Original subtitles

[birds tweeting]

[traffic ambience]

[tense music playing]

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] 195th Game 7 in NHL playoff history is underway.

[streetcar clanging]

[Nylander] I think the tough part is, you know,

we had the lead in Game 7.

[announcer] They lost the puck.

He got tripped. Centered the pass!

And they score!

And then gave it up, I don't know, a minute or two later.

[announcer] Lindholm scores!

[broadcaster] We go to overtime in Game 7.

[announcer] Lindholm, right wing, corner. Pastrňák is there!

He scores!

What a disappointing end for the Leafs.

[Nylander] We have come up short a lot of the time.

And that has been very frustrating.

[Blackburn] For the last ten years, the Toronto Maple Leafs

have been defined by two things.

Regular season success...

[announcer] Once again William Nylander-- Scores!

[crowd cheering]

[Blackburn] ...and playoff shortcomings.

[announcer 1] On the outside. Johansson scores!

[announcer 2] Major disappointment once again

for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They will go another season without winning a playoff series.

Literal heartbreak and disappointment at the end of every year.

[Nurse] In a huge hockey mecca like Toronto is,

that simply isn't good enough.

This team fucking sucks. No passion.

Different year, same shit.

[Blackburn] At the helm for it all has been team president Brendan Shanahan.

Our playoff results have not been good enough.

That's on me.

There has not been a single day

that I've been working here for the Toronto Maple Leafs

where I haven't felt pressure.

[broadcaster] Unless something wild happens in the playoffs this year,

why should I be on Team Shanahan? You haven't done anything for us.

[Blackburn] Shanahan's design to bring the Leafs

back to the mountaintop has required patience.

In a hockey city, that just doesn't happen.

[announcer] Oh!

[Redmond] This season, the eyeballs will start to shift

to Brendan Shanahan if things don't go the way that they need to go.

[announcer] Nylander scores!

[Shanahan] The big thing and the first thing is always win.

[announcer] Are you watching this?

[Shanahan] But you can't spend time trying to keep your job.

You have to just spend time trying to do your job.

[crowd cheering]

[distant traffic ambience]

-[sticks slapping ice] -[whistles blow]

[player 1] Let's go!

No, no, no!

Heads up.

Here, Patch!

-Does that bother you? -[player 2] Nice play.

[whistle blows]

[Shanahan] When you're fortunate in life to find jobs that you're passionate about,

that are meaningful to you, it's a combination of excitement and fear.

[player] Go, go, go, go, go!

[Shanahan] The mixture of those two feelings

are usually when I say yes to a job.

[player] Nice play.

[Shanahan] And any time you can be in a market like Toronto,

where they love their hockey, it's where you want to be.

It's what helps motivate me, honestly.

[camera shutters click]

[Blackburn] Being president of the Toronto Maple Leafs

is basically like being the president of a small country.

This team means so much to the fans in this city.

There is a responsibility here.

[Blackburn] That's how big the fan base is.

That's how much pull and influence the job brings,

and that's how much pressure you face holding that office.

That seat is hot.

-Thinner string was actually better. -[man] Okay.

[Bissonnette] That's the pressure cooker.

President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, that's as intense as it gets.

[camera shutters clicking]

[Shanahan] I feel really lucky to be a retired hockey player

and to still have that same feeling of passion to do a job.

[Blackburn] Brendan Shanahan accomplished a lot as a player.

He's an NHL legend.

[announcer] Shanahan-- Shanahan scores!

Brendan Shanahan!

And then the puck is put in.

Brendan Shanahan. That's number 600.

He was as hard-nosed as they came.

[announcer 1] He is hot under the collar, the Irishman tonight.

[announcer 2] This is a pretty good battle right here.

Shanahan bulldogs him down.

[announcer 1] Whoa!

[Bissonnette] And he's a Stanley Cup champion,

so he knows what it takes to hoist it.

Let me welcome the new president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,

Brendan Shanahan.

[applause]

[Blackburn] In 2014, Brendan Shanahan is named

president of the Maple Leafs.

This is a fan base and an organization

that has not seen a Stanley Cup since 1967.

[announcer] Here's a pass in front of the net-- They score!

It's 2-nothing in favor of the Panthers.

It's the second shot on goal.

[Redmond] Before Shanahan got there, the Leafs were a total dumpster fire.

[announcer] And the booing has started here at the Air Canada Center.

[Redmond] Those were dark times.

There's no doubt in my mind what our fans want.

We need to have results here.

