Fans of teams that are contenders every year, enlighten us Leaf fans...

[delled]

...about your early years before you contended and how you were ready to give up hope because of how dismal your team was at that point?



Not gonna lie, it's comical at this point how our team is giving up leads very late in the game. Like we know the second that we give up a late goal,many more are coming. It's physics at this point. A lot of us are rational, though a lot of us believe this is the Armageddon of being a Leafs fan, and funneling all our hate towards our goaltending.

I try to be rational, telling my fellow Leaf fans I remember watching the Nordiques around the time they got Forsberg and were still losing, it was a freakn amazing time. You had "promise". You suffer short term pain for long term gain, like going on a diet. You deprive yourself of instant gratification like junk food for the longer goal of finally fitting your size 36" pants again.Just like you sacrifice wins in the meantime for the long term goal of your elite players acquiring experience.

So all you Penguins, Kings, Black Hawks etc fans, tell us what you were like about 3 years before you began to contend, and the roller-coaster it was? You had hope, but lost some %$#% close games right? Right? Please tell me you gave up a 2 goal lead with a couple of minutes left!?!

Click to read more...

 

[LeafFever]

...about your early before you contended and how you were ready to give up hope?



Not gonna lie, it's comical at this point of how our franchise is giving up leads very late in the game. Like we know the second that we give up a late goal,many more are coming. It's physics at this point. A lot of us are rational though a lot of us believe this is the Armageddon.

I try to be rational, telling my fellow Leaf fans I remember watching the Nordiques around the time they got Forsberg and were still losing, it was a freakn amazing time. You had "promise". You suffer short term pain for long term gain, like going on a diet. You deprive yourself of instant gratification like junk food for the longer goal of finally fitting your size 36" pants again.Just like you sacrifice wins for the long term goal of your elite players acquiring experience.

So all you Penguins, Kings, Black Hawks etc fans, tell us what you were like about 3 years before you began to contend, and the roller-coaster it was? You had hope, but lost some %$#% close games right?

It's actually not. They are playing the most rookies of any team. what do you expect? It's called growing pains. Every team goes through it.
Penguins were certainly in a different spot. They were bankrupt and could have lost their team altogether. Their fans can't really tell the fans of the most financially stable team anything.

 

[The Bored Man]

What, you don't want to hear from Oilers fans?

 

[Diatomic]

5 games

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

After getting beaten down for 40 years, it was so much easier to watch hockey with no expectations, so when you get a surprise like a playoff series victory, it's insanity.

And as much as the beatdowns get frustrating, it's a rite of passage.

I wouldn't have drooled over beating the Canucks in 2012 or the Sharks in 2013 and 2014 if they wouldn't have beaten us like pinatas in embarrassing fashion in the previous years. And finally getting over the Hawks woodchipper? Almost better than winning the cup.

All the losing is a setup for the highs. As ass-backwards as it sounds, enjoy low-expecation hockey, because once you have a full-time playoff team, you have to deal with rage anytime you DONT win a cup or fall short of 100 points/season.

Edit: plus, you have more than a half-decent consolation prize heading you guys towards that in Matthews. I remember how excited I was to watch Kopitar blow around PRONGER for his first NHL goal and how that signaled brighter things to come. Whole hell of a lot of pain between that and now though Like having Kyle Calder as a 1st line winger...

 

[delled]

It's actually not. They are playing the most rookies of any team. what do you expect? It's called growing pains. Every team goes through it.
Penguins were certainly in a different spot. They were bankrupt and could have lost their team altogether. Their fans can't really tell the fans of the most financially stable team anything.

Well we lost our last game because of so called "veterans". But you're correct in that your team is in a different posistion as we are. We could lose 82 games a year and still sell out for 10 years.

 

[Bourdon101]

...about your early years before you contended and how you were ready to give up hope because of how dismal your team was at that point?



Not gonna lie, it's comical at this point how our team is giving up leads very late in the game. Like we know the second that we give up a late goal,many more are coming. It's physics at this point. A lot of us are rational, though a lot of us believe this is the Armageddon of being a Leafs fan, and funneling all our hate towards our goaltending.

I try to be rational, telling my fellow Leaf fans I remember watching the Nordiques around the time they got Forsberg and were still losing, it was a freakn amazing time. You had "promise". You suffer short term pain for long term gain, like going on a diet. You deprive yourself of instant gratification like junk food for the longer goal of finally fitting your size 36" pants again.Just like you sacrifice wins for the long term goal of your elite players acquiring experience.

So all you Penguins, Kings, Black Hawks etc fans, tell us what you were like about 3 years before you began to contend, and the roller-coaster it was? You had hope, but lost some %$#% close games right?

I dont think Leafs are guaranteed perrenial contention yet... Major issue between the pipes and even in the best devellopment scenario that defense will not be top tier. Fowards are looking to be amazing in a few years, but that doesnt guarantee contention if we look at past rebuilds.

 

[CherryToke]

Funny how OP only listed Penguins, Kings, Black Hawks fans.

I guess you only want to hear good news.

 

[LeafFever]

I dont think Leafs are guaranteed perrenial contention yet... Major issue between the pipes and even in the best devellopment scenario that defense will not be top tier. Fowards are looking to be amazing in a few years, but that doesnt guarantee contention if we look at past rebuilds.

Do not agree at all.

 

[LeafFever]

Well we lost our last game because of so called "veterans". But you're correct in that your team is in a different posistion as we are. We could lose 82 games a year and still sell out for 10 years.

We'll be fine. The blown leads mean little. This is far from the best we'll see out of this team.

