In sports, outcomes are decided in snapshots. One swing, one basket, one goal can tell a story years in the making, and moments can last a lifetime.
Whatever the outcome, a team, a city and a country will remember exactly where they were the moment it all draws to a conclusion. Where we were the moment the Toronto Blue Jays won or lost the World Series will be a tale passed down to future generations.
And with that outcome coming down to a coin-flip Game 7, the moment only feels that much bigger.
Though we hear the phrase repeated often, that Game 7 is the best two words in sports, it’s not often that Toronto gets to revel in the timelessness of a singular hold-your-breath moment such as this one. It just goes to show that games like these hold a firmer grasp in the collective consciousness than any other.
So, before the city and country cross their fingers one last time ahead of a winner-take-all Game 7 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s worth remembering all the moments that came before, all the triumph and heartbreak that make games like these so special.
1964: Stanley Cup Final — Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Let’s get the big one out of the way.
The last time a Game 7 was played in Toronto to determine a major sports championship was 61 years ago, with the Maple Leafs emerging victorious in an Original Six slugfest against the Red Wings.
With Hall of Famers aplenty on both sides, it only made sense that the Cup Final come down to a battle of inches. Legends of the game like Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk and Alex Delvecchio represented Detroit, while Dave Keon, Tim Horton, Frank Mahovlich and Johnny Bower came through for the Buds.
It was ultimately Bower who played the decisive role for Toronto, with ‘The China Wall’ stopping all 33 shots he faced to lead the Leafs to their 12th and second-most recent Stanley Cup.
1942, 1945: Stanley Cup Final — Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
In the earlier days of the NHL, the Red Wings and Maple Leafs were frequent foes in Game 7 championship showdowns.
And although the Leafs have had less success in recent years in Game 7s (as we’ll touch on later), the team of the 40s had quite a clutch gene.
In both winner-take-all bouts, the Maple Leafs came out on top. Pete Langelle scored the game-winner for Toronto in 1942 as his team came back down 3-0 in the series with a run for the ages.
But in 1945, the Leafs almost got a taste of their own medicine, squandering a 3-0 series lead as the Red Wings forced a Game 7 on home ice. It was all for naught, however, as Babe Pratt netted the game-winner in a tight 2-1 victory for the Leafs.
2025: Eastern Conference Semifinal — Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
As opposed to the franchise’s early days, Game 7s haven’t gone as planned for the Maple Leafs lately.
In their most recent showing, Toronto fell flat in a second-round showdown against the champion Florida Panthers.
Things were looking up for the Leafs after a 2-0 Game 6 victory, with the team showing the necessary grit to take on the reigning champs and force a Game 7. But a 6-1 Panthers victory erased all memory of that fine outing, as familiar foe Brad Marchand (more on him later) nabbed three points in a commanding 6-1 victory.
2021: First Round — Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
Losing in Game 7 is always a bitter pill to swallow. Losing it to your most bitter rival is gut-wrenching.
It had been a while since the rivals squared off in the post-season, with their last meeting coming in 1979. And for the first time in a long time, it looked as though the Leafs were going to get the upper hand.
Despite a Game 1 loss, the Leafs rattled off three straight in dominant fashion to find themselves on the brink of their first playoff series win since 2004.
But they lost tight overtime outings in Games 5 and 6, as the Canadiens forced a Game 7. A monster 30-save performance from Carey Price and a game-winner from Corey Perry eventually cemented what felt like the inevitable — a 3-1 win for the Canadiens.
2013, 2018, 2019, 2024: First Round — Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
Brad Marchand — the name alone can haunt Leafs fans to their core.
The current Panther and former Bruin has Toronto’s number in winner-take-all matchups, carrying a perfect 5-0 record in Game 7s against the Leafs. Four of those victories came with the Bruins over a dispiriting 11-year stretch for Toronto.
In those outings, the Halifax, N.S., native has six points (two goals, four assists) and enough moments to cement him as one of the most hated figures in Leafs Nation’s heart.
2019: Eastern Conference Semifinal — Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Though the current Jays playoff run has had its share of all-time moments, there may not be a play more ingrained in the minds of the Toronto sports legions than Kawhi Leonard’s game-winner.
The shot heard around the world felt like a bigger moment than the NBA title that would come their way in the next few weeks, and no moment from the Raptors’ 2019 run is more iconic.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot and, to this day, is the only ever Game 7 game-winning buzzer beater in NBA playoff history.
2001: Eastern Conference Semifinal — Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
History has a way of coming full circle in Toronto.
Much like in 2019, with the seconds winding down in an all-time match between the Raptors and 76ers, the fate of the series came down to a single shot.
Down one with the ball in Vince Carter’s hands, the Raptors’ first superstar got his defender in the air with a pumpfake and rimmed the ensuing jumper — a potential game-winner for Toronto — as the buzzer sounded.
At least they got their revenge in 2019.
1993: Conference Finals — Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings
The closest the Maple Leafs have gotten to breaking their curse.
One game away from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1967, the Leafs were stifled by The Great One.
Wayne Gretzky, in all his glory, beat the brakes off the Leafs in Game 7, netting a hat trick — including the game-winner — en route to a 5-4 Kings victory. There’s no shame in losing to the greatest to ever do it, though.