[Blackburn] And Shanahan's vision to bring glory back to Toronto

is dubbed "The Shanaplan."

Ah, the Shanaplan.

The Shanaplan.

The "Shanaplan."

I don't think I've ever used that word in a sentence.

There have been jokes about this team for decades.

We're determined to change that.

We want people to be proud of being Maple Leafs fans,

not being ashamed of it.

The plan is just a simple one.

The plan is just to try to build a team capable of winning a Stanley Cup,

and then winning a Stanley Cup.

We don't want to do this slowly.

We're just telling people the realistic expectation

is that usually these things take time.

[man] Toronto is proud and happy to select William Nylander.

[Blackburn] It's built basically around homegrown talent

in terms of who they've drafted.

[man] I'm proud to announce Mitch Marner.

For Toronto's first pick, Auston Matthews.

[crowd cheers]

[Blackburn] Also, some big-ticket signings.

[announcer] John Tavares ties it up!

But the core four was the base of the Shanaplan.

[announcer] Nylander steals it right back.

Nylander works his way in. Scores!

[Blackburn] Willy Nylander, Auston Matthews,

John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

[announcer] Shot-- They score!

Another of the core four scoring for the Leafs.

[Redmond] Prior to Shanahan's arrival,

they were always trying to shortcut their way there.

Let's get some aging superstar at the trade deadline,

and that's gonna do it for us.

So when Shanahan came in and started talking like that,

it felt like things were going to be different.

But we're quite a few years into the Shanaplan now,

and, um, there's no Cup.

[announcer] Justin Williams has a lane. In, shoots.

His stick was out, scores!

And the Washington Capitals take it in six.

Weaving his way along is Marchand.

He scores!

[Blackburn] Under Shanahan's watch,

they've made the playoffs for eight straight years,

but they've only won one series.

[announcer] And this one is over.

The Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs

in Game 7 again.

[Blackburn] As the losses pile up,

it becomes more of an indictment on the players

that Brendan Shanahan has assembled.

[announcer] They fall short again.

Where do the Leafs go from here?

Who knows? This could be the last time we have this group,

which I hope isn't the case.

But, I mean, I think it's just time to go.

[sticks slapping ice]

[player] Nice handle!

And all of us are stepping into our primes right now

and, I mean, you only get so many cracks at it.

[player] Let's go, baby.

[Bissonnette] There's no reason these guys can't hoist the Stanley Cup.

They got to figure this thing out and figure it out quick.

[dramatic music playing]

[player] Whoa!

[Shanahan] Look, I know more than anybody

when it doesn't go well at the end of the year,

we feel like dying.

And I know the fans feel like dying

because I remember feeling like dying when I was a kid.

[birds tweeting]

[dog barking distantly]

This is it.

So it looks a lot different, but actually, it's still very much the same.

[uplifting music playing]

This is our living room.

This is where we had all our Christmas dinners and Thanksgiving dinners.

I grew up in Mimico,

which is not too far from our practice rink.

My dad was a fireman.

My mom babysat kids in the neighborhood

to make a little extra money for us so that we could play in sports.

This hallway seemed a lot bigger, a lot longer.

We had, like, in my memory,

like, unbelievable hockey games and tournaments

and neat hockey games in this hallway.

Being the youngest of four Irish boys in a family like that,

in a working-class neighborhood,

I would say it's like one step removed from being raised by wolves.

This was our-- The one bathroom we had in the house.

Number one: never put the light out here

when you've got older brothers that like to tease.

We never, ever had a lock on the door, so...

uh, when the door was closed and company was over,

a brother would just do that, do that and walk.

And you'd be-- And you...

Whatever you were doing, you were in no-man's-land.

You were-- You were kind of screwed.

[announcer] Here's Sittler back to Salming.

Scores!

[Shanahan] The Leafs were kind of the one thing

that would pull us all in one room.

And for a lot of people in Canada, and specifically Ontario,

Maple Leafs were something you just sort of inherited.

[announcer] McDonald-- He scores!

[Shanahan] It was everything.

You'd be high with the wins, and you'd be like real low with the losses.

But once you got over the pain of a loss,

there was never any question about where you'd be

or where your loyalties would be coming back for the next year.

Still to this day, the memories are really thick.

I just try to imagine what it would be like to win here.

Just imagine, what if?

[Nylander] I'm really good at testing chairs.

[sighs]

[Blackburn] Brendan Shanahan takes the job in 2014,

and his first big move is drafting Willy Nylander.

[announcer 1] William Nylander shoots. He scores!

And the kid has his first National Hockey League goal.

