How the Leafs Stanley Cup curse stacks up against other teams

The Chicago Cubs ended the longest championship drought in North American professional sports history on Wednesday night (Thursday morning, technically), defeating the Cleveland Indians in dramatic fashion to win the World Series and end a 108-year curse.

Think about that for a second. There are Cubs fans – a lot of them – that were born and have died since their 1908 World Series win. Sliced bread hadn’t been invented yet (seriously).

If you’re a Leafs fan, you might feel like your team is cursed too. Seeing them win before we die would be nice, wouldn’t it?

The Leafs’ streak without a Stanley Cup is now up to 49 years and the end is nowhere in sight. It’s the longest drought of any NHL team.

So how does Toronto’s misery stack-up against other pro teams? With the Cubs out of the way, the Leafs are inching closer and closer to the top of the infamous list.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their first NBA Championship in franchise history this year, ending a 46-year drought.

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years and the following season the Chicago White Sox won their first in 88 years.

Looking outside of North America, Leicester City won their first EPL title in 132 years in May. In Australian Rules Football, the Western Bulldogs won their first premiership since 1954 in September.

For Leafs fans, 49 years is a long time to wait, but it’s far from the worst drought left. In fact, they’re tied for the 24th-longest championship drought among the four major professional sports leagues in North America.

Here’s a closer look:

* = indicates franchise has never won a championship

Let’s just hope that when the Leafs’ time comes, everyone will get to enjoy it like Cubs fans got to do.