Back in the second round of the 2002 playoffs, my then-colleague David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail wrote one of the all-time greatest leads by penning the following: “The Ottawa Senators have 48 hours to prove to everyone they’re not a bunch of choking dogs.” The Senators had failed to close out the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of their series, then proved to be a gaggle of gagging canines by losing 3-0 to Toronto in the deciding game.
Which brings us to the most bizarre qualifying series of this year’s playoffs, featuring the Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets.