‘”It’s not a curse,” Ruff bravely said of his team’s predicament. “It’s the way we play. I fully expected to lose some guys to injury. Did I think we’d lose this many? No. But you’ve got to put your body on the line to win games. They’ve paid a price. The way they battled, the way they faced adversity, you can hold your head up. They’re a special group of guys.” Yes, but not special enough to end a Curse that has strangled the full-throated victory cry for an entire region.’