Extra Extra! Canadian proclaims Hockey as favourite sport!
The last team I will feature in my Toronto sports story is the crown jewel of the scene the Toronto Maple Leafs. Oh, this should be a no-brainer. I clearly am infatuated with the Jays and Raptors, despite their noted lack of success. I am also a subscriber to idea of giving the "hometown discount", meaning I am a firm supporter of local talent/ regional representatives. I must obviously be a Leafs fan, I should just proceed with the romanticized memories of the glory days and how they made me a fan for life. That would be an relatable, shareable, and crowd pleasing Toronto story...
ummm, about that....
The M. Night Shyamalan twist beginning is: I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs! Hate is a strong words to use, but man, have you seen the Leafs? The team has done nothing in the last 20 years except make epic amounts of money from the Toronto market.. My rage is growing just thinking about writing this. The Maple Leafs have been, and continue to be, a joke of hockey franchise. Leaf nation is probably sending me an armada of angry emails in disagreement, while their beloved organization ironically appears to agree with me when their ownership is seen laughing to the bank! I have never, ever, been a fan of the Leafs despite my best efforts to become a fan. I just couldn't fall for it.
The last team I will feature in my Toronto sports story is the crown jewel of the scene the Toronto Maple Leafs. Oh, this should be a no-brainer. I clearly am infatuated with the Jays and Raptors, despite their noted lack of success. I am also a subscriber to idea of giving the "hometown discount", meaning I am a firm supporter of local talent/ regional representatives. I must obviously be a Leafs fan, I should just proceed with the romanticized memories of the glory days and how they made me a fan for life. That would be an relatable, shareable, and crowd pleasing Toronto story...
ummm, about that....
The M. Night Shyamalan twist beginning is: I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs! Hate is a strong words to use, but man, have you seen the Leafs? The team has done nothing in the last 20 years except make epic amounts of money from the Toronto market.. My rage is growing just thinking about writing this. The Maple Leafs have been, and continue to be, a joke of hockey franchise. Leaf nation is probably sending me an armada of angry emails in disagreement, while their beloved organization ironically appears to agree with me when their ownership is seen laughing to the bank! I have never, ever, been a fan of the Leafs despite my best efforts to become a fan. I just couldn't fall for it.
typical Leafs fans pictured above. (photo cred: Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Disney's involvement with hockey in the 90's via the "Mighty Ducks", and the simple fact I was raised in Canada nudged me into a love of all thing hockey, shout outs to Gordon Bombay and Canadian history! I am a big hockey fan, I really love the game. Pound for pound, nothing beats hockey. It's fast, tough, dangerous, and extremely beautiful when played correctly. Unfortunately, that love was manifested outside of, and almost in spite of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I got into hockey by myself. I didn't really have a "legacy fan" to introduce me to the game or brainwash me with stories of “the good ol’ days” of the Leafs. The few who tried to regale me of the legacy would lose me at "1967". All I saw was a team that would take fans on an annual emotional roller coaster that would always end in disappointment. A team that was complacent with being mediocre because the fans would pay no matter what the results, and record profits were almost ensured yearly. Talk to the most diehard and most optimistic Leafs fan you know, they’ll eventually come to the same obvious conclusion; “the Leafs make big money , so they don't ever need to change”. This sad mantra has become an absolute truth in this region, and it reflects poorly on us.
Unlike the Raptors or Jays, who have to innovate and hustle to gain fans and relevance, the Leafs don't have to do that. The people just willingly give their money to an inferior sports product.
The Leafs haven’t help grow hockey in the region. Toronto/The GTA is Leafs
town, and a “team Canada” town any time there’s international competition.
Otherwise, there isn't much of a real passion for hockey in Toronto except for
what beer marketers and overzealous media types would have us believe. We lost the OHL Battalion in Brampton to North Bay, and Mississauga is
on their 3rd team attempt, trying to make grassroots league hockey work in the GTA. An organization with the stature and influence of the Leafs should of had a pro bono player development academy a long time ago. The Leafs instead have not really invested in local hockey, or the skills development of the next generation of Canadian hockey
players. Instead they have milked the passion and wallets of legacy fans. They
have not grown the sport, just their bottom line. Playing hockey continues to
be inaccessible to many Canadians, and the costs involved continue to rise, the
Leafs should have stepped in a long time ago if they really cared about hockey in this region.
