Keon Returns to Toronto October 1979
Dave Keon won 4 Stanley Cups with the Leafs. Ballard then determined that he was dead wood after 15 years with the team. In 1979 Ballard refused to sign Keon after the expiry of his contract. Under the then rules of the NHL, he set the compensation he demanded for a new team to sign him as prohibitively expensive. Keon went to the WHA and signed with Hartford Whalers.
He returned to Toronto on October 31, 1979 at 35 years of age with the 51 year old teammate of Gordie Howe.
Keon scored a goal and an assist. Howe scored once. Leaf fans cheered on the Keon and Howe goals as if they had won the Stanley Cup.
Brad in Tears
In 2019, Leafs were winning the Bruins series 3-2 with what should have, could have, been the decisive game 6 in Toronto.
Boston again advanced to the Stanley Cup final. It was not comforting to see Boston lose game 7, in Boston yet, to St. Louis, nor to see Brad Marchand in tears watching St. Louis celebrate its only Stanley Cup victory. (well, maybe a tad) We all know that schadenfreude leads to bad karma, so there will be no joy taken in Mr. Marchand’s misery.
Our sympathies to Brad…
Gotttttta love the Beebs: (after 3 game loss in March 2021)
