The Leafs, let us not forget, had DNQ’d for 9 of 10 postseasons prior to Babcock’s arrival. They had morphed into Canada’s version of the pre-Mike Ilitch Dead Wings. To date, they still haven’t won a playoff round since 2004. A full generation of Leafs fans, among the most avid in the Original 31, now have lived without the sweet springtime intoxication of a Cup run in Southern Ontario.

-Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe where you can read more on this topic plus others like this...

As for the Fleury’s stop, quickly labeled on the Internet as the “Superman Save,’’ yes, it was stupendous. An absolute must-see on YouTube. But at the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, it also served as yet another reminder how equipment innovations — specifically the lightweight leg pads, in this case — have diminished dramatically the ability for shooters to score. The game has grown simply too far weighted toward the goalies.

The light, streamlined leg pads have been in vogue for 30-plus years. So many fans of the current game don’t recall the days, well into the 1980s, when tenders wore heavy leather pads stuffed with animal hair (be it horse, deer, or otherwise). Those old pads absorbed sweat and ice shavings, adding weight and restricting mobility.