The Leafs currently have and have had some decent players, but besides Mats Sundin, they have not had many transcendent talents. If we had young stars with potential, we found out the potential when they finally left Toronto. If we had "known" superstars, we would come to realize they were way past their prime when they decide to lace up for the Maple Leafs. Our drafting has been mediocre, the trades have been 'meh', and the various free agent signings have been underwhelming. If one steps back and looks at the big NHL picture, the Leafs have managed to miss almost every important NHL player in the past 30 years. It's hard to get player personnel right, but come on, we're the biggest market in the league! They have missed some HUGE names. The biggest names the Leafs have acquired have been in the revolving door of big name coaches and front office hockey people that have been retained, and ultimately failed bring home the Cup.
The Leafs currently have and have had some decent players, but besides Mats Sundin, they have not had many transcendent talents. If we had young stars with potential, we found out the potential when they finally left Toronto. If we had "known" superstars, we would come to realize they were way past their prime when they decide to lace up for the Maple Leafs. Our drafting has been mediocre, the trades have been 'meh', and the various free agent signings have been underwhelming. If one steps back and looks at the big NHL picture, the Leafs have managed to miss almost every important NHL player in the past 30 years. It's hard to get player personnel right, but come on, we're the biggest market in the league! They have missed some HUGE names. The biggest names the Leafs have acquired have been in the revolving door of big name coaches and front office hockey people that have been retained, and ultimately failed bring home the Cup.
The most undeniable asset of the Leafs is a strong legacy in Toronto. The organization has been able to successfully parley this legacy into a license to print money. I'm not a GTA 1% er, but I've been to a couple Leafs games in my life, and the team does an fantastic job of reminding you of the "glorious past. There were at least 5 ex Leaf "legends" at the last game I was at, and this was not on some "legends night" or some other promotion, nope this was a normal Tuesday home game! The legends were wheeled out at various junctions in the game to wave and smile at an extremely adoring crowd. I remember thinking to myself "...does Darcy Tucker live in the ACC?, he's always here!" The fans around me, they couldn't get enough. Go Leafs Go!
Mr. Tucker does deserve his respect though, he was a important part of the Leafs in their most proudest moment in recent history...when we beat Ottawa in the playoffs! Everyone references that damn series in Toronto. Ottawa moved on to eventually get to the Stanley Cup Finals in another year. Leaf Nation continues to think the Leafs are somehow still the superior hockey club...it's weird.
My theory on why the Leafs have such a stranglehold on the GTA identity? The GTA is full of immigrants! Hear me out, the region is at least half made up of people who left their own homelands and own legacies to forge a new one here. Its obviously hard to adjust and fit in to a whole new society. You obviously try to get an idea for local culture and customs and well, The Leafs are the established talk of this town. All through the 70's 80' and 90's all the new expats in Toronto would be inundated with the hysteria that follows this mystical Leaf. Immigrants want to fit in, therefore go Leafs go. No questions asked. To resist it would brand you as an outsider and would be borderline un-Canadian. I'm sure that eventually the desire to fit in by liking the Leafs evolves into a genuine increased connection and fondness for the team and the region, but unfortunately its been almost 50 years of shared disappointment, misery, and poor hockey for the fans. While the team has ascended to be the only NHL franchise valued at over a BILLION DOLLARS! I could never buy in, the Leafs are like a sports ponzi scheme.
My solution for the Leafs and Toronto is simple. We need a second NHL team in Toronto! I'm dead serious. Take this in:
New York Yankees, LA Lakers, Manchester United, Toronto Maple Leafs all are among the most valuable and important franchises in their respective leagues. However, in addition to all being recent winners, they also have something the Leafs don't have: another team in their city!
Having local competition forced these teams to never get too complacent with their legacies and forced them to win to remain relevant. It's simple.Even the Knicks have the Nets, Giants have the Jets. Even the Chicago Cubs, who haven't won the World Series in over 100 years, have the Chicago White Sox appease impatient Chicago fans. If the market an handle it, you get a second franchise. Toronto can definitely handle a second franchise. How much of a free ride are the Leafs going to get? How long till the people demand more? The second franchise is inevitably is gong to be another one of those "changes" in our lifetime. I can imagine it now "back in my day" we'll whine, "Toronto only had one hockey team!" to our increasingly bored of the same story kids.
