Leafs fans: are you cheering for wins or losses?

[Mess]

Absurd. I can't imagine any Leaf fan not wanting them to have the best pick possible.

If you're suggesting that 100% of Leaf Nation fans are cheering for Leaf losses each game I believe your 100% wrong on that assertion.

If you mean 100% of Leaf Nation want the Leafs to win the draft lottery and draft 1st overall, then that belief is certainly plausible, but you don't have to finish last in the standings to achieve that.

 

[zeke]

I've been cheering either way, really. It's kind of nice.

win win season.

though when they're losing i do watch less.

 

[Le Cobra]

It's a great time to be a sports fan in TO. Jays are a league leader, Raps are better, Leafs are much better and personally I'm more excited for the Leafs out of the three.

 

[Menzinger]

While watching the games live it's nothing but entertainment so I'm cheering for a win.

Big picture though I do hope they lose more than they win from now until season's end.

 

[Confucius]

Cheering for wins. I used to be a tanker but enough is enough we have 3 maybe even 4 very good prospects. Just win and keep our picks.

 

[CrazyCanuck89]

"You play to win the game". If you are hoping your team loses, then you are not a true fan. To build a great team you need to have great scouting and a lot of luck. You can have all the top 5 picks, like the Oilers and still suck. I honestly don't care if it's a top 10 or a bottom 10 pick, because the draft is a craps shoot, that goes for every sport.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

"You play to win the game". If you are hoping your team loses, then you are not a true fan. To build a great team you need to have great scouting and a lot of luck. You can have all the top 5 picks, like the Oilers and still suck. I honestly don't care if it's a top 10 or a bottom 10 pick, because the draft is a craps shoot, that goes for every sport.

Lol come on. You don't think guys like Doughty, Crosby, Toews, Kane don't make a huge difference? You can't say a circus like Edmonton discredits the past what 8 years of top 3 picks leading the charge to a Stanley cup (minus Boston and Detroit).

You're chances of winning become significantly higher when you have top picks on your team. If Edmonton had decent D they be in a much better spot. No way Chigaco becomes the near dynasty they are today with out one of Toews or Kane. Sure they may still be a top team, but a near dynasty? Nope. L.A. doesn't win a cup with out Doughty. Pittsburgh doesn't without Crosby/Malkin.

Mathew/Pul/Laine, with Marner, Nylander and Rielly leading the charge looks pretty damn nice if they pan out (which nothing has shown they won't at this stage).

When we're this low in the standings cheering for anything but loses seems silly at this point.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Deep down all I'm thinking about is draft position. If we win & stay in the same spot I'm fine with it. If we go on a winning streak & move up a bunch of spots(like we did earlier this year) then it feels bittersweet.

The bottom line is this, the higher the draft pick, the better odds the Leafs have of getting a key player to help turn this thing around. It's the most important thing to achieve this year. Not getting 3rd rounders at the trade deadline, not getting the team to work hard because most of the players are stop gaps. It's the draft pick.

Exactly. No one likes seeing the team loose, but if it means securing a too 3 pick you take the loss with your head held high.

Personally I don't care how this team looses. If they lose while playing a hard fought game great. If they get blown out, it sucks but I'm still happy. I want a higher chance of winning a Stanley Cup one day and if that means getting your Doughty's, Toew's, Malkin's Kane's etc in the top 3 then I'll hope for whatever outcome gets us there regardless of how it happens.

 

[Duckrider]

All I care about is that the players that we go forward with learn to play as a team and the right way.

 

[ACC1224]

Exactly. No one likes seeing the team loose, but if it means securing a too 3 pick you take the loss with your head held high.

That can still occur if you cheer for the Team to win.

 

[Confucius]

Exactly. No one likes seeing the team loose, but if it means securing a too 3 pick you take the loss with your head held high.

So when is it time to win? Someday we have to move out of the bottom 5, or do we just hang around there forever collecting top 10 picks.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

That can still occur if you cheer for the Team to win.

But the thing is, I don't want them to win. I want a top pick I love the Leafs but right now I know what needs to be done. Wanting Matthews and cheering for wins are practically complete opposites. You can't have both bearing complete luck. Fans that say they want both aren't being rational. How many times has a team outside the bottom 5 won the lottery ? I can only think of two in the past 20 years. Yeah we can hope that we're one of the 10% to do it, but I would preferably be in the 80% range of bottom 5 teams to win the lottery.

 

[ACC1224]

But the thing is, I don't want them to win. I want a top pick I love the Leafs but right now I know what needs to be done. Wanting Matthews and cheering for wins are practically complete opposites. You can't have both bearing complete luck. Fans that say they want both aren't being rational. How many times has a team outside the bottom 5 won the lottery ? I can only think of two in the past 20 years. Yeah we can hope that we're one of the 10% to do it, but I would preferably be in the 80% range of bottom 5 teams to win the lottery.

What you want is irrelevant.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

So when is it time to win? Someday we have to move out of the bottom 5, or do we just hang around there forever collecting top 10 picks.