[announcer 2] What a great moment for what the Leafs hope

will be a great player for a long time.

[Blackburn] I would say William Nylander is kind of this symbol of the Shanaplan.

Drafted high, and there's a lot of expectation,

and you're asked to be patient.

[Nylander] I need everything, I feel like.

-[man] That's what we love to hear. -Yeah.

[Blackburn] That patience was eventually rewarded,

and we've seen the player that Willy has been able to develop into.

[announcer] Picked up by Nylander.

Johansson defending.

Nylander tries and scores!

One of the things that sets him apart is his ability to shut things off.

[announcer 1] Nylander-- And he scores.

[announcer 2] William Nylander with a lightning strike overtime winner.

Shanahan gives Nylander a gigantic eight-year,

$92 million contract extension.

That is the largest valued contract in the history of the Maple Leafs.

[man] Yeah, baby!

People have said I was gonna get traded and stuff and, you know, I'm still here.

So, uh, he's believed in me throughout the entire process,

which, uh, I really appreciate.

Usually my mom does the furniture shopping.

My mom would be the one that you should be doing this with.

-When's her show coming out? -Yeah.

[Shanahan] I've just seen too many players that got quit on too early,

and they go and they win their Stanley Cups

for other organizations.

I don't know if I'd fit both of these, but maybe one.

-Go ask your mom. -Yeah.

-[laughs] -Mom, is this okay?

Mom, can I get this?

You know, I'm confident in what I bring to the table for the team.

So it just shows that we both believe in the same thing.

How do you like the cameras?

-They're fine. -Yeah.

-Fuck you guys. -[laughter]

He's proven he's kind of the perfect star to play in that market.

-Thank you so much. -Yeah, of course. Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you too. -See you again.

Yes, we'll see you later.

Get the fuck out of my face. [laughs]

[announcer] Scores!

William Nylander with the tip.

[Blackburn] William Nylander had a great regular season.

[players] Yeah!

[Blackburn] He had 45 goals, which is a career high for him.

[announcer] And Nylander has 45.

[players cheering]

The Maple Leafs were the second best team in their conference this season.

They won the division, and they were set up nicely

for home ice through two rounds in the playoffs.

We've had a great team for a lot of years in the regular season.

Just having a struggle, figuring out in the playoffs.

[announcer] Looking for Knies. Backhand, he scores!

But this year, we have changed our system.

[announcer] Here comes Max Domi on the breakaway.

And... scores!

This team feels different than the past.

[Blackburn] They brought in some-- Some guys that changed the identity

of what the Leafs had been for years prior.

[announcer] Shoots! Stolarz, a clean glove save!

And when you bring someone like Craig Berube into the mix,

somebody that's won a Stanley Cup,

you have legitimate hope that there can be a shift in the culture.

Our attitude's not fucking good, I'm telling you right now.

We're not fucking digging in enough.

We're not direct enough. We're fucking soft.

[Blackburn] Given the regular season body of work,

I think that Brendan Shanahan got a lot of credit.

Whether it was behind the bench, whether it was on the ice,

they seemed to really acknowledge what they were lacking in previous runs.

I'm high on them this year. It's hard not to be.

[broadcaster] If you can't be optimistic about this Leafs team,

when are you ever optimistic?

[Shanahan] When I came in, in 2014, I knew it was years away.

This year, I would count us as one of the teams that's capable of doing it.

[brakes squealing]

So this was our church and our school.

That's my seventh grade class, my eighth grade class.

But that's the last thing that they've kept.

They knocked down all the rest.

I'll show you guys one more thing that I think is still there.

Yeah, there it is.

It's amazing that, you know, 40 years later, it's still there.

But my dad came pulling up, and he saw me doing this thing.

And, uh...

he didn't like it.

He didn't like that I was...

as he called it, graffiti.

He said man's ambitions must be small to write his name upon a wall.

My father was large in my life because he was so present.

He was the guy that was bringing me to the rinks,

especially the early practices.

[wistful music playing]

Hockey wasn't his sport growing up, but it became his sport.

He supported the Maple Leafs. He was a fan.

And, uh, he was in front of the TV for every game.

He died of Alzheimer's disease, but he started to kind of go

when I was 14 or 15.

By the time I was, you know, in the NHL,

he really had forgotten what my name was.

You wanted to share the good times with them,

but you also wanted to share, uh, some of the harder times.

And as much as I had mentors once I got into junior hockey and the NHL,

the foundation was really-- It came from home.

[radio broadcaster] It's playoff time. We got to talk series predictions.

