The Toronto Maple Leafs will enter the season knowing that they outplayed both of their last three playoff opponents, and that two of those teams still went on to play in the Finals.
Sure, the Toronto Maple Leafs could focus on the fact that they’ve failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs for six straight seasons, but what would be the point?
Sports are built around myths and delusion.
The biggest one, if you’re a hockey fan, is the veneration of whatever happens during seven games at the star of May over what happened in the preceding 82 games.