Gretzky Draws Blood | The Non-Call That DEVASTATED The Long-Suffering Maple Leafs

It takes more than sheer ineptitude for an NHL franchise to go more than a half-century without winning a Stanley Cup. But there’s no question that that trajectory - that the Leafs’ very identity - was shaped, in part, by Kerry Fraser, Wayne Gretzky, and the high stick that never happened.
Written & Narrated by: Jonah Birenbaum (@Birenball | Twitter)
Produced & Edited by: James Balutan (@jamesbalutan | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram)
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[@JMOP1715]

Secret base and thescore putting out better content that espn wishes they could. Love it.

[@jolenelatimer]

Appreciate you 🙏

[@matictelic]

Check UrinatingTree, he made a really long video about the Leafs

[@kalmkorn]

Espn is like TMZ now..

[@JBTriple8]

yes they both respect Hockey as well i appreciate its one my favorite sports

[@TheRealLeafs]

I think one of the linesmen saw the high stick, but GOD FORBID they call a penalty on the great one a riot would ensue

[@MisterMister5893]

It was Gretzky. I'm pretty sure even if there was no mandate, it's an unspoken rule you don't go against the popular vote, per se. They had so much riding on seeing the Kings in the finals, nevermind a Kings team lead by The Great One. Toronto may have deserved on merit, but that's nothing compared to the forces that be and their will to have what they want.

[@TheRealLeafs]

@@MisterMister5893 well then that is unfair and favouritism all in the same sentence, rules are rules, nobody is above them

[@MrOctober44]

At the end of the day, they still could have won game 7. Which was a home game

[@TheBillaro]

yup. clark and gilmour said so

[@Ryan-vo3rm]

Excatly.. they always talk about the highstick non call, like they are the only team in history to have a non call against them in the finals, and it was on game 6.. and if it was such a problem they should have stepped up on game 7 to make up for it, but they flopped. So in the end it's always the better team that wins, no different than Boston coming back in the 3rd period in last 10 minutes to win.. that's what better teams do, they don't dwell they step up.

[@TheBillaro]

@@Ryan-vo3rm well said. Leafs are full of excuses and their fans are too. "well it's a process', 'well we played well' no no, you sucked. big time! you LOST end of! against.... MTL! lol

[@Outta-hz1ej]

You never give Gretzky that chance. Game 7 of that series was the greatest game he ever played. He dragged his team through to the next round through sheer force. If the call is made and the Kings still won I would not be so sore about it.

[@TheBillaro]

@@Ryan-vo3rm Hey. I’ve created a podcast called ‘The Bleeding Blue and White’. It aims to take a balanced, yet critical approach to the organisation and its fans and offer an alternative view than the common threads in the media. Have a look at my review of Dubas and I’d be happy to hear what you can add to it.

[@HunterMagunter]

They would have got creamed in the finals by the Habs anyways, can't believe people are still talking about this 30 years later lol. Only leaf fans talk so heavily about a time they almost got to a cup final

[@HunterMagunter]

@Max Taurus leafs claim to fame is a conference final 30 years ago. Beyond depressing

[@HunterMagunter]

@Max Taurus yeah no they don't 😂😂 go anywhere outside Ontario and people quite frankly don't give a shit about the leafs. Try going to Europe and see what they say, only team they know is the montreal canadiens. The most storied and universally known and liked team

[@jayrock248]

@@MrMaxtaurus 13 cups is their claim to fame

[@HunterMagunter]

@Max Taurus you mean the people that traveled? It's only a 4 hour flight to edmonton from Toronto. I know plenty of fans that travel out west each year. You can go to any building in any city in the NHL and there's more Habs fans then not, I know that's a hard concept for leafs fan to wrap their head around but the canadiens are undoubtedly the more liked team in general. Leaf fans have made the leafs public enemy number 1 for any other fanbase, people just roll their eyes when they see your clown asses wearing leaf jerseys.