It's the Battle of Ontario.

We haven't had this in a what, two decades?

Battle of Ontario in the playoffs.

Battle of Ontario took over everything when I was a kid.

The hatred was palpable between the two teams.

[announcer 1] Now all the Leafs poured in the Ottawa bench.

[announcer 2] Look at this hit.

[player] Heads up! Hang on!

[Blackburn] Most people who aren't Maple Leafs fans

hate the Maple Leafs to begin with,

but Senators fans might hate them a little extra.

[player] What a fucking play!

[Tkachuk] We're the underdog in Ontario.

You know, they're under way more pressure than we are.

[broadcaster] If they don't win this series,

there's gonna be a full referendum on the core four, on Shanahan,

the Shanaplan, all that kind of stuff.

[Tkachuk] They don't like me, and we don't like them.

It's fun when you get booed.

[fans] Brady sucks!

Brady sucks!

[crowd cheering]

[announcer 1] A true battle comes in the form of a best of seven,

and it starts with Game 1.

Leafs, Senators, long overdue.

[announcer 2] Marner scores!

[announcer 3] Catches the defense now.

[announcer 4] Nylander fires. Scores!

[crowd cheers]

[horn blares]

Great atmosphere for sure. That's what playoffs is all about.

[announcer 2] We will go to overtime in Game 2.

Drops for Domi.

He's through! Domi scores!

[Domi] Yeah!

[announcer 2] Max Domi's the overtime hero in Game 2!

Let's fucking do it!

Good job, baby. Hell of a game.

[Berube] Just keep fucking playing.

We're gonna be at home. It's gonna be a shit show.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] And here we go to overtime in back-to-back games.

[crowd] Go, Sens, go! Go, Sens, go!

[announcer] The Canadian Tire Centre's rocking.

Shotgun, long!

Scores!

Simon Benoit is a hero in Ottawa!

[player 1] Are you kidding me?

[player 2] Benoit! Benoit!

[player 3] You are so fucking clutch, baby!

[announcer] Three-game-to-zero lead.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have stunned this crowd.

[man] Holy fuck, they are begging to go home, boys.

[Blackburn] They're playing tough. They don't look scared.

It's hard not to feel like it's different for the Leafs.

[reporter] This is totally...

If we lose, we go home, so our backs are up against the wall.

And like I said, it's--

You're never out of it in a series.

I mean...

it's gonna be a big one.

[announcer 1] The Maple Leafs trying to do something

that they've not been very good at, and that is finishing off an opponent.

[announcer 2] Comes around the wall, gets knocked back.

[announcer 2] Over Sanderson. He shoots, he scores!

In overtime!

For Ottawa, the Senators are still alive.

[player 1] Fuck, yes!

[player 2] Foot on the fucking pedal here!

[Blackburn] When Ottawa regained Game 4,

there's way more sweat involved for Toronto

than there would be for 31 other teams in the entire NHL.

[announcer 3] Cousins charging the net.

Cousins! Shot...

Scores!

[player] Fuck, yes!

Fuck, yes! Hey! Let's go.

And then the Senators win Game 5, and boy, panic starts to set in

in a way that would not happen to any other team.

[crowd cheering]

[crowd cheering]

[announcer 1] Game 6 for Toronto and Ottawa.

After two chances to clinch, the Leafs haven't done it yet.

[announcer 2] There is enormous pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs

to finish it off in this game and not bring it to Game 7 in Toronto.

[bell tolls]

[announcer 1] Here we go, Game 6 underway.

[player shouts]

[man] Are you kidding me?

[announcer 1] Nylander... Auston Matthews.

Along the ice. He scores!

On the power play, and it's 1-nothing Toronto.

Here's William Nylander from the dot with a shot.

And he scores!

Fuck yeah, Will! Attababy!

-[player 1] Great shot. -[player 2] Great fucking job.

[Shanahan] The feeling when we were going into Ottawa for Game 6,

we just wanted to get back to playing the way we expected ourselves to play.

[announcer 2] And it's 2-nothing in the opening minute of the second.

[announcer 1] Nylander and Tavares are out there,

along with Lorentz.

Chabot...

[announcer 2] Scores!

Brady Tkachuk got a piece.

Let's go!

[announcer 2] And Ottawa, back within one.

Hey, we got life!

[announcer 1] Around the outside on Knies.

Here's Perron.

-He scores! -[crowd cheers]

Game 6 is tied!

[player] We're winning this game, boys! We're winning this game!

Honestly, when we scored that tying goal, I thought it was meant to be.

