Never in a million years did I believe I’d be writing that sentence and having it be true. From the moment a pre-teen Tavares burst on the scene as a youth hockey phenom in Toronto’s GTHL, speculation swirled around whether his hometown Leafs would ever manage to bring him home.
It took 9 years, but it happened. It finally happened.
It’s not a stretch to posit that July 1st, 2018 is the biggest day in Toronto Maple Leafs history. This is a franchise whose Stanley Cup drought began as the NHL upgraded its total number of teams into double digits and has lasted ever since.