As Paul Maurice scanned the classifieds this morning, Leaf nation awoke to the sad reality that for the third straight year, their beloved team will miss the big dance.

Going into last night's game against Boston, the Leafs' hopes were already on life support.

Even after a controversial go-ahead goal in the third, the Bruins kept pressing and finally pulled the plug on Toronto's chances in the postseason.

The return of captain Mats Sundin and Nick Antropov did little to spark a team still mourning their loss to Boston days earlier.

After last night's loss, interim GM Cliff Fletcher provided the media with the usual sound bites, promising that they are determined to bring this team to the next level.

If I were a Leaf fan, I wouldn't be holding my breath.

McCabe offered some unintelligible excuse for the Leafs performance this season. With his time off in the following weeks, he could try and audition for the Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? show, but, somehow, I don't think he'd make it.

Mats Sundin's future with the club remains up in the air. He's adopted a wait-and-see attitude, and will reevaluate his  situation later this summer.

As for Paul Maurice, I hear Home Depot's hiring.