We come back, make it 3-3, go to Game 7 in Toronto,

and who knows what could happen?

[suspenseful music playing]

[announcer 1] Domi finds the loose puck. Still with it.

Sets up Pacioretty...

They score!

And it's 3-2 Toronto.

[player] That's it. That's it, boys. Fucking right. Patchy!

[announcer 2] What a response by the Leafs.

Berube and his team trying to hang on

to a one-goal lead.

[announcer 1] Sanderson... blocked down.

The Leafs get it out. Willy!

Now you've got it, Willy! Now you've got it!

Scores!

[crowd cheers]

William Nylander...

puts it away.

And the Toronto Maple Leafs get the job done in six games.

And they're headed to round two to face the Florida Panthers.

[player] Onto the fucking net!

Nice fucking job, buddy.

Was an honor playing with you... yeah.

[Tkachuk] I mean, it's devastating. Um...

[sniffles]

I really believed, and...

Yeah, it's-- It's a tough pill to swallow right now.

And all of a sudden, it happens like that. Snap your fingers and your season's done.

I don't want to continue to see my, you know, my dream fly by.

[clapping and excited chatter]

Best game of the fucking series. We were aggressive. We were all over.

That's one round.

That's one round. Hell of a job by you guys tonight.

Enjoy it. I'll give you the day off tomorrow, boys.

[all cheer and applaud]

We're going to round two!

This isn't the Leafs of the past! This is fucking different!

You see this shit? You see what it means to this city?

[man] How are you feeling, Brendan?

Happy.

Round one. On to the next one.

[Nylander] It's nice. I'm just happy about the win.

And we're, you know, on to Florida now.

[man] You don't seem that excited.

No, I'm excited, but, you know, it's...

Got a long way to go still.

[indistinct chatter]

[Nylander] What do you want for lunch?

You order for me.

Rigatoni rosé.

Perfect.

[Nylander] When my family's here and, you know, supporting me,

it's just so much fun having them here.

These two guys, they really grew up with the game around them.

And having this career he has in Toronto is amazing.

And I think they've grown as a team.

Since he came into the league with Matthews and Marner,

they're now one of the contenders of, uh, winning.

[Nylander] He's always been a very loving and caring dad,

but can be intense.

You know, like any parent wants the best for their kids,

and obviously helped me and my brother get to the point

where we're at today.

[Alex] Nice to stay in the same city too,

because you were moving around a couple of times.

[Michael] Exactly.

No, but staying in the same city means, you know,

when you become like a franchise player.

And I think, you know, playing in Canada

in these type of markets is challenging.

But, you know...

the fans here wants to win, and that's the bottom line.

[Nylander] Growing up, he was...

you know, not really there a lot of the time.

[announcer] Shanahan shoots, save. Rebound, score!

Michael Nylander.

[Nylander] Very few times I remember

that he would be able to come to a practice or a game,

and when he could, would be very special.

But now, I think he's given all that back from all the times that he missed.

Gives you a little extra boost.

Thank you very much. Appreciate it. That was awesome.

-[Michael] Thank you. -[Alex] Bye-bye. See you.

[car horn blares]

[Shanahan] Game days for us are different than when I was a player.

You know, I would feel nerves before playing a hockey game.

And you learn how to deal with it.

You use it as fuel.

But then when you're in management...

you're almost like...

like the fans that are just invested in the game.

There's nowhere for that energy, that nervous energy to go.

And you're just waiting for it to start.

But, uh...

Yeah, sorry, I'm less fun on my way to the games.

It's not intentional, I just get a little bit dialed in.

[Blackburn] The Leafs almost blew it to Ottawa in the first round,

but they calmed themselves, they got it done, they moved past.

They do have to go through the reigning Stanley Cup champs.

[dramatic music playing]

The standings would tell you that Toronto is favored

and that they should win.

But the thing that's always attached itself to them

is that they can't show up when it matters most in the playoffs.

And this was the hardest opponent that they were gonna have to play.

[man] This Florida group, they're as scary as they come,

they're as deep as they come.

And, honestly, if they can get through them,

I'm really not gonna be too fearful

of whatever lies in front of them in the Eastern Conference.

[player shouting]

[announcer] The Leafs face the bad boy Panthers

chasing back-to-back championships of their own.

Nylander coming off the bench.

Nylander scores!

Thirty-three seconds in.

Kicked out. Rebound.

Nylander scores!

And Toronto hangs on in Game 1.

Let's go, boys!