 

[delled]

Funny how OP only listed Penguins, Kings, Black Hawks fans.

I guess you only want to hear good news.

Why you got to call me out like that?

I Should add a qualification, Oilers Fans: You can only reply to this thread if you're over 45 years old and are referring to the 80s Oilers only.

 

[Bourdon101]

Do not agree at all.

Reilly is close to entering his presumed prime years and he is not looking like an elite #1 to me. Zaitsev has been good, but not top-pairing good IMO and Gardiner is a #4. Other than that? Carrick, Marincin, Hunwick... Carrick is a good prospect and could become top 4 but the other 2 arent top 4 material. That's not close to what the Kings or Hawks had in those years, nevermind the fact that they also had elite goaltending.

 

[LeafFever]

Kings had a strange way of getting to a cup: People were calling for LOmbardi's head and the rebuild looked like a bust. They sneak into the playoffs at 8th in the conference and win a cup.

 

[LeafFever]

Reilly is close to entering his presumed prime years and he is not looking like an elite #1 to me. Zaitsev has been good, but not top-pairing good IMO and Gardiner is a #4. Other than that? Carrick, Marincin, Hunwick... Carrick is a good prospect and could become top 4 but the other 2 arent top 4 material. That's not close to what the Kings or Hawks had in those years, nevermind the fact that they also had elite goaltending.

Reilly is 22. He is better at 22 than a lot of the guys you'd list as top D-Men. I wonder if you realize that. Trouba gets his butt kissed on here and he's the same age and has proven a lot less.
What about guys like Neilson, Dermot, or anyone else they'll draft?
That Pens D last Spring was not on paper looking good at all.

 

[WesMcCauley]

...about your early years before you contended and how you were ready to give up hope because of how dismal your team was at that point?



Not gonna lie, it's comical at this point how our team is giving up leads very late in the game. Like we know the second that we give up a late goal,many more are coming. It's physics at this point. A lot of us are rational, though a lot of us believe this is the Armageddon of being a Leafs fan, and funneling all our hate towards our goaltending.

I try to be rational, telling my fellow Leaf fans I remember watching the Nordiques around the time they got Forsberg and were still losing, it was a freakn amazing time. You had "promise". You suffer short term pain for long term gain, like going on a diet. You deprive yourself of instant gratification like junk food for the longer goal of finally fitting your size 36" pants again.Just like you sacrifice wins in the meantime for the long term goal of your elite players acquiring experience.

So all you Penguins, Kings, Black Hawks etc fans, tell us what you were like about 3 years before you began to contend, and the roller-coaster it was? You had hope, but lost some %$#% close games right? Right? Please tell me you gave up a 2 goal lead with a couple of minutes left!?!

Its all a part of Babcocks plan. Score alot of goals and develop all the stud forwards you have but still get Liljegren and be ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2-3 years

 

[Flair Hay]

Rielly may not be a beastly #1 yet but he is pretty much the quintessential PMD that is well rounded enough in his own end. Every team needs one of those.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Capitals were crap but Ovechkin was destroying the league since day 1, so that gave us hope. That hope was for nothing, as we have yet to advance past the 2nd round.
Maybe the Leafs will succeed where we failed.

 

[Homesick]

What, you don't want to hear from Oilers fans?

we know all to well about icing a line up full of rookies and giving up 3rd period leads

 

[Syckle78]

Gonna say the same thing I said on your board this morning. Learning how to win and hold leads is part of the process. The only thing you should be concerned about this year is having your team competing every game and your young guys producing. So far those things are happening. I'd be thrilled if I were a leafs fan.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Kings had a strange way of getting to a cup: People were calling for LOmbardi's head and the rebuild looked like a bust. They sneak into the playoffs at 8th in the conference and win a cup.

Wasn't really that strange. They weren't the only team in recent history to have a complete makeover after firing their coach midseason.

 

[LeafFever]

Rielly may not be a beastly #1 yet but he is pretty much the quintessential PMD that is well rounded enough in his own end. Every team needs one of those.

He's a #1 already imo. And he's one of the best young D in the NHL.

 

[fsanford]

Kings had a strange way of getting to a cup: People were calling for LOmbardi's head and the rebuild looked like a bust. They sneak into the playoffs at 8th in the conference and win a cup.

Actually the year the won the cup in 2012 Lombardi made a huge trade getting Carter.

They were so sound defensively struggled offensively.

The problem with lots of teams is the don't have the stones to say now we go for it.
And are willing to ship out high end young players, if the time is right, to bring in some vets

Oilers are slowly finally figuring this out, Toronto at some point will need to do it. If you have a losing culture, you need to bring in a few guys who know how to win and have been on winning teams.

 

[jford]

Gonna say the same thing I said on your board this morning. Learning how to win and hold leads is part of the process. The only thing you should be concerned about this year is having your team competing every game and your young guys producing. So far those things are happening. I'd be thrilled if I were a leafs fan.

Yep. Their young players look good and the team plays hard.

It'll take time, but the Leafs finally seem to be headed in the right direction.

 

[Verbeek]

The year or before the pens first cup run was great hockey to watch. You know your team is on the verge not when they build up huge leads, but when they start mounting come-back wins.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

The year or before the pens first cup run was great hockey to watch. You know your team is on the verge not when they build up huge leads, but when they start mounting come-back wins.

The Caps were doing 3rd period comebacks every game last year after January as they cruised to the PT. We all know how this story ended. I don't think it's a good indicator.

I think the better indicator for a team that's on the verge of winning is to see a sudden increase in possession numbers. The Kings and the Penguins posted very high Corsi numbers in the games leading up to the playoffs where they won.