33 Years Ago in Leafland; April 11, 1987

Spring of 1987. The Maple Leafs went on an improbable playoff run. They got to within a game of meeting the mighty Edmonton Oilers in the Campbell Conference Finals. I was a 15 year-old hockey mad kid enjoying the fortunes of my favourite team. What better time than now to look back at this memorable time of my youth and Leafs history.
"You may say (the winning goal) was a break, but we had scored a goal earlier and had it taken away," stated Blues coach Jacques Martin, "So sometimes you're bound to get the breaks. It (Cavallini's goal) definitely was a lucky break." Martin was initially referring to a third period attempt by Bernie Federko which would have broken a 3-3 tie. Federko described, "I one-handed it and it was well over the line. He (Wregget) fell back on it. It was just like the other night, all over again. It was even in the same spot. Unbelievable. Wregget told me it was in the net."
The 'lucky break' Martin was speaking of was the winning goal credited to Gino Cavallini with six minutes remaining in the Third. Cavallini fired a shot that Wregget let bounce dangerously in front of him. Leaf defender Al Iafrate attempted to clear the puck, but it deflected off Leaf Steve Thomas. Iafrate said, "I could hear the play coming in on me so I just tried to fire it down the ice. I just swatted at it. I thought I got enough to get it out, but Steve was backchecking and the puck hit his knee and went in." Thomas himself explained, "My game has not been going well recently. I haven't been skating well. I've had a touch of the flu, but that's no excuse. You have to skate through it. That goal on top of everything makes me feel real brutal. I feel like I let the team down."
Toronto jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the halfway point of the first period and maintained a 3-2 lead through two periods. During that second period, St. Louis managed only two shots on goal however, they woke up in the third. The Blues got the first 10 shots of the final period, and ended up peppering 16 shots at Ken Wregget. Iafrate said, "We played our game for most of the first period and all of the second period. But in the third we weren't playing as a team in our own zone. The defence was letting guys loose and the forwards were letting their wingers come down without slowing them down. Our game is fast skating, dumping the puck in and buzzing around in their zone. All three sets of defencemen and all four lines started out doing that, but we stopped."
Rick Walmsley was in net for the Blues, replacing Greg Millen. He was shaky to start, but settled down stopping 23 of 26 shots. Leafs Tom Fergus was replaced by Newmarket Saints leading scorer Wes Jarvis for game three. Fergus will be sidelined for the remainder of the season as he has been hit by a virus for the second time this year. Fergus who had missed 23 games earlier in the season said, "I think I never really got over it. I'm just too tired. I'm not helping the team anymore." Team doctors feel the best thing for Fergus is to get complete rest.
Right back at it tomorrow with Game Four at The Gardens.

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