Mark Carney takes a massive shot at the Maple Leafs during $4.7 billion announcement
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Prime Minister Mark Carney took a playful jab at the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup drought while unveiling a $4.7 billion Via Rail deal in Thunder Bay.
Mark Carney found an unexpected way to poke fun at the Toronto Maple Leafs this week, and he did it while announcing a multi billion dollar infrastructure deal.
The Canadian Prime Minister was in Thunder Bay, Ontario to unveil a $4.7 billion contract for new Via Rail passenger cars, and he used the age of the current fleet to take a shot at Toronto's championship drought.
Carney leans on hockey history
Carney explained that the rail cars running on long distance and remote routes are more than seventy years old, dating back to an era when the NHL had only six teams and goalies still played without masks.
He added that those were also the days when the Maple Leafs actually won the Stanley Cup, drawing laughs from the crowd at the Alstom plant where the new cars will be built.
The comment was not lost on hockey fans online, especially since Carney has been open about his own hockey background and his love for the Edmonton Oilers.
Bleacher Report's Open Ice account shared the moment on social media, noting that even the sitting Prime Minister could not resist getting a shot in at Toronto's championship drought.
"Our rail cars on our long distance and remote routes are more than 70 years old. They were built when the NHL had six teams... [when] the Leafs would win the Cup. That's a long time ago."
- Mark Carney
- Mark Carney
A drought that keeps finding new critics
The Maple Leafs have not lifted the Stanley Cup since 1967, a wait that has become one of the most talked about droughts in professional sports.
Toronto has not returned to the Final since that season, and the joke landing from the country's top political office is only the latest reminder of how long the wait has stretched.
Carney, who grew up cheering for the Oilers during their 1980s dynasty, seems happy to needle the Leafs whenever the chance presents itself.
For now, the new rail cars are still years away from replacing the aging fleet, but Toronto's championship wait shows no signs of ending anytime soon either.
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