Unable to close the deal on home ice, the Toronto Maple Leafs are back in Tampa Bay Saturday night for Game 6 of their playoff series against the Lightning.
Will the Leafs finally get past the first round of the playoffs — something the team hasn't accomplished since way back in 2004? Ron MacLean, host of Hockey Night in Canada, thinks this is the year.
Why? Because the team has loaded up on former captains who know how to lead.
"You think of how Toronto has slowly built," said MacLean, on the latest episode of Village Media's Inside the Village podcast. "John Tavares, captain of the Islanders; Mark Giordano, captain of the Calgary Flames for all those years; Alex Kerfoot, captain at Harvard University; Ryan O'Reilly, captain of the St. Louis Blues. They've brought in all those leaders and I think that's what has helped make them for real."
Real enough to reach the second round? We'll find out soon.
You can watch MacLean's full podcast interview HERE.
Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.
Every episode is available on this news site /insidethevillage. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.
You can reach us at [email protected].
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