'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour, aka "Killer," is hopeful of the Toronto Maple Leafs reaching the Stanley Cup finals and bringing the cup to Canada.
This year, four Canadian teams — the Vancouver Canucks, Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets — have secured a spot in the postseason for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Canadian hockey legends like Doug Gilmour, Grant Fuhr and Lanny McDonald are hopeful that a team from Canada will break the long 31-year Stanley Cup drought this year.
They're rooting for one of the four teams in the playoffs to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada after a long period without a championship. Since the Montreal Canadiens' triumph in 1993, no Canadian team has lifted the Stanley Cup.
Gilmour, who had a 20-year career with 13 seasons spent playing for Canadian teams, expressed his thoughts on the possibility of a Canadian team winning the Stanley Cup.
The Canadian hockey legend expressed his hope to see the Toronto Maple Leafs lift the Stanley Cup in June (via NHL.com):
"If the Maple Leafs win it, I’ll be watching on TV. It’s their turn. Hopefully, they can get it done. “I want Toronto to get there,” he said of who he’d like to see lifting the Stanley Cup in June. “On the other side, I’ve got to go with the best player.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the NHL's second-most successful franchise, with 13 Stanley Cup championships. However, it has been 56 years that the Maple Leafs faithful have been waiting for their 14th title.
The last time the Leafs clinched the Cup was in 1967, when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games, marking the last championship of the "Original Six" era.
It's worth noting that the Toronto Maple Leafs hold the longest ongoing Stanley Cup drought. Apart from the Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers are another team from Canada predicted by analysts and fans to make a deep playoff run.
Toronto Maple Leafs will be up against arch-rivals Boston Bruins in Round 1 of 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs
The Maple Leafs qualified for the postseason after finishing third in the Atlantic Division with 102 points. They will be up against one of their biggest and "Original Six" rivals, the Boston Bruins, in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Bruins, who qualified for the playoffs after finishing seven points above the Leafs in the Atlantic Division, will have home advantage in the series. The Bruins will host four of seven games at home if the series heads to Game 7.
The two teams have met 16 times and are 8-8 in the playoffs. Game 1 between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
