It is safe to say, that the Battle of Ontario hockey rivalry is alive and well. It’s that magical time of year, a time of holiday celebrations, and New Year’s resolutions, and well…in Canada, and more specifically, Ontario, hockey. Normally, in years past, many of the backyard rinks were in full swing, but with today’s climate, who knows? Today we focus on one of the best rivalries in NHL hockey, the Battle of Ontario, between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators. In between the great action provided by the World Junior Hockey tournament, which, ironically, is scheduled to take place in Ottawa in 2025, we have some NHL action.
A Great Rivalry, NHL Style: Ottawa vs Toronto
Ottawa was triumphant over Toronto in Wednesday’s NHL action 4-2. However, it was not without its passion. Ridly Greig and William Lagesson came together and tossed the mitts down early in the third period to rekindle the rivalry. Furthermore, the fourth Senator goal was scored by Captain Brady Tkachuk, which marked the 300th point of his NHL career. It was a hotly contested matchup tonight, as the Leafs, and Captain John Tavares could not lead his Leafs past the Sens. Of note, Tavares is only recently having hit a memorable milestone himself. He collected his 1000th career point just a few games before Wednesday night’s tilt at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
The Leafs Are Hot So Far in 2023-24
Coming into the game, the teams are more or less on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Leafs are more of a powerhouse in the NHL domain. Since last year’s playoffs, where they were able to get past the Tampa Bay Lightning and the first round, they have a different buzz about them. In addition, it was compounded by William Nylander’s terrific start to the season, including heroics in the Sweden games. Nylander lit the NHL ablaze with a 17-game point streak to kick off the season. Currently, the Leafs sit fairly comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Ottawa Senators Have Much to Improve Upon
Meanwhile, the same that was said of Toronto cannot be for the NHL Atlantic Division basement dwellers, the Ottawa Senators. It just seems that the Sens are always three or four moves away from really being a contender. They need a playoff warrior to lead this young group and show them the little things that are required to win. Whether it is getting a puck out, or when knowing to finish a hit so you are not putting yourself out of position.
For Ottawa They Have Seen Much Change
Of course, they are currently without a permanent General Manager or Head Coach, which is a witches’ brew of a recipe for disaster in itself. Even though, logically, it is nice to have a General Manager in place to hire a Head Coach, the Head Coach position is the more significant piece to increase the team’s likelihood of short-term, on-ice success. For example, when their wingers, like Drake Batherson, who by the way had two huge goals Wednesday, have a defensive breakdown. Therefore, they need a coach who will point fingers, take accountability, and limit ice time. Finally, the one piece they’d love is a physical, steady, defensive defenceman to round out their top six. If the Sens could find more consistency, that would really fuel the fire between these two inter-provincial rivals.
A Look at the NHL History of the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Since the Senators entered the league in 1992-93, it has been a wild ride. After their first few seasons of futility, they became perennially playoff contenders towards the late 90s. The Leafs, despite not having a lot of playoff success, were able to remain competitive based on their owners’ deep pockets. Much like the New York Yankees of today’s baseball, the lack of a salary cap allowed for big spending to inject your roster with talent. For example, just back to 1998-99, the Leafs had a payroll of $34.0 M, whereas the Sens sat at a measly $21.0 M. Still, Ottawa did enjoy some success, especially, when you consider the regular season.
In contrast, when it came to the playoffs, the Leafs, led by the high-paid depth, were able to overcome the struggles from the regular season. With lineups loaded with hall-of-famers, the Leafs would usually emerge triumphant. Between the 2000 and 2004 playoffs, the Leafs knocked the Senators out four times. However, the Senators were able to secure a conference final berth in 2003. This was something the Leafs only managed to do once over that span, in 2002. Now, these playoff series were filled with great battles, such as those of Chris Neil and Tie Domi. Perhaps, it was the anger that arose when Mats Sundin threw his broken stick into the stands. That was only to have Daniel Alfredsson mock him on their very next matchup against one another.
Today’s Version of Ottawa and Toronto
Even though the current NHL games between Ottawa and Toronto don’t have any playoff implications, it is easy to see the rivalry is alive and well. Thus far in 2023-24, in the three games between the clubs, the visitor has won each contest. In games in Toronto, the Leaf followers do their best to keep Senator fans away. Conversely, in Ottawa, like many NHL venues, Leaf fans flock, and get rally chants going amongst the crowd. For Sens fans to chirp, they only have to go back to the 5-1 game in 2021. That was where they stormed back on the Leafs to emerge victorious, 6-5. Leaf fans will point to their superstars, such as Matthews amazing pace so far in 2023-24, with 28 goals in only 31 games. However, Ottawa is extremely talented, as witnessed tonight by their victory.
Main photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