[@HunterMagunter]

@@jayrock248 13 cups that all came with 6 teams and pre moon landing, nice

[@politicalbandwagon4989]

Missed high sticks happen every game. I honestly can not believe people are still crying about this 30 years later. They would have gotten smoked by the habs anyway.

[@marclaporte3710]

I've never subscribed to this narrative. This happened in Game 6. The Leafs still had every opportunity to win Game 7.. AT HOME !! They decided to lose that one too for whatever reason.

[@kdiggz87]

If it was called and they lost game 6, Gretz would still be out for game 7, which would be almost a gauranteed w. Not that I don't agree with you, they definitely still had a great chance after this and blew it.

[@MGTV1]

"hockey's most famous losers." i like that for toronto!

[@owenhutchison4295]

Definitely sucks for the leafs but they still lost game 7 and lost 2 before the non call. Alot of leafs fans talk about how great the team was and how they would have easily won the cup forget how good Montreals roster was and la was pretty equal to the leafs tbh

[@yeeeaboyyy]

this is true. but in the playoffs it's any team's game, especially with equally matched teams, so it comes down moments like this non-call to determine the winner. momentum shifts back and forth and the puck bounces for and against each team at different times, but that non-call was wrong. at a time like that it does change things. it deflates the victimised team. basically LA got lucky, or as some would say, they got taken care of by the refs/league. it was such a tight, evenly matched series that that non-call made the difference

[@Mr4one6]

Lmao Don Cherry is hilarious

[@cowscrazy]

This still gives me nightmares. I do t care what Fraser says now. He saw it. When you tell a lie you never admit it was a lie. Deny deny deny. I’m 100% sure it was seen.

[@Gerhardium]

boo hoo! Leafs powerplay was 0/4 that night. The result is merely a variable again rather than a Leafs victory. Plus they were having difficulties with LA; how would they have possibly beaten the Habs with Roy?

[@Outta-hz1ej]

That 1993 Leafs team was a team packed full of warriors. Tough as nails. Heartbreaking.

[@PatFrenchLeafsFan1]

I wish Ron Maclean said this on HNIC during the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals pregame show on HNIC. "If it wasn't for the Leafs, it wouldn't have been for John Lennon if his killer got away from arrest and ended up in hiding immediately following the murder."

[@whiteknob7944]

These are great, if only there was more baseball…

[@jolenelatimer]

Noted :)

[@geographyinaction7814]

I remember we were down in a game in the LA series...Clark came out, scored a hattie and we couldn't win our fourth in OT...worst ever playoff for me.

[@spiritedtruthseeker5929]

Welcome to the loser leafs lounge where they cry and reminisce what could have been. Can't wait for this year's version.

[@lafleur84]

I always thought Gilmour should have been suspended for the head butt in a Kings player face , but the ref looked the other way , no call

[@BWyatt76]

It happened so fast, I could see how it was missed. They only had one ref back then, a second ref would have seen it. Gilmour did skate into Gretzky's follow through, it's a penalty on Gretzky, no doubt, but again, it happened so fast. I did notice the Leafs were 0/4 on the power play going into the OT. If they scored on one of those, this wouldn't have been an issue.

[@Gerhardium]

its just Leafs whining: change it and maybe they win the game and get to the final but then they have to win 4 more. Other teams can point to actual missed calls in the final when the Cup was on the line but for the Leafs its a semi-final thats still makes it a "maybe."

[@RoboticDragon]

It wasnt a follow through, get your blinders off.

[@JUVI9596]

Also could’ve been the Leafs Habs finals as well

[@robertortega3651]

The day will come when Matthews is a king. Go kings Go

[@geographyinaction7814]

I watched the Marlies, Utica game the other day, and saw a blatant high-stck that drew blood, not one of four officials saw it, but there was blood everywhere. It's happening in many games, not just the Toronto games, someone will get hurt, seriously injured one day. It's time that a video referee was implemented to catch these types of infractions. They do it for a goal that was missed but not for a potentially serious injury.

[@davidwatson6725]

There is. That rule has been in three years now.

[@gorlock691]

There should be an automatic review if blood is drawn.

