Why does everybody hate the Leafs?

[67Cup]

Assume for the moment that all fan bases have more or less the same percentage of sphincters. That means there are more Leafs sphincters than any other sort, by far. On this site, there are more posts on the Leafs board than on the entire Central Division, minus the Jets. Moreover our jerks and idiots are not only numerous but notable. We seem to stand out like a Jake Gardiner defensive gaffe in game seven! Our idiots are noticed. Then a certain kind of fan of the other teams generalizes from the minority.

There are certain memes those guys fall into. I am either the longest term Leafs fan here or pretty close to it. I can’t recall Leaf fans ever talking about a parade in July, except in joking self mockery. But when we Leafs fans express optimism, even reasonable optimism, it’s “plan the parade!”

 

[Terrible GM]

To a large proportion of Americans (especially the MAGA, Fox News, Breitbart crowd), Canada represents a "far-left" socialist dystopia that free-rides on America for its national security and steals manufacturing jobs through NAFTA. To them it's a chilling warning of the dangers of "socialized medicine", gun control, and multiculturalism.

Likewise, to many western Canadians, Toronto represents the epicenter of "Eastern Elites" who routinely ignore the interests of western Canada in favour of Ontario and Quebec (i.e. National Energy Program, Carbon Tax, Trans-Mountain, Energy East etc).

For Quebec and The Maritimes, needless to say there's been a history of grievances between Upper Canada and Lower Canada well before Confederation.

Upper and Lower Canada?? How old do you think we live in the Maritimes? The Maritimes is split, older generations (baby Boomers) are either Leaf, Habs, or Bruins fans. Then you get into a more diverse fan base with the younger generations. Nova Scotia split, but now with a lot of Pen fans, NFld has tones of leaf fans because of leaf farm teams on the rock for many years. Not sure about PEI. NB still heavy Leafs and Habs., heavy in upper NB due to heavy french population, with southern NB heavy with Leaf fans, Habs, and some Bruins.

We have more fans than any other fan base, which means more voices on the internet to annoy the other fan base, more "that guy" at the party that will tell you the leafs are better than your team because Stuart Percy is going to be a stud d-man. It's just a overload that annoys people, and they are scared at what might come if the leafs win a cup (or two..). Gotta be honest, we haven't one anything, and after the JT signing I had a little gloating happening.

 

[Borschevsky]

We have some pretty annoying fans, let's be honest. Just look at the Burrows thread in the main board.

Every Leafs fan in there is like

"Oh hey, we didn't have a 1st rounder one time either."

"You guys just need a Shanaplan"

"You'll dig yourselves out of that hole. Look at us, we did it!"

Sometimes it's subtle things like this and not even overt. Leafs fans tend to stick their noses in things and make it about us. I can see how it grinds some gears. That's not even mentioning the constant victim complex from some people here.

 

[666]

Assume for the moment that all fan bases have more or less the same percentage of sphincters. That means there are more Leafs sphincters than any other sort, by far. On this site, there are more posts on the Leafs board than on the entire Central Division, minus the Jets. Moreover our jerks and idiots are not only numerous but notable. We seem to stand out like a Jake Gardiner defensive gaffe in game seven! Our idiots are noticed. Then a certain kind of fan of the other teams generalizes from the minority.

There are certain memes those guys fall into. I am either the longest term Leafs fan here or pretty close to it. I can’t recall Leaf fans ever talking about a parade in July, except in joking self mockery. But when we Leafs fans express optimism, even reasonable optimism, it’s “plan the parade!”

One thing that fascinates me is the whole Laine/Matthews thing. There's isn't a single Leafs fan who would have picked Laine.

As a Leaf fan I'm happy Winnipeg got their team back and are doing well, that's about it.

Some Jets fans seem to want to force a rivalry with us but we have our decades olds rivalries. We don't really care about the Jets one way or the other, until we meet in the finals.

 

[LeafsNation75]

One thing that fascinates me is the whole Laine/Matthews thing. There's isn't a single Leafs fan who would have picked Laine.

As a Leaf fan I'm happy Winnipeg got their team back and are doing well, that's about it.

Some Jets fans seem to want to force a rivalry with us but we have our decades olds rivalries. We don't really care about the Jets one way or the other, until we meet in the finals.

I was also happy when Winnipeg got their team back, however that's where it ends for me. Their fans are seriously annoying with their hatred towards anything Leafs related. I remember a few years ago when Toronto played them in Winnipeg their fans started with a "Leafs suck" chant right away and I remember saying oh look they are trying to copy what the Canucks fans are doing when playing Toronto.

 

[trellaine201]

Because they hate the fans imo and people on the boards.

 

[Saltcreek]

We have some pretty annoying fans, let's be honest. Just look at the Burrows thread in the main board.

Every Leafs fan in there is like

"Oh hey, we didn't have a 1st rounder one time either."

"You guys just need a Shanaplan"

"You'll dig yourselves out of that hole. Look at us, we did it!"