[Blackburn] The Maple Leafs win Game 1 of the Florida series,

but it does come at the expense of their goaltender, Anthony Stolarz,

who gets injured in that game.

[announcer 1] Denied by Stolarz.

And Stolarz is down.

...round two.

[broadcaster] The huge news up here over the last 48 hours,

the goaltender change.

Joseph Woll starts.

[announcer 2] And here we go with Game 2.

[announcer 1] Nylander scores!

He's done it again.

[announcer 2] Carlo retreats. On Tkachuk.

Tucks one through.

Schmidt, extra pass.

Oh! What a stop by Woll!

[announcer 2] Heck of a start for Toronto on home ice,

trying to change the history through the years in this city,

wearing that sweater.

Really good job here at home. We got to go on the road.

We obviously know that. But I love the battle and the compete.

[applause]

[Nylander] You know, next game is gonna be a huge battle,

and you know, every game has been tight.

[broadcaster 1] Full credit to the Maple Leafs.

They have shown up to play. It's been a great first two games.

They are officially in the driver's seat here in the second round.

[broadcaster 2] I can't imagine this team

over the past nine or ten years ever feeling as good

as they feel right now.

[waves lapping]

[dramatic music playing]

[Tkachuk] Losing the first two, you're never gonna be happy.

That was not Panthers hockey.

We felt that we deserved better, especially Game 2.

But you can't control what's happened in the past in playoff hockey.

What's up?

They're a great team.

They're different than years past for sure.

Nylander's playing amazing.

But with their history and everything,

I mean, they might be overthinking it right now.

And then the Toronto pressure,

it's unlike pressure anywhere else in the league.

So, um, as a team down here in Florida

that's had the success of winning a championship

and had that experience, like, none of that stuff bothers us.

But maybe a team like them, it does.

So I think we have to use that to our advantage here,

and use that against them.

They're the greatest team on planet Earth right now,

and it's our job to squash them.

[announcer 2] Game 3. Time to raise the bar.

[announcer 1] Nylander's over the line.

Here's Pacioretty centering it.

Tavares, deep.

Snaps it in!

2-nothing Toronto.

[player 1] Fuck, yeah!

Let's fucking go.

[player 2] That's great poise, baby.

[Blackburn] Game 3 for Toronto feels huge.

They take a two-goal lead,

and they could be on the precipice of a sweep, but...

[announcer 1] Here's a pass for Rodrigues.

On the line...

-[horn blows] -Well, it is a goal.

[player 1] Oh, my God! Let's go!

[player 2] Fuck, yeah!

[announcer 1] Jammed near to Bennett.

Two on one.

Bennett in front.

Scores!

Game tied.

[dramatic music playing]

Overtime in Game 3.

[man] We've got to find a way to put the puck in when it matters most.

In overtime, you just knew something was coming.

Hey!

[announcer 1] A chance for Nylander!

Kicked out by Bobrovsky!

Nylander looks like he's out of gas.

There's Marchand.

That shot scores!

Brad Marchand.

And Florida has won Game 3.

[crowd cheering]

[player] We got a new series, baby.

[announcer 2] Game 4. Leafs, Panthers.

Ready to run through a wall.

[announcer 1] Bennett with Verhaeghe.

Bennett drags it, moves it.

He scores!

-[horn blows] -[Nylander] Fuck me!

[announcer 1] What a goal!

Sam Bennett brings the house down.

2-nothing Florida.

[crowd cheering]

Start fucking hitting people. Everyone.

Fucking go for it now. They're running our fucking D. Run them.

[Nylander] 2-2.

It's gonna be a long series.

That's, you know, my mindset.

Next is gonna be a fun one.

[reporters] Thanks.

-[sticks slapping ice] -[whistle blows]

[player] Let's go, baby.

[Blackburn] You have a 2-0 series lead, and then you lose two games on the road,

this is a really big moment for this group to change the story.

If you don't like what's being said about you,

change the narrative.

[player] Hey! Oh!

[Blackburn] That's why you work for 82 games,

to earn that home ice advantage for this Game 5,

where you get to tilt the series in your favor once again

and have the home crowd behind you.

[announcer] Two wins apiece.

Two wins away from clearing the next hurdle.

Where does it all go from here?

[announcer] Aaron Ekblad makes it 1-nothing Florida.

A one-timer. Kulikov scores.

[player] Fucking kidding me?

The Toronto Maple Leafs just laid an egg in Game 5.

[announcer] Out in front for Boqvist, and they score.

On home ice.

[announcer] Mikkola scores!

[Nylander] Fuck!

They were atrocious.