If this team was 4 points out of the playoffs I would see your point. This team is 9 points out of the playoffs while missing it's top scorer on a team with probably a bottom 5 offense minus the Babcock effect. Cheering this team on to win makes no sense when we're closer to securing a top 4 pick while increasing our odds at landing Matthews.

When you have a good team on the ice due to good trades, top picks, and picks panning out then you start cheering for wins. When Nylander is up here I'll start cheering as he'll be a huge part of any sustained success for the Leafs. Until then I'll take those top 5 picks.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

What you want is irrelevant.

In the grand scheme of things sure. That doesn't mean I'm going to cheer for the alternative that is opposite of what I want. That's like wanting the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup but cheering on the Habs during game 7 of the playoffs. It makes no sense. I want a pick as high as possible, so why exactly would I cheer for the Leafs to win meaningless games?

What the tanksters fail to notice is that this year the "bottom" of the NHL isn't an actual bottom.

With our games in hand, we are potentially only 2 wins out of a playoff berth.

And CBJ are in a similar boat.

If you just look at the standings, sure, the team is at the bottom, but this isn't like last year where we were mathematically out by February.

The gap between 1st overall and last is extremely small this year compared to previous years.

The tanksters just look at the standings and fantasize over Matthews and don't see the reality of the situation.

The reality of the situation is a ooffensivelystarved Maple Leafs team just lost it's most offensively gifted player. I believe in miricles, but i'm also a realist.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

When they win I go "woo-hoo!" and feel happy.

When they lose I go "oh well" and feel fine.

I want them to play good and I want them to have a chance to win most games if possible.

They're pretty much playing this season out as best you could ask for if you're pro-tank but still want to see progress in work ethic.

But this year is all about the draft picks. Another top 5 pick and I'm ok if they start getting higher in the standings next year and keep getting better from there.

Although they could be horrible for years and that would be a bummer but very possible. As long as we have our 1st rounders the future should be better.

 

[Deebo]

What you want is irrelevant.

So why cheer for anything at all then?

Cheering is just outwardly expressing your preference, if I prefer for the leafs to finish as low as possible, that's what I will cheer for.

Why would anyone cheer for an outcome that they don't prefer?

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Oh and also. I hope people aren't actually watching the games and cheering on the other team.

What any of us want has no effect on the games so you might as well be a fan and cheer for a win but just not be the same disappointed with a loss if this season actually was supposed to be something good.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Oh and also. I hope people aren't actually watching the games and cheering on the other team.

What any of us want has no effect on the games so you might as well be a fan and cheer for a win but just not be the same disappointed with a loss if this season actually was supposed to be something good.

I have been anti-tank forever. Just because THIS YEAR I am cheering against the Leafs that makes me less of a fan? Let me tell you something: I have been a delusional homer since day one of being a fan. Even for the past few seasons, I thought they were a couple of pieces away from being legit. Boy, was I wrong! I don't like a lot of the players that are here right now, and won't cheer for them. Pretty much nothing is going to change my mind. I watch the games this year because most of the time I just have nothing better to do so why not watch the Leafs? I am waiting for the next "core" to graduate to the NHL slowly. When I see more "Nylanders" and less "Bozaks" then I will cheer again.

 

[nsleaf]

Cheer for win or cheer for loss?
On the bandwagon or off the bandwagon?

 

[Scratch]

When the Leafs win I smile and I'm happy for them. When they lose, I pump my fist and look at the standings to see our draft position.
This is the last year I cheer for losses.
I have to. I want a decade or more of contention, not a couple ofgood seasons.
We should of had Macdavid, but I'll settle Mathews.
Puljajarvi or Tkatchuk would be awesome additions as well.
If we cannot make the play-offs, I want a bottom 3 pick.
I want Bozak, Kadri, Gardiner, Lupul and Bernier moved for pics or prospects.
I want Stamkos signed next year.
I like our future... but I want to LOVE our future.

 

[Confucius]

But the thing is, I don't want them to win. I want a top pick I love the Leafs but right now I know what needs to be done. Wanting Matthews and cheering for wins are practically complete opposites. You can't have both bearing complete luck. Fans that say they want both aren't being rational. How many times has a team outside the bottom 5 won the lottery ? I can only think of two in the past 20 years. Yeah we can hope that we're one of the 10% to do it, but I would preferably be in the 80% range of bottom 5 teams to win the lottery.

Well I hope you aren't one of the fans that criticizes the players after a loss. For example don't call out Phaneuf or any other dmen on bonehead plays and no calling Reimer or Bernier sieves after a loss.

 

[34]

LOSE! Draft pick is way way way more important than a 12th place finish. Auston Matthews!

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

I'm just cheering for the Team because it seems like they'll finish near the bottom anyway. They had a nice little streak going but were still 3rd or 4th last after it so you just know they're going to have a hard time crossing that bottom-5 threshold lol

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Well I hope you aren't one of the fans that criticizes the players after a loss. For example don't call out Phaneuf or any other dmen on bonehead plays and no calling Reimer or Bernier sieves after a loss.

You're free to look up my post. I haven't been this season. I do display my thoughts on how Riemer seems like a legit #1 though.