World Ranking Last Time Maple Leafs Won a Playoff Round – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

*This article was published prior to the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Toronto Maple Leafs topped the Tampa Bay Lightning for their first series win since 2004.

Prior to 2023, the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was in 2004. A lot has changed in the last 20 years, whether it’s in society or in sports, nothing is the same. In those 19 seasons, the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs 10 times, made the playoffs nine times, and lost in the first round eight of those nine times. They also missed the entire season in 2005 due to a labor dispute between the NHL and the NHLPA.

The Maple Leafs have struggled over that 20-year stretch, and eight years of first-round exits have weighed heavily on the team and the fans. We’ve seen many coaches fired, and many players and general managers (GM) come and go, but one thing that remains is a lack of success in the postseason. Have you ever wondered what else has changed, or what was popular the last time the Maple Leafs made it past the first round? However, throughout this article we will be looking at what life was like back in 2004, so brace yourself for nostalgia.

World of Sports

NBA Champion

Unfortunately, for Toronto sports fans, the Toronto Raptors did not make the 2004 NBA Playoffs. However, the 2004 NBA champion made the Canadian border. The third seed in the Eastern Conference was the Detroit Pistons, who ran for many years until they reached the finals. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round, then went on to defeat the New Jersey Nets (Now Brooklyn Nets) in seven games to advance to the conference finals. In this Western Conference, the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, pushed the Minnesota Timberwolves to advance to the finals.

The Pistons defeated the Indiana Pacers in six games, leaving only one obstacle; Kobe and Shaq. However, the Pistons made quick work of it, winning Game 1 87-75. The Lakers also won Game 2, 99-91 in overtime (OT), but that was the only win the Lakers had in the series. Detroit went on to win the next three games, 88-68, 88-80 and 100-87 respectively, and won the NBA championship.

MLB champion

Unfortunately, much like the NBA Playoffs, Toronto sports fans didn’t have the Toronto Blue Jays to cheer for in 2004. The Blue Jays’ archenemy took home the World Series title. After defeating their first round opponents, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees met in the American League Conference Series (ALCS). The series went seven games, and the Red Sox came out on top to advance to the World Series. As for the National League, the NLCS was between St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros, which also went seven games with the Cardinals coming out on top. It was the last time both conference teams went to a Game 7, until 2020.

The Red Sox and Cardinals were scheduled to play in the 2004 World Series, in what both teams hoped would be a quick series. Good for one team, it was. Boston took Game 1, 11-9, and Game 2, 6-2, leading 2-0 at Busch Stadium. St. Louis is now back home with a 2-0 needed to pull their weight or they will find themselves on the brink of elimination. Game 3 went the Red Sox’s way, by a score of 4-1, and with a 3-0 lead the series looked to sweep Game 4. That game couldn’t have been more disappointing for the Cardinals; they lost 3-0 and were knocked out by the Red Sox.

NHL Champion

On April 20, 2004, the Maple Leafs advanced to the Ottawa Senators but met their match against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. Philadelphia went on to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Western Conference Final but ended up losing in Game 7. On the other hand, the Western Conference Final saw the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks in six games to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning.

This series had it all, including the Flames’ questionable no-goal call in Game 6. The first two games were split but both were won 4-1, as the series returned to Calgary tied at one. The next two games in Calgary were split again, with both teams getting shutouts. Game 5 back in the Sunshine State went into OT with the Flames up 3-2, and gave Canada a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 again saw overtime, this time in double OT, where Tampa came out on top to win 3-2 to tie the series. Vincent Lecavalier and the Lightning then won a hard-fought Game 7 by a score of 2-1, earning their first trophy in franchise history.

NFL Champion

The worst thing about the NFL is that no Canadian team can enjoy it. However, for NFL fans, the 2004 Playoffs saw the beginning of the Tom Brady era. He and the New England Patriots were looking to advance to the Super Bowl and make a mark in the NFL. The Patriots made quick work of the Indianapolis Colts beating them in the American Football Conference (AFC) Divisional Playoffs, 20-3. New England then advanced to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship, where they found success again, beating the Steelers 41-27.

Over in the National Football Conference (NFC), the championship round saw the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons fight for their chance to compete in the Super Bowl. The Eagles came out on top of the Falcons, beating them 27-10 to advance to Super Bowl XXXIX against the Patriots. The Super Bowl was a close contest, but in the end Brady and the Patriots came out on top, defeating the Eagles 24-21, to win the championship. This was Brady’s second ring, but he went on to win five before retiring.

World of Entertainment

Top movie of 2004

The world of movies in 2004 was historic, there were some of the best movies of the 2000s produced that year. Of the top 10 grossing movies of 2004, the top movie was Shrek 2. Other runners-up were Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. However, as mentioned Shrek 2 was the highest grossing film of the year. It was released on May 19, 2004, in 4,223 theaters worldwide and grossed $441,226,247.

Top Song of 2004

In the music world, 2004 proved to be Usher’s year. He had the number one and number two songs on Billboard’s year-end 100 songs. His hit song “Yes!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris won the top song of the year. In second place on the list, his song “Burn” was considered by many to be the artist of the year. A few notable runners up from his two hits were Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t You” at number three and OutKast’s “Hey Ya” at eight.

NHL 2004 Cover Athlete

The NHL 2004 cover athlete was Dany Heatley, who at the time was at the top of the hockey world. Last year, he had 89 total points with 41 goals and 48 assists, which was good enough to land him on the cover of the NHL’s latest game.

NHL 2004 was released on September 23, 2003, for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Windows (PC). Overall the game is rated 85/100 on all but PC. That platform scored 87/100, giving it an excellent overall rating for a game that introduced new features such as decorating the GM’s office and the addition of overseas teams.

Top Video Game of 2004

2004 was an interesting year for video games, the top game based on the overall rating was “Half-Life 2” which received a rating of 96/100. It was released on September 14, 2004, only on PC, which reduced its sales figures, however, it was still voted the best game of the year. The runner-up for the best game of the year, and the iconic game for many, was Grand Theft Auto (GTA): San Andreas. One of the best GTA games ever released it earned an overall rating of 95/100 and came in second place for the best game of 2004.

It’s been a while since the Maple Leafs found success in the postseason in the first round. Fans are confident that the team can get the job done this season, however we as Leafs fans have seen this story before. In the blink of an eye, the Maple Leafs went from a 3-1 series lead to a 3-3 Game 7 tie.