[@fantasticvoyage262]

Why did the Kings trade Coffey?

[@adamtparker6515]

A little overblown regarding being 'robbed' , Killer's problem, he wasn't able to draw blood quick enough as he was probably dehydrated. What a series. While 'inadvertent' high sticks per author in vid claim not really true, as evidence of blood would have produced auto penalty (likely double minor as it was clear at least in the Gretzky case he wasn't two handing/on purpose). Gilmour arrival energized the entire franchise and the overall play of game for years to come.

[@chrismanners1125]

From what I remember, that was when the rules called for an automatic major penalty and ejection from the game if a high stick, inadvertent or not, drew blood. No ref was going to call that on Gretz.

[@adamtparker6515]

@@chrismanners1125 on a Coach's Corner around that time they read the rule on air, double minor for 'non intentional'. Saw a couple where that was case while cheering on MNS. In real time can't really blame refs as tough to see and no visible blood off the bat. Unfortunately in GM1 McSorleys blind hit away from puck on Gilmour no call was more of a travesty.

[@newfiejoe4998]

It's the Maple Leafs curse.

[@richardthompson6366]

Wendel should have went after Gretzky like he went after McSorely, should have cleared the benches.

[@spooley]

They were scoring on Hrudey in that series. Easily done. Roy was playing was out of his head, they were not going to beat him. Sorry but this is a hollow argument from TML fans.

[@TheBillaro]

you are going to get calls and missed calls in a rough series like this. got to suck it up. leafs actually tried really hard in game 7

[@eliskagray1546]

It was Betman who didn't want the Leafs and Habs in the finals. There I said and sticking to it. Of course the NHL will never admit that or anything else that they're never wrong.

[@itsnotcolby]

lets no forget there was a game 7 so the leafs just choked. missed call yes but if 1 missed call in game 6 is why u didnt make it then u didnt deserve it

[@enthusiastofcute]

Yes let’s just conveniently forget the Leafs lifeless performance in game 7

[@davidwatson6725]

Um….nice conspiracy theory. But you do know the Leafs had more power plays than the Kings in Game 7?

[@Outta-hz1ej]

Let us not forget about Tim Peel's hot mic last year and how obvious some of the calls are, especially in the playoffs. Vegas vs. Montreal series comes to mind. It is very clearly that Bettman has been fixing games to grow the game in the sunbelt.

[@davidwatson6725]

@@Outta-hz1ej You conspiracy theorists are really funny, but you’ll have to try again. In the Peel game, the call went against Nashville (the “sunbelt” team), and in favour of Detroit.

[@onthelam]

pain in side my body

[@kfitz2711]

Background music is too loud and annoying.

[@Oldmanflyfishing]

The rigging of the NHL goes way back to 1993

[@Rooz247]

Ryan O'Reilly

[@jerryczech953]

yes ,Kerry Fraser is responsible that Leafs sucks ........ lots of deluted people in Ontario LOL

[@jameshammond8573]

This is all great and good some 30 years after the fact, but everybody knew the night that Doug took the high stick the call should’ve been made the most protective wuss the game has ever seen should have gone to the box and Toronto would’ve won the cup that year.

[@biffdanielson2820]

Gretzky and his little girls bicycle helmet.

[@DarkHorse902]

Even at only ten years old, this is the reason that I can't find any love for Gretzky. Even with all of his accomplishments and accolades, this incident put a sour taste in my mouth that I still can't get rid of. Lol. Gilmour was my idol in those days, and I remember being absolutely gutted when they were eliminated that year.

[@milkmyway2]

What’s it like to see the leafs make it past the first round? I’m only 20 so I haven’t had the chance.

[@DarkHorse902]

@@milkmyway2 it was a glorious time to be alive. Lol. I still hold out hope that I may see it again one day. Hopefully we will get the chance to watch Marner hoist the cup as a leaf. 🤞🍁

[@milkmyway2]

@@DarkHorse902 yes hopefully we get to see all these guys hoist the cup as leafs. If not as leafs I’m sure they’ll do it somewhere else. Some great players on that team.

