Why Is Everyone Comiing Down So Hard On The Leafs?

[NC WINGS FAN 5]

How is an organization that has not had a losing season since the 1997-1998 season get such a bad reputation? The current Leafs team which narrowly missed the playoffs the last two years is a far cry from those horrible teams of the 70s, 80, and most of the 90s. The teams that really deserve the criticism are teams like the Blackhawks, Bruins, Capitals, Coyotes, and Kings. I know the Leafs have not won a cup since 1967 ( or even been there for that matter) ,but they have had a few chances over the last 15 years. Remember the conference finals appearances of 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2002? They could have easily advanced to the finals in any one of those years. Had they advanced in any or all of those series, would there still be this much criticism for the Leaf organization? I can agree that they are not one of the league's best run organizations, but I am not so sure I would consider them anything less than mediocre.

[wingsfan40 0]

I think its because most hockey fans hold the leafs in a higher bracket then most other teams...not sure why....probably because they are original 6 and still have hockey night in canada every saturday. Its like if the Wings started missing playoffs, people just have higher expectations for us.

[Datsyuk9K0 0]

you're right they were a Good team if not pretty great.

but you know once a team starts blowing everyone all of a sudden has something to say.

and doesent remember them when they were awesome.

[Hank 0]

Because is you're a Wings fan you have to hate the Leafs.

Actually, unless you're a Leafs fan, you have to hate the Leafs. It's like the Yankees of baseball only the Leafs don't win anything.

Also, the Leaf organization, their players and especially their fans are some of the most arrogant and self rightous fans on the planet. They will constantly tell you that they live in Hockey Universe and any change made to the league should be for the benefit of the Leafs. Look at the last lockout. The fans and even the organization was dead set against a Cap even though it helped make the league better. Why? Because they know that their only chance of winning anything comes from their deep pockets.

And who can like any group of fans that in all seriousness try to organize parades for ONE playoff round victory. And that is no lie. There were serious discussions about a Leaf parade when they beat the Islanders in round 1 of the '04 playoffs.

[Guest jaytan]

Because they're media darlings and they have too many fans (and too many arrogant ones too). And because they haven't even made the Finals in 40 years. And because they suck.

[motorcitykid 42]

Because is you're a Wings fan you have to hate the Leafs.

Actually, unless you're a Leafs fan, you have to hate the Leafs. It's like the Yankees of baseball only the Leafs don't win anything.

Also, the Leaf organization, their players and especially their fans are some of the most arrogant and self rightous fans on the planet. They will constantly tell you that they live in Hockey Universe and any change made to the league should be for the benefit of the Leafs. Look at the last lockout. The fans and even the organization was dead set against a Cap even though it helped make the league better. Why? Because they know that their only chance of winning anything comes from their deep pockets.

And who can like any group of fans that in all seriousness try to organize parades for ONE playoff round victory. And that is no lie. There were serious discussions about a Leaf parade when they beat the Islanders in round 1 of the '04 playoffs.

QFT.

-Their fans know nothing about hockey. They ain't hockey fans - only Leafs fans.

-They hype certain players up who would'nt make the 4th line on most other teams.

-The Leafs do their annual missing out on the playoffs/losing in the 1st round thing and their big mouth fans are not heard from again until September [which is nice], when they start up the bulls*** machine again and say "everyone is wrong, we ain't as bad as we look on paper".

-Part of the Orginal 6, they are one of the worst run organizations in all of hockey. They run it like a pee wee team. And give jobs to people who otherwise wouldn't even work in the AHL.

-They treat their past stars like s***.

To be sure, there are many more reasons why everyone loves to laugh at them.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

I have a soft spot for the leafs , Mainly because most of my family other then my dad and me like the leafs.

I've always liked Sundin and Tucker. Wellwoods gonna be a great player. As for there fans , the ones who live in Toronto , yes there blind to all other teams and which teams are "good" or not. Fans outside of Toronto tend to know more then fans from Toronto themselves.

Besides , they might have a decent team next year.

[superstarsingh 23]

I for one hate the Leafs. I hate them more than anything in this world. I love watching them lose, make stupid decisions. Harold Ballard was a good man.

[Salviaman 104]

LEAFS SUCK!

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

I think its because most hockey fans hold the leafs in a higher bracket then most other teams...not sure why....probably because they are original 6 and still have hockey night in canada every saturday. Its like if the Wings started missing playoffs, people just have higher expectations for us.

