1996-97 – Two Solitudes

Game 633 – Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 1

February 22, 1997April 27, 2021 Master Of This Domain

Game 633
Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 1
Saturday, February 22, 1997
Centre Molson, Montréal, Québec

A revival of the over-hyped NHL “rivalry,” between the Maple Leafs and Montréal Canadiens not only would be good hockey, it would be good business.
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Game 632 – Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 3

November 23, 1996April 27, 2021 Master Of This Domain

Game 632
Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 3
Saturday, November 23, 1996
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario

At this point in hockey history, the battle in the great rivalry was not for first place or anything truly important, other than a couple of fair teams trying to be good.
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Preseason Game 34 – Canadiens 6, Maple Leafs 4

September 26, 1996February 6, 2021 Master Of This Domain

Preseason Game 34
Canadiens 6, Maple Leafs 4
Thursday, September 26, 1996
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario

Perhaps, in their minds, there’s some redeeming qualities to the effort put forth last night by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Preseason Game 33 – Canadiens 8, Maple Leafs 3

September 22, 1996February 6, 2021 Master Of This Domain

Preseason Game 33
Canadiens 8, Maple Leafs 3
Sunday, September 22, 1996
Centre Molson, Montréal, Québec

Maple Leaf coach Mike Murphy will today perform the difficult task of separating the wheat from the chaff on his hockey club.
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JUNE 5, 2026
Our condolences go out to the family, friends and fans of Cliff Fletcher, who passed away today at the age of 90. An NHL executive for nearly seven decades, Fletcher began his career as a pro scout for the Canadiens in 1956, part of six Stanley Cup winning teams in his decade of service. Fletcher would work his way up to general manger, in stints with St. Louis, Atlanta and Calgary, winning the Stanley Cup as Flames GM in 1989. He would become GM and President of the Maple Leafs in 1991, serving for six seasons, later returning as GM, then Senior Advisor, in 2007, staying in the role until 2024. Fletcher would spend a total of 33 seasons between Toronto and Montréal, being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2004.

MAY 28, 2026
Our condolences go out to the family, friends and fans of Claude Lemieux, who unexpectedly passed away today at the age of 60. A veteran of twenty-one NHL seasons, the first seven of them in Montréal, where he would win his first of four Stanley Cups in 1986, Lemieux would face off against Toronto ten times between 1986-90, notching four goals, ten points and 19 penalty minutes.

MARCH 12, 2026
With his projected start for the Maple Leafs, Michael Pezzetta will become the third active (along with Max Domi and Sammy Blais), and 115th overall, player to suit up for both the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, spending four seasons and 200 games with Montréal before signing with his hometown Maple Leafs in 2025.