[@DarkHorse902]

@@milkmyway2 100%. They are looking better this year than they have in a long while, so hopefully everyone can stay healthy...

[@adamtparker6515]

Leafs roster was relatively intact following season and made it again to conf final but with all the veterans the window subsided following 94 season.

[@charismatic9904]

It was all there for a fun final. Leafs last cup they beat Montreal. If they beat the kings they play...montreal. Pat burns coached the leafs in 93. Who did pat coach in 1992? Montreal. So his new team vs his old team if they win. All the storylines were there

[@davidwatson6725]

Thank you Captain Obvious!

[@sickofguysnamedtodd2293]

And I’m suspecting that Berman didn’t want an all Canada 🇨🇦 Stanley Cup final.

[@H4WL3YWOOD69]

Ive said it ever sence this cost us the cup i really believe it did. A PP with the GOAT in the box. The planets lined up that day and all it took was some BS like that to......

[@hadoct1315]

Does the call matter. Of course but they had a game 7 and they blew it

[@Rooz247]

and so has canada since then no canadian team has won a ring curse lives

[@HunterMagunter]

​@@Rooz247 a Canadian team won that year lol, you should be quite familiar with them they only beat the leafs 2 years ago in the playoffs

[@blairbailey6199]

​@@Rooz247 yeah witch is ridiculous in a way of Canadian players win cups for USA teams just saying.

[@bronzremix]

@9:41 Don Cherry calling Ron MacLean kid... :)

[@Gerhardium]

Will the whining never cease? It was the semi-final, not even the final FFS but of course in Leafs Land if they could just get to a final they would win for sure! 1994 was even better when they went into the series against Vancouver with the CBC ready to start their long dreamed of "Leafs Stanley Cup Parade" contest and the only question being if the Canucks would even win a single game against the powerhouse Leafs of Gilmour. Naturally Vancouver won that battle of the titans because the Leafs have never won more than two playoff rounds in a season. The Leafs would have to win twice as many series as they've ever won in a season to win the Cup and losing the semi-final after a non-call by the officials doesn't change reality.

[@slushland]

NVER HAPPENED? OH IT HAPPENED ALRIGHT

[@JBTriple8]

Thanks for Respectig Hockey unlike SAS and ESPN

[@bb-gc2tx]

just another thing for leafs fans to cry about not the fact that your team has been a joke for five and a half decades lol

[@FilipeBrasAlmeida]

This video made me cry. I take solace in the knowledge that it'll only feel better once WE do win the Stanley Cup.

[@mst3k54]

That game 7 in 1993 was actually the last day I ever cried. I mean really cried. But I can’t help but wonder how bad Montreal would’ve beat us in the finals.

[@MisterMister5893]

@@mst3k54 There's a cosmic rule that no matter how dominant or meek these teams may be at any given period, when they play each other, the laws of equilibrium is restored and it's anyone's game.

[@Gerhardium]

@@mst3k54 that and 1994 i never made so much money from weeping Leafs fans. This is the best time of the season: when Leafs fans talk up their chances and hope springs. I remember this back to the 70's when most people at least remembered a non-pathetic Leafs organization and the hope was possibly justified because being losers wasn't yet institutionalized. now its just comical and sad.

[@palette_1563]

It was Bettman's first year as commissioner! I see a connection, lol

[@davidteams4326]

Tragic NHL treating Gretzky as a God, it was maybe the most pathetic display ever. OK I'm a Leaf fan, even still

[@eriklakeland3857]

I’m a leafs fan but Gretzky is indeed a god

[@Warren_Flatt]

The biggest benefactor of this non call was the Montreal canadiens. There was no way they were going to beat the leafs and I bet they were jumping for joy when the Kings won game 7

[@spiritedtruthseeker5929]

Bahahahaha I'm jumping for joy from your comedy

[@martingrenier7780]

What if what if... Leafs fans best line.. You lost !!

[@norespect]

First

[@ryanmerrett9320]

Right call was made, clean play move on