Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. The beginning of NHL training camps this week presents a look at how key preseason decisions led to Stanley Cup triumphs for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1947 and Florida Panthers in 2024, and perhaps Florida trifecta next June.
Can a training camp be a major factor in helping a team win the Stanley Cup?
It certainly can.
It did in 1946 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and 2024 for the Florida Panthers. Though each camp was conspicuously different from the other, the results were the same, a Stanley Cup championship.
When the Maple Leafs opened camp for the 1946-47 season, general manager Conn Smythe had little hope for