In How Many Series Would You Say The Leafs Have Choked?

[John Mandalorian]

2018 --> we got whooped this series. Itwas like 2013. We were down 3-1 and then bruins go on their patented game 5 and 6 choke job giving leafs hope after some great goaltending from andersen. Game 7 leafs blow a 4-3 lead in 2 mins on a 4 v 4 with shit goaltending and defenseive play. Still leafs should have lost this in 5



We choked 5 of the 8 options

To your credit, you're not denying it for several years. But this idea of blaming the Leafs' game 7 choke on the Bruins' games 5-6 choke is some serious mental contortion.

 

[CN8]

For me it seems like they choke cause of the drop off in play from their stars

 

[MoneyManny]

It's tough to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory harder than they did in 2021. If i cheered for the Leafs it definitely would have been the darkest moment for me.

 

[Albatros]

They had no business losing in '21, other than that nothing.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Every team has choked at some point.

 

[Frank Drebin]

2013, 2020, 2021

 

[Incognito]

5/8 of those series
17, 18, 19, 21, 22

2017 definitely wasn’t a choke. Washington was the President’s Trophy winner and the Leafs got the final wildcard spot. Matthews (19 years old), Marner (19 years old) and Nylander (20 years old) were all rookies. Washington won the series in six games, with all of them being one goal games and five of them going to overtime. If anything, Toronto performed better than expected in that particular series.

 

[Johnny Tomala]

2020, 2021, 2024

 

[hardcorehabs]

2025 .......................... stay tuned

That'd damn near as sweet as a Stanley Cup for me

 

[Hockeyville USA]

They choked in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 most definitely. Choked in 2025 to some degree as well, especially since they were up 2-0 in the series, up 3-1 in Game 3.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 imo.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

2020 and 2021 are the only ones I can say they had no business losing.

Maybe 2022 as well, but that was Tampa in their prime.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

2020 and 2021 are the only ones I can say they had no business losing.

Maybe 2022 as well, but that was Tampa in their prime.

Depends on what you define "choking" as. They choked up 3-2 in the series in 2019 and 2022 against Boston and Tampa. They weren't clearly the better team, but you're supposed to win a series when up 3-2. 2022 Tampa just dug in a bit more (helped by Vasilevskiy going god mode in Game 6 OT and all of Game 7), especially after Point got hurt in Game 7, but the Leafs outplayed the Lightning in that series.

2021 is generational choking, 2020 is mild choking. The 2020 Leafs weren't even that good compared to Columbus.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I remember that game 6 against Tampa in 2022 where they dominated OT, like really dominated it to the point where it felt inevitable they were gonna win. Then Brayden Point and his linemates came down on one rush and scored to force 7.

 

[Coffee]

Every team has choked at some point.

There’s literally 8 active teams that have not

 

[ole ole]

Sorry but i lost count.

 

[GoldenSeal]

There’s literally 8 active teams that have not

Only one won't .. this year. And this is played every year for over a hundred years, so no, each and every team has choked at some point.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

For simplicity's sake I just chose 'all'... they choked a lot.

 

[Coffee]

Only one won't .. this year. And this is played every year for over a hundred years, so no, each and every team has choked at some point.

When has St Louis choked post lockout ?

 

[AvroArrow]

For simplicity's sake I just chose 'all'... they choked a lot.

How ? Lol they were the underdogs in every single series except Columbus/Montreal

17' - cores rookie years vs Prime Washington
18' - Sophomore year vs Prime Boston, Bergeron, Chara, Marchand, Rask, Pastrnak, Krejci
19' - See above, Prime Boston again
20' - Absolute choke job vs Columbus
21' - Absolute choke job vs Montreal
22' - lost in 7 to Prime Tampa Bay with some extremely questionable calls in games 6 and 7
23' - lost to Prime Florida
24' - Matthews and Nylander missed multiple games with injuries vs Boston, lost in 7

Now this year '25, Threw away a 2-0 series lead and failed to show up for the 2 most important games on home ice. Game 5 and 7. They were the underdogs, maybe it's a choke ? I call it a disappointment rather than a choke, losing to the defending champs in game 7, a humiliating game 7

Now although most of those series aren't choke jobs, even as the underdog you expect the team to win at least 1 of those game 7s.

There has been numerous disappointing series but I don't see how anyone can say losing to prime Boston, prime Tampa, prime Florida is "choking"

I don't think a lot of people know what "choking" means in terms of sports.