A second team in Toronto won't dilute the Leafs brand, it will only make it stronger. The Leafs will gain the prestige of being the more established hockey brand in Toronto. Their value and hype would probably go up, while the new team languishes in expansion team hell for a few years. However, the new team's innovation in their drive to survive would endear them to a old and new hockey fans alike. I know it would be huge, especially if they could win. People love a winner, and if Toronto was to get a second NHL team and they were able to bring the Stanley Cup to Toronto...it would shake the entire country to its core. Believe that.
I think I've had an epiphany. I think the Leafs and their fans represent my dark timeline future as a Toronto Sports fan. A future where our underachieving, yet highly valued teams is all we have holding us together. A future where new immigrants to Canada will be met by the diverse populace of citizens who unite, and collectively freak out over the accomplishments of dinosaurs, birds, or foliage.
I will be one of those citizens. I have already fully committed to the Jays and Raps for life. As long as they don't become a clear scam like the Leafs I will always be a fan. And if they already are, it's unfortunately too late for me. Let's hope that some team in Toronto will win a championship soon, the region and our sanity needs it.
***jda out***
Mr. Tucker does deserve his respect though, he was a important part of the Leafs in their most proudest moment in recent history...when we beat Ottawa in the playoffs! Everyone references that damn series in Toronto. Ottawa moved on to eventually get to the Stanley Cup Finals in another year. Leaf Nation continues to think the Leafs are somehow still the superior hockey club...it's weird.
My theory on why the Leafs have such a stranglehold on the GTA identity? The GTA is full of immigrants! Hear me out, the region is at least half made up of people who left their own homelands and own legacies to forge a new one here. Its obviously hard to adjust and fit in to a whole new society. You obviously try to get an idea for local culture and customs and well, The Leafs are the established talk of this town. All through the 70's 80' and 90's all the new expats in Toronto would be inundated with the hysteria that follows this mystical Leaf. Immigrants want to fit in, therefore go Leafs go. No questions asked. To resist it would brand you as an outsider and would be borderline un-Canadian. I'm sure that eventually the desire to fit in by liking the Leafs evolves into a genuine increased connection and fondness for the team and the region, but unfortunately its been almost 50 years of shared disappointment, misery, and poor hockey for the fans. While the team has ascended to be the only NHL franchise valued at over a BILLION DOLLARS! I could never buy in, the Leafs are like a sports ponzi scheme.
My solution for the Leafs and Toronto is simple. We need a second NHL team in Toronto! I'm dead serious. Take this in:
New York Yankees, LA Lakers, Manchester United, Toronto Maple Leafs all are among the most valuable and important franchises in their respective leagues. However, in addition to all being recent winners, they also have something the Leafs don't have: another team in their city!
Having local competition forced these teams to never get too complacent with their legacies and forced them to win to remain relevant. It's simple.Even the Knicks have the Nets, Giants have the Jets. Even the Chicago Cubs, who haven't won the World Series in over 100 years, have the Chicago White Sox appease impatient Chicago fans. If the market an handle it, you get a second franchise. Toronto can definitely handle a second franchise. How much of a free ride are the Leafs going to get? How long till the people demand more? The second franchise is inevitably is gong to be another one of those "changes" in our lifetime. I can imagine it now "back in my day" we'll whine, "Toronto only had one hockey team!" to our increasingly bored of the same story kids.
A second team in Toronto won't dilute the Leafs brand, it will only make it stronger. The Leafs will gain the prestige of being the more established hockey brand in Toronto. Their value and hype would probably go up, while the new team languishes in expansion team hell for a few years. However, the new team's innovation in their drive to survive would endear them to a old and new hockey fans alike. I know it would be huge, especially if they could win. People love a winner, and if Toronto was to get a second NHL team and they were able to bring the Stanley Cup to Toronto...it would shake the entire country to its core. Believe that.
I think I've had an epiphany. I think the Leafs and their fans represent my dark timeline future as a Toronto Sports fan. A future where our underachieving, yet highly valued teams is all we have holding us together. A future where new immigrants to Canada will be met by the diverse populace of citizens who unite, and collectively freak out over the accomplishments of dinosaurs, birds, or foliage.
I will be one of those citizens. I have already fully committed to the Jays and Raps for life. As long as they don't become a clear scam like the Leafs I will always be a fan. And if they already are, it's unfortunately too late for me. Let's hope that some team in Toronto will win a championship soon, the region and our sanity needs it.
***jda out***
JDA is a Devils and Capitals fan, yet definitely a #BramptonRises kinda guy. Follow him on twitter @Jibbyville.
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