I agree , The Leafs are held in a higher regard than most because they're an Original Six Team.

As for their fan's thinking that their player's are better than they are. I'm thinking that they do that because they want to believe that they are better player's.....the main reason they do this is because they are Toronto Maple Leaf fan's.....supporting their team.

Edited June 28, 2007 by glasgowcelticwing

[zata40 3]

I love the leafs, there my second favorite team.

I would love to see them win the cup too, its a lot better than it going to California.

the more cups among the original six the better.

[Guest jaytan]

I hope I never see them get the Cup. As strange as it sounds, seeing Toronto win the Stanley Cup would seem more wrong than seeing teams in California, Florida and Carolina win it.

And as far as their status as an Original Six franchise raising expectations, I don't see that. Detroit's pretty much been the only consistent contender in the group for the past 15 years.

[Hank 0]

I love the leafs, there my second favorite team.

I would love to see them win the cup too, its a lot better than it going to California.

the more cups among the original six the better.

I would rather have Anaheim, LA, SJ, Atlanta, TB, Florida, Phoneix and Nashville win the Cup 800 years in a row than the Leafs ever win a Cup.

If anyone thought their fans were obnoxious now, just wait until they win the cup. They'll be insuffarable.

I play ball with a number of Laugh fans and they're always in my face about how Detroit sucks. I always laugh and question "What cave have you been living in? What have the Leafs done?". That never, ever fazes them. You can throw at them the fact that they haven't won the Cup since Moses was alive. You can tell them that they haven't even made the playoffs in 2 seasons or the fact that their GM is a complete skidmark and they'll still laugh at the Wings for not winning the Cup.

Like Motorcitykid so intelligently pointed out, most of them aren't even close to being NHL or hockey fans. If it doesn't pertain to the Leafs they don't bother. And intelligence? Forget about it. Just try to go to the Sportsnet.ca forums. You'll see some 'trade proposals' that would make Paris Hilton look like Stephen Hawking. I actually read one where the author felt that Wade Belak and Chad Kilger for Rob Blake was a great deal for both sides. And just before you can reply with how retarded they are, you'll see 1000 more posts popping up agreeing saying that LA would be stupid NOT to make that deal. I even saw some Leaf fans chime in saying they would be giving up too much for Blake.

Leaf fans are idiots and I'll tell you why; because they continue to endorse and throw money at an organization that goes out of it's way to be unsuccessful (see NOT listening to Bowman's suggestions). They're no different than the Lions fans in Detroit. But at least Lions fans follow the entire NFL and don't ask for parades if they win a preseason game.

ARGH! I really can't express how much I hate the Leafs and Leaf nation! I hope they never, ever win the Cup for the rest of earths existance!

[superstarsingh 23]

Having second favourite teams is highly unecessary. Support one team. I like Harold Ballard because he screwed that organization up really well. As mentioned above, people hate the Leafs because of their Idiot Nation of a fan base. Come live in Ontario and tell me how much you respect or care for that organization.

[KronwallCRUNCH 5]

The Leafs are an embarassment. For a team to have as large of a fan base and spotlight as they do, and to still suck for so long is terrible. They are failures. That's why.

[Superman54 91]

I can't like the leafs my older brother does. Believe me its a war fest when it comes to Hockey between us. Luckily Leafs aren't able to make the playoffs so he can't really down the wings too much.

[T-Ruff 47]

There are many knowledgeable and respectable Leaf fans... They just have such a large following that it increases the probability and amount of idiotic ones....

They also have a bad reputation because of their management. They could've had Scotty Bowman, the greatest mind in hockey, on board to try and turn their franchise around, which he no doubt would have done.... Instead, they turn him down because he wanted to get rid of JFJ, and Richard Peddie has too big of an ego to admit that JFJ is his mistake.....

[adtthosa 5]

Leafs fans love to rag on the Leafs almost as much as non-Leafs fans do. The intelligent ones, anyways. I'm not talking about the thousands of fans that are like "YEAH! LEAFS FOR THE CUP BABY!" every year. Living in Hamilton, most people I know that are into hockey are Leafs fans, including my dad, and every time I tell him the Leafs resigned a mediocre player like Antropov, I usually get the same response: "Why?! He's useless!!! Here's to another year of no playoffs".