[announcer] Bennett scores.

[Nylander] Fuck me.

[announcer] Final score.

Florida: six, Toronto: one.

It's all about right here. Mental.

Let's fucking get going here.

You have a fucking opportunity.

Fuck me, don't fucking piss it away

by not fucking playing hard and not working.

Get a fucking attitude in here.

[Nylander] It's one game.

They owned us today.

We got to try to do that to them in Florida.

It's the same shit every fucking year. Never changes.

Why do they have to give me hope?

It's a cycle.

You get your hopes up for the Leafs, then you start believing,

then you bring the passion, and then you get disappointed again.

Leafs in seven! Please!

[broadcaster] You know, there's no moral victories.

Uh, there's no patting on the back if you lose.

But they can find a way to win tonight, then you go in seven.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] For the first time in this series,

scoreless heading into the third period.

Auston Matthews...

Scores!

Why are we doing that? Behind the net, boys!

[player] Good play.

[announcer] McMann's on the move. Bobby McMann.

Pacioretty scores!

It's 2-nothing Toronto.

[player] Yeah!

Fuck yeah, baby!

[announcer] They were on the mortician's slab,

but as Dr. Frankenstein would say,

"He's alive!"

He'll fight another day.

Hell of a game today.

One more, let's go, one more.

[announcer] How does Game 7 in Toronto sound?

Get your fucking rest. Good job.

-Fucking right, boys! -[applause]

[player] Let's fucking go, boys.

[traffic ambience]

When you think about an opportunity to exorcise demons,

what better stage than Game 7?

[tense music playing]

And going up against the reigning Stanley Cup champs.

To go through them and get it done,

like, that would actually feel like real proof

that these playoff demons are more narrative than reality,

and the belief attached to that group would take an exponential leap.

For Brendan Shanahan,

I imagine that it would sort of be a validation

of what he's believed all along,

which is that yes, they can win the Stanley Cup with this group.

[player] Right fucking at 'em. Right fucking at 'em.

[Nylander] Home ice is huge to have in the playoffs.

And, I mean, you bet all year for it.

For sure, there's some, you know, nerves and stuff that comes with Game 7,

and you try to keep your season alive.

It's 3-3, and you're facing elimination. I think there's no momentum either way.

You just got to reset and go.

[Blackburn] It's very rare you head into a Game 7 and feel like

either a team is going to validate themselves fully,

or they are going to just completely crumble and fall apart.

And you kind of know that both options are right in front of you.

[player] Right fucking at 'em, come on.

[announcer] Tonight, the spotlight is on Toronto,

the biggest game in this building in at least 23 years.

[crowd cheering]

Leafs, Panthers.

And the story practically writes itself.

Panthers are comfortable playing in the mud.

Can they frustrate the Leafs at home and have the crowd turn against them?

We shall see.

[tense music playing]

We are underway in Toronto.

Backhand shot by Barkov.

[Nylander] Hey!

[announcer] Leafs look to reverse a trend. They have dropped their last six Game 7's.

Here's Verhaeghe! Stopped by Woll.

[Nylander] Watch! Watch! Watch! Watch!

[announcer] Fast start for Florida here in the opening 1:49.

Leafs have not had any breathing room yet.

[player shouting]

Here comes Marchand.

Picked up by Nylander.

[player] Go! Go! Go!

[announcer] Nylander into the slot.

Puck's on a cross.

Oh! Nylander robbed by Bobrovsky.

[Nylander] My bad!

[announcer] And the Maple Leafs' first official shot on goal.

[player 1] Fuck your shot, Willy.

[player 2] Come on! Composure!

We need composure here!

[announcer] Leafs try to get out of the first period unscathed here.

Again, stopped!

Rebound, fouled, and cleared.

Now the first period comes to an end in Toronto.

[man] Let's go, boys. Come on.

Good job. Good job weathering the storm.

This period here, it's up and in, right?

We know that. We got to go quick. We got to go quick.

Fucking be ready.

Let's fucking go. We're coming.

I love their fucking second half. Let's go.

[broadcaster 1] I thought Toronto did a good job of weathering the storm.

[broadcaster 2] The nerves should be gone now.

Settle into a pretty good hockey game.

[Nylander] Go, go, go!

[announcer] Barkov clears the zone to Rodrigues.

And now Seth Jones moving in.

Shoots...

Scores!

Fuck me!

[announcer] 1-nothing Panthers!

[Berube] Hey, take a deep breath!

We're good! We gotta start rolling here, all right?

Come on!