Sometimes it's subtle things like this and not even overt. Leafs fans tend to stick their noses in things and make it about us. I can see how it grinds some gears. That's not even mentioning the constant victim complex from some people here.

This is pretty much it. I do not hate the Leafs, I cheered for the when I was a kid (along with Edmonton), but there are Leafs fans that try to make every thread about the Leafs. So the Leafs hatred is not really focused on the team but the minority of fans who tend to make every thread about the Leafs. When I come to this section of HF I tend to find it it much more "balanced" and enjoyable to read.

Do not get me wrong, other teams have their fans that are annoying too but the general perception is more focused on the Leaf posters.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Probably already been said but I have no interest in reading this for the millionth time. The reasons are:

- Large fan base which inevitably amplifies the small percentage of annoying fans (which is likely no larger a percentage than any other fan base but the volume makes it seem so).

- Canadian sports media ramming everything Leafs down everyone's throats. Even worse, there was a long period of time when even the CBC was playing Leafs games on Saturday night instead of giving local fans their own regional broadcast.

- Anyone living west of Thunder Bay has an irreconcilable hatred for Eastern Canada for whatever reasons, perceived or legitimate, and the Leafs and their fans get tarred with the same brush.

 

[rojac]

The important question is "why do you care?"

 

[Liferleafer]

A little musical interlude....

 

[ULF_55]

Because so many are so easy to rile up.

Develop 2 things, thick skin and a sense of humour!

 

[rimshot]

Probably already been said but I have no interest in reading this for the millionth time. The reasons are:

- Large fan base which inevitably amplifies the small percentage of annoying fans (which is likely no larger a percentage than any other fan base but the volume makes it seem so).

- Canadian sports media ramming everything Leafs down everyone's throats. Even worse, there was a long period of time when even the CBC was playing Leafs games on Saturday night instead of giving local fans their own regional broadcast.

- Anyone living west of Thunder Bay has an irreconcilable hatred for Eastern Canada for whatever reasons, perceived or legitimate, and the Leafs and their fans get tarred with the same brush.

As someone living West of Thunder Bay I say horse manure. Most people out here have better things to do with their lives. Get over yourself!!

 

[Eat The Rich]

Didn't the Leafs capture a lot of Jets fans after they moved? I feel like that's a thing. Anyway, it would make sense for them to start displaying these tendencies if they're trying to convince themselves they aren't Leafs fans anymore.

Prove me wrong.

 

[JadedLeaf]

It doesnt help that you guys are constantly making leaf threads everywhere in the General Board or Trade board.

Even as a leaf fan it gets really annoying when you 30+ pages of leaf threads everywhere. For gods sakes, just stay low key.

I dont need to feel a sense of satisfaction about my team from another fanbase.

If you look at how many of those threads are started by Leaf fans vs fans of other teams, the number isn't so outrageous, especially taking into account the number of fans we have.

 

[SoCal Leafs]

To a large proportion of Americans (especially the MAGA, Fox News, Breitbart crowd), Canada represents a "far-left" socialist dystopia that free-rides on America for its national security and steals manufacturing jobs through NAFTA. To them it's a chilling warning of the dangers of "socialized medicine", gun control, and multiculturalism.

Likewise, to many western Canadians, Toronto represents the epicenter of "Eastern Elites" who routinely ignore the interests of western Canada in favour of Ontario and Quebec (i.e. National Energy Program, Carbon Tax, Trans-Mountain, Energy East etc).

For Quebec and The Maritimes, needless to say there's been a history of grievances between Upper Canada and Lower Canada well before Confederation.

As a Canadian expat who's lived in the US for a while now, including a long stint in Boston (yes, even during the heartbreak of 2013!), Americans really don't hate Canadians. In fact, my experience is that Canadians are much more hateful, or at least disparaging, of Americans. Canadians are just like a quiet, problem-free neighbor and really aren't a big concern in Americans' minds. They're typically more concerned with what's going on in the US and bigger evil enemies (N. Korea, Russia, China). For those who have do a opinion on Canada, that opinion is generally quite favorable. There are some pockets of "MAGA" Americans who dislike Canada, but that is overblown in the media and not widespread by any means. I know many Fox News-watching types who view Canada and Canadians favorably, despite their disapproval of certain governmental/societal issues.

In terms of hockey hate, in my experience really only a small group hardcore hockey fans hate the Leafs, probably a good proportion of them inhabit these boards! My kids play hockey and I've been in rinks from coast to coast and we've never experienced any hate or vitriol for rocking our Leafs gear. Even in Boston when I lived there, the Leafs were more dismissed than hated--but then Boston fans are pretty stuck up due to their teams' recent successes and look down on every non-Boston team. Things may have changed now that the Leafs are actually good, but I think the Habs are much more hated in that area. And the recent hate from NYI fans is understandable.

 

[Stephen]

It's just a herd mentality.