I think the main reason why the Leafs are criticized is because they tend to ice a team that is decent, but not decent enough to win it all. For the past however many years, the Leafs have been a team with a few good players that relies heavily on goaltending to get where they want to go. Even when the Leafs were racking up 100 point seasons a few years back, they were never really considered a heavy favourite to win the Stanley Cup to my recollection. I think when you combine that with the fact that it's been 40 years since the Leafs have been to the finals, it makes them a bit of an easy target amongst hockey fans.

Personally I enjoy watching the Leafs, and I guess I would consider them my second favourite team. I have to admit though, it's pretty fun to pick on them at times. Espescially when I get to brag to my dad that in my lifetime, I've seen my team win the Stanley Cup three times, while he's only seen his team win once, and he can't even remember because he was only 6 years old.

[NKYWingsFan 4]

Dang. And here I thought it was just because the Leafs are lazy and they suck.©

I would rather have Anaheim, LA, SJ, Atlanta, TB, Florida, Phoneix and Nashville win the Cup 800 years in a row than the Leafs ever win a Cup.

If anyone thought their fans were obnoxious now, just wait until they win the cup. They'll be insuffarable.

I play ball with a number of Laugh fans and they're always in my face about how Detroit sucks. I always laugh and question "What cave have you been living in? What have the Leafs done?". That never, ever fazes them. You can throw at them the fact that they haven't won the Cup since Moses was alive. You can tell them that they haven't even made the playoffs in 2 seasons or the fact that their GM is a complete skidmark and they'll still laugh at the Wings for not winning the Cup.

Like Motorcitykid so intelligently pointed out, most of them aren't even close to being NHL or hockey fans. If it doesn't pertain to the Leafs they don't bother. And intelligence? Forget about it. Just try to go to the Sportsnet.ca forums. You'll see some 'trade proposals' that would make Paris Hilton look like Stephen Hawking. I actually read one where the author felt that Wade Belak and Chad Kilger for Rob Blake was a great deal for both sides. And just before you can reply with how retarded they are, you'll see 1000 more posts popping up agreeing saying that LA would be stupid NOT to make that deal. I even saw some Leaf fans chime in saying they would be giving up too much for Blake.

Leaf fans are idiots and I'll tell you why; because they continue to endorse and throw money at an organization that goes out of it's way to be unsuccessful (see NOT listening to Bowman's suggestions). They're no different than the Lions fans in Detroit. But at least Lions fans follow the entire NFL and don't ask for parades if they win a preseason game.

ARGH! I really can't express how much I hate the Leafs and Leaf nation! I hope they never, ever win the Cup for the rest of earths existance!

[Hank 0]

Having second favourite teams is highly unecessary. Support one team. I like Harold Ballard because he screwed that organization up really well. As mentioned above, people hate the Leafs because of their Idiot Nation of a fan base. Come live in Ontario and tell me how much you respect or care for that organization.

EXACTLY! I know there are intelligent Leaf fans out there, but most of the ones I know are idiots. You can say "3 Cups in my lifetime" and they'll respond "'93 baby! We owned you!". I always say, "if that's what helps you sleep at night, hold on to that playoff year". And then I'll add that if it weren't for that embarassing loss we might not have ever landed Bowman. So thank you Leafs.

adtthosa, you make some excellent points. The one regarding goaltending is a great one. I got into a debate with some Laugh-fans after they started trashing Cujo for leaving for the Wings. They were all saying that it was Cujo's fault they never won a cup. I laughed so hard over that one.

Being the hockey nerd I am, I complied a spreadsheet showing the stats of Cujo and then Belfour compared to their backups. The results were astonishing. In the 6 years that I compiled the Leafs averaged over 100 points a season. Both Cujo and Eddie had winning percentages of close to .600, had GAA under or around 2.50 adn save% well over .900. Their backups? Their collective win total was just under .500, GAA's hovering around 3.00 and save % under .900. And I reminded these idiots that their backups recorded these stats during the dead-puck era when a GAA above 2.5 was rediculous and the fact that these backups all played their games against the worst teams in the league.

Basically, if it weren't for top goaltending supplied by Cujo and Belfour, the Leafs wouldn't have even come close to even making the playoffs. Is it any coincidence that they've missed 2 seasons in a row now and both years they had poor goaltending?

But most of these Leaf fans don't see that. According to them, every year they're going to win the Cup. They look past the fact that McCabe could be one of the worst defenders in his own zone. Hall Gill couldn't beat a tree in a foot race, or the fact that they've never gotten a suitable winger for Sundin.