It's mine, it's mine.

[announcer 1] Teams that score first have won 75% of the Game 7's

in NHL history.

Around for Marchand, and now Mikkola.

[announcer 2] Marchand has been all over these last couple of shifts.

[announcer 1] Play by Woll, score!

2-nothing Florida.

[Nylander] Fuck sakes!

[announcer 1] What a shift for Brad Marchand.

And the Panthers...

[player] Fuck!

[announcer 1] Cut off by Jones. Panthers stay onside.

Here's Greer, kicked out by Woll.

Greer slides it across!

Scores! Gadjovich.

It's 3-nothing Florida.

[Berube] Let's fucking move! Let's get going here!

We got a lot of hockey!

Go fucking get it! Dig in!

Let's go! Lead the way!

Willy, start moving!

Fuck me!

[crowd booing]

[announcer] Listen to this crowd starting to turn on their home team.

Not a good feeling if you're a Maple Leaf player.

[horn blows]

[player] Where's Willy?

I was scared of you guys.

I was scared of you.

[wistful music playing]

[Berube] Sit down for a second.

Out!

[Berube] Come on, seriously?

We're better than this.

A lot fucking better.

We got to fucking go here.

We get one... We get one, we're right in it.

Decide in here what you want to fucking do,

because it's not fucking good enough.

[player] Let's go, boys. Come on.

[announcer 2] Toronto looking for some kind of spark

with 20 minutes to go to save their season.

You're just trying to get one

[announcer 1] Now the Leaf pass for Domi.

Domi shoots...

Score!

[player] Attaboy, let's go.

Let's end this shit.

[announcer 1] The Leafs get the most important goal

to get the crowd back into it and get them some belief.

[horn blowing]

And hope springs eternal!

[player] Let's go!

[announcer 1] Marchand across the front of the net.

Lundell after it.

Scores!

[announcer 2] Just an absolute killer goal.

[announcer 1] Forty-seven seconds

after the Leafs got on the board.

A lot of boos coming down once again for the fans here at Scotiabank Arena.

[whistle blows]

[acoustic music playing]

Reinhart just put the puck into the back of the net off the face-off.

[announcer 2] Now you got some idiots throwing sweaters and hats onto the ice.

[announcer 1] And the Maple Leafs' season comes to an abrupt and embarrassing end.

[announcer 2] Another disappointment on home ice.

[Blackburn] After all the talk about maybe these Leafs are different,

you find out that maybe they're not different at all.

Maybe they never were.

Great series. Great series.

[Tkachuk] Boys, isn't this the fucking best?

[Redmond] "This is the year" is a Leafs joke for a reason.

We always think this year is the year, and we are always wrong.

[announcer] Hard to imagine that this core four is gonna stay together.

[Bissonnette] To see the way it played out,

gut-wrenching.

A colossal meltdown.

How many times can you just bash your head against the same wall

and expect different results?

[music fades]

[traffic ambience]

[broadcaster] It is official. The first domino has fallen.

Brendan Shanahan out as team president of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[somber music playing]

[children shouting]

[Shanahan] You doing your closet?

-No, no. I will, though. -[Shanahan] Okay.

This is one of my twins. He just graduated from Boston College.

-Yeah. -[man] Congrats.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I moved a few times in my hockey career as a player and then in my, uh...

You know, sort of after my career is done, too.

It's always part of it.

[man] This is the first interview that you've done

since your exit from the Leafs.

How do you feel?

[Shanahan] When your season ends and you're not the winner,

you're devastated.

You know, I came here 11 years ago. I had, you know, really two goals.

And I wanted to rebuild the Toronto Maple Leafs organization

on and off the ice.

And I wanted to win a Stanley Cup.

[somber music playing]

I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to finish the job,

but I think we've rebuilt the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sure, you're gonna have decisions that you'd like to have back.

But I think what we've built,

I'm confident that they can still get the job done.

Unfortunately, I won't be around to see it finished,

but it would give me a lot of joy to see them finish it.

[dramatic music playing]

I would at times think about my dad

and some of the milestones when I was a player

and wish he was there,

and think it would be fun to share this with him.

But when I got the job here in Toronto,

I think this would have been even more interesting to him

because I don't think he would have seen this coming.

I was very serious about my job.

I just wanted to do the work, and I wanted to make the team better,

I wanted to deliver.

But I would still remind myself from time to time

that this is special, and enjoy it.

It was the honor of a lifetime.

I leave here now with nothing but gratitude.

[sentimental music playing]

[birds tweeting]

[tense string music playing]