 

[Notsince67]

Assume for the moment that all fan bases have more or less the same percentage of sphincters. That means there are more Leafs sphincters than any other sort, by far. On this site, there are more posts on the Leafs board than on the entire Central Division, minus the Jets. Moreover our jerks and idiots are not only numerous but notable. We seem to stand out like a Jake Gardiner defensive gaffe in game seven! Our idiots are noticed. Then a certain kind of fan of the other teams generalizes from the minority.

There are certain memes those guys fall into. I am either the longest term Leafs fan here or pretty close to it. I can’t recall Leaf fans ever talking about a parade in July, except in joking self mockery. But when we Leafs fans express optimism, even reasonable optimism, it’s “plan the parade!”

People hated the leafs way before the internet

 

[Notsince67]

I was also happy when Winnipeg got their team back, however that's where it ends for me. Their fans are seriously annoying with their hatred towards anything Leafs related. I remember a few years ago when Toronto played them in Winnipeg their fans started with a "Leafs suck" chant right away and I remember saying oh look they are trying to copy what the Canucks fans are doing when playing Toronto.

Within Canada, a lot of people hate Toronto. Has little to do with the Leafs

 

[nsleaf]

Probably already been said but I have no interest in reading this for the millionth time. The reasons are:

- Large fan base which inevitably amplifies the small percentage of annoying fans (which is likely no larger a percentage than any other fan base but the volume makes it seem so).

- Canadian sports media ramming everything Leafs down everyone's throats. Even worse, there was a long period of time when even the CBC was playing Leafs games on Saturday night instead of giving local fans their own regional broadcast.

- Anyone living west of Thunder Bay has an irreconcilable hatred for Eastern Canada for whatever reasons, perceived or legitimate,
and the Leafs and their fans get tarred with the same brush.[/QUOTE

Do you realize how many transplanted Eastern Canadians live west of Thunder B? Irreconcilable perceived or not, Leaf fans infect every inch of this country.

 

[Peiskos]

It comes down to irrational jealously and bitterness. Most of it stems from the media attention Toronto gets, the Leafs get more off season attention than the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, its pretty much always been this way.

You look at our online presence, on HFboards for example, we have the most threads and largest fanbase, our highlight videos on youtube bring in the most views etc etc.

You see this in many countries BTW, in France its in fashion to shit on Paris..people from their small unknown towns feel jealous and envious of the big city, you can see this in a variety of countries..in the US its in fashion to dump on NYC, in Australia people talk crap about Sydney etc etc

To quote Mike "Doc" Emrick on NHL 18 -- "Toronto..the biggest city in Hockey's first nation." We are the most important city in Canada, we are the economic, business, fashion, entertainment, sports capital of Canada.

Its like children really, Toronto is the golden child and all the other children (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal) live in our shadow, desperately seeking attention.

It doesn't help either these days that Toronto has managed to put together a fantastic management group and easily the most stacked & star studded offence of any Canadian team in a generation.

Oh yes very important to note that they all loved it when they could bash our team for so many years when we were terrible, but now that we're good and going to get even better they are going mad, they are in panic, they are engaged that the Leafs are good again. It truly drives them crazy.

 

[Leafslet]

The team has been the laughing stock of the NHL for a decade recently, I get that. But as soon as things start getting better, everybody just brings out rabid hate. I don’t think even MTL or OTT fans hate Toronto as much as some other fans do. Just look at the main board on these forums. Matthews is never given enough credit, McDavid is on a whole other level than him, and the Leafs in general are just lucky and taking advantage of teams having bad seasons. All Leafs prospects are overrated.

Even the damn NHL has no respect for this city or franchise which they’ve shown simply by giving it **** all for it’s centennial year.

it's called jealousy sweety.

 

[mcleex]

Funny how ever since we got Tavares he is suddenly a 4th line Center at best

 

[Gabriel426]

First, we have the biggest fan base in Hockey. My old colleague said it best, it is pretty hard to not run into a Leafs fans in Canada.
I think that's the annoying part, esp if the local team is struggling.
Second, let's say every 1 in 10 fans in any franchises is an idiot, the Leafs still have more idiots than other fan bases.

Honestly, I think the Leafs hate has more to do with trolls wanting to piss Leafs fans off than anything.

Don't really need to pay attention to them

 

[Coachcorner]

Because we have the most fans, the most money and the most power. We've been the most followed ice hockey team, ever in ice hockey. We also have tons of money and dollars. Nothing can stop us like dubas said. We also right now have the best players too again. So nothing really can stop us. We are so powerful and money that even losing in toronto doesn't matter if the team does everything and leaves it on the ice. Just like the Sundin Quinn Tucker Belfour Domi team did. And they almost won it all. Conferense finals mayne, conference finals.

 

[Confucius]

Why do Amy of us care? Does anyone lose sleep over the fact a Sens or Habs fan or any other fan hate us? Embrace the public enemy number 1 status. It makes winning all the more satisfying.