Stephen J. (2014). A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs & the Rise of Professional Hockey. Simon and Schuster. p. 118–119. ISBN 9781476716541.
  7. Shea & Wilson 2016, p. 7.
  8. Holzman & Nieforth 2002, p. 159.
  9. Holzman & Nieforth 2002, p. 197.
  10. "Toronto Maple Leafs - Canadiens rivalry". Club de hockey Canadien, Inc. 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  11. Wiggins & Rogers 2012, p. 182.
  12. Cole 2004, p. 52
  13. Wiggins 2012, p. 177.
  14. Cole 2004, p. 71
  15. Cole 2004, p. 68
  16. Stubbs, Dave (October 21, 2013). "Stanley's cup broke Habs' string". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia Network.
  17. Cole 2004, p. 127
  18. Dillman, Lisa (May 30, 1993). "Game 7 Victory Is a Great One Hockey". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  19. Cox, Damien (May 30, 1992). "Habs' Burns to coach Leafs". Toronto Star. p. A1.
  20. Frei, Terry (June 10, 2003). "Devils in heaven Brodeur's shutout nets NHL title". The Denver Post. p. D01.
  21. Shoalts, David (December 3, 1997). "Leafs get wish to play Habs more". The Globe and Mail. p. S1.
  22. "Matthews pots OT winner as Leafs end 14-game winless run against Habs". CBC. Canada. October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  23. "A look back at the last time the Leafs beat the Canadiens". www.thescore.com.
  24. "Auston Matthews nets OT winner as Toronto Maple Leafs edge Montreal Canadiens 4-3". National Post. Canada. October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  25. Sarkonak, Ralph (1983). "Accentuating the Differences". Yale French Studies. Yale University Press: 4.
  26. Duerr, Glen M. E. (2016). "Playing for the "Bleu et Blanc" or for the Habs: Ice Hockey and Québécois Nationalism". Central European Journal of Canadian Studies. 10 (29): 22. ISSN 2336-4556.
  27. Wiggins & Rogers 2012, p. 176.
  28. Cucinelli, Guiliana; PickupIfirst2=David (2008). "The Don of Hockey: Making Comments and Offers We Can'tt Refuse". Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education. 12 (1): 38.

Further reading

  • McKinley, Michael (2009). Hockey: A People's History. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 9780771057717.
  • Relph, Edward (2013). Toronto: Transformation in a City and Its Region. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812209184.
  • White, Randall (1996). Ontario 1610–1985. Dundurn. ISBN 9781554882557.
  • Wiggins, David K.; Rogers, Pierre (2012). Rivals: Legendary Matchups That Made Sports History. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 9781610753494.
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