And don't get me started on the Leaf-mad media. Two years ago, 3/4 way through the season it looked like the Leafs weren't going to make the playoffs. But then they had a late push and it looked like a possibility for post-season play. After a late season win, pushing them to within a point of the 8th spot, that stupid idiot, Mike Toth from Sportsnet, started doing this f'ed up dance singing "The Leafs are going to the show! The Leafs are going to the show!". It was so incredibly unprofessional and showed what a Leaf-homer-centric the station really was. I mean, we all knew it was bad, but this was horrendous. Never in a million years would you ever see an ESPN sporstcaster do something like that if say the Cowboys, Yankees or Lakers were making a late push to make the playoffs. But not this idiot.

After seeing that display it brought tears to my eyes when the Leafs didn't make it, thanks to back-to-back losses to the Habs. Beautiful! I think that made me almost as happy as when the Wings won the Cup.

F*** Leaf Nation!

[Doctor G 0]

One of the big reason is Toronto is Canada's biggest media market, they are New York of Canada . Most of the hockey publications are either based there or have a significant presence. TSN is also based there, so the Leafs get a lot of coverage good and bad. Since the Harold Ballard days this team has been the soap-opera of the NHL and make for good articles. Around the league (and most of Canada) the Leafs are hated basically because of the money they can generate, a strong loyal fan base that in their minds the NHL begins and ends with the Leafs. So the Leafs are either extremely loved or extremely hated, no in between for this team.

[redwingfan19 293]

It's so funny cuase in London there is a ton af Wings fans! ANd lots of my friends are Wings fans, Me and my one buddy love going to the bar on saturaday night when all the leafs fans are watching HNIC, we wear our wings gear and just laugh and make fun of leafs fans they can't even make a decent come back cause they now how awful they are. It's great to be a Wings fans surronded by leaf fans!!!!!!!

[motorcitykid 42]

I love the leafs, there my second favorite team.

I would love to see them win the cup too, its a lot better than it going to California.

the more cups among the original six the better.

If you're a Red Wings fan, you simply cannot, at any time in your life, ever, also support the Maple Leafs. EVER!! It just does not happen.

[Hank 0]

If you're a Red Wings fan, you simply cannot, at any time in your life, ever, also support the Maple Leafs. EVER!! It just does not happen.

It's Blasphemous! It would be like a U of M fan cheering on the Buckeyes. It's not natural. And quite frankly, it disgusts me.

[motorcitykid 42]

I would rather have Anaheim, LA, SJ, Atlanta, TB, Florida, Phoneix and Nashville win the Cup 800 years in a row than the Leafs ever win a Cup.

If anyone thought their fans were obnoxious now, just wait until they win the cup. They'll be insuffarable.

I play ball with a number of Laugh fans and they're always in my face about how Detroit sucks. I always laugh and question "What cave have you been living in? What have the Leafs done?". That never, ever fazes them. You can throw at them the fact that they haven't won the Cup since Moses was alive. You can tell them that they haven't even made the playoffs in 2 seasons or the fact that their GM is a complete skidmark and they'll still laugh at the Wings for not winning the Cup.

Like Motorcitykid so intelligently pointed out, most of them aren't even close to being NHL or hockey fans. If it doesn't pertain to the Leafs they don't bother. And intelligence? Forget about it. Just try to go to the Sportsnet.ca forums. You'll see some 'trade proposals' that would make Paris Hilton look like Stephen Hawking. I actually read one where the author felt that Wade Belak and Chad Kilger for Rob Blake was a great deal for both sides. And just before you can reply with how retarded they are, you'll see 1000 more posts popping up agreeing saying that LA would be stupid NOT to make that deal. I even saw some Leaf fans chime in saying they would be giving up too much for Blake.

Leaf fans are idiots and I'll tell you why; because they continue to endorse and throw money at an organization that goes out of it's way to be unsuccessful (see NOT listening to Bowman's suggestions). They're no different than the Lions fans in Detroit. But at least Lions fans follow the entire NFL and don't ask for parades if they win a preseason game.

ARGH! I really can't express how much I hate the Leafs and Leaf nation! I hope they never, ever win the Cup for the rest of earths existance!

Hank, you speak sooooooooo much truth!

There are simply NO OTHER FANS around, IN ANY SPORT, that makes me sick like Leaf fans do.