Ottawa Needs Don Metz

Only once in NHL history has a team comeback from a 3 games to 1 Stanley Cup finals deficit to capture Lord Stanley's silver chalice. That might give Ottawa a bit of hope, seeing that their quest for a comeback is only unlikely as opposed to completely impossible.

Today at GlobeSports.com, Roy MacGregor looks at the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs team that managed to overcome the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 series lead to win the Stanley Cup.

Out with the team's star scorer, Gordie Drillon, who'd been a disaster, and out with star defenceman Bucko McDonald, who'd been unable to cope with Detroit's then-new way of attacking by dumping the puck into the opposition corners and banging and crashing until the Leafs defence coughed it up.

Into the line-up Day put Don Metz and Ernie Dickens. They were fresh, full of energy, and Metz — finally given a chance to play with big brother Nick — was so dedicated to defence that he could fly back and help out the Toronto blueliners on the Detroit dump-ins.

Metz in particular was a difference maker.

In Game 5 he led the team with three goals and two assists as Toronto pounded the Wings 9-3, largely by using Detroit's own dump-and-chase attack.

In Game 6, Metz got the winner, sending the series to a seventh game, which Toronto won on Sweeney Schriner's third-period goal.

So Ottawa, who is your Don Metz?