More Epic Disappointment, Again

[Leafblooded]

I'm almost 34 years old. I've watched this team for nearly 30 years, season in, season out. Every fall they get my hopes up, and every spring they crush them. I promised after Montreal last playoffs that I wouldn't let them play me like this again. Yet, somehow they lured me in with their regular season success, again. I beleafed again. I supported them again. I rooted for them again. I cast a blind eye to all the obvious problems and glaring deficiencies, again. I excused them, again. Again and again and again, leading to another epic disappointment and another crushing defeat... Again. I don't know how much longer I can keep supporting this f***ing trainwreck of a team... I'll say it, again. Yet, I know I'll be back next year... Again. Until then, f*** this team, AGAIN!

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[BTP]

welcome to hell

 

[Cleetus]

I'm almost 34 years old. I've watched this team for nearly 30 years, season in, season out. Every fall they get my hopes up, and every spring they crush them. I promised after Montreal last playoffs that I wouldn't let them play me like this again. Yet, somehow they lured me in with their regular season success, again. I beleafed again. I supported them again. I rooted for them again. I cast a blind eye to all the obvious problems and glaring deficiencies, again. I excused them, again. Again and again and again, leading to another epic disappointment and another crushing defeat... Again. I don't know how much longer I can keep supporting this f***ing trainwreck of a team... I'll say it, again. Yet, I know I'll be back next year... Again. Until then, f*** this team, AGAIN!

haha this one hits home for me, im the same!

 

[Aashir Mallik]

I’ll be back

But less of a watcher

My brother has already stopped watching regular season games

I think I’m gonna tune in if I have the time, but I won’t not make plans due to the games

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Ill be back come playoffs time till then I will not watch a single regular season I dont care if Matthews get a hat trick every game of the regular season.
my disappointment is through the roof

 

[Antropovsky]

I’ll be back

But less of a watcher

My brother has already stopped watching regular season games

I think I’m gonna tune in if I have the time, but I won’t not make plans due to the games

I watch less and less, this year I caught a few periods of playoff hockey. I liked what I saw more than last postseason but like last postseason I knew we didn't have it. I've watched alot of hockey and you know playoff hockey when you see it. This team has glimpses but struggled all season with odd man rushes and giving up leads. Playoff hockey is all about holding on to leads.

 

[Marmoset]

There is nothing wrong with still being a fan, still keeping an eye on the team, but not watching every game and reading the message boards every night. If you're not enjoying it as much after all of the disappointments, you can take a step back without just giving it up completely.

There's also nothing wrong with remaining a fan living/breathing Leafs 24/7. Although I envy those who are able to do that after all of this. After the Montreal debacle it just got too frustrating for me and I scaled back this season.

 

[Buds17]

The best I can muster is that this easily tops all those seasons of missing the playoffs. Unfortunately, that's just such a low bar for comparison.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I learned to appreciate the fun, relaxed nature of the regular season this year and not think about the playoffs.

I can appreciate Matthews’ awesome year in isolation. But I knew the playoffs were what mattered and I just didnt believe in that group.

I tuned out for the playoffs because that’s when it really mattered. I watched maybe 30% of the series. Usually towards the end when the game was closer to being decided. Made handling the disappointment a lot easier since I had already convinced myself they wouldn’t do anything, and that there wasn’t enough time for me to get my hopes up in a game

 

[Todd1a]

Stick with the process keep the GM and coach the Lightning failed in the playoffs a lot because winning a few cups it’s a long process to get there and the leafs will be there in the future.

 

[ULF_55]

I pvr'd the games and watched based on results.

I had no confidence they would meet the challenge.

Team has very good preseason talent, but their failure rate in big games is extreme.

 

[Mr_Fun]

It's a lot of games (82) to take in in a season. I watched most of them this year and will continue to do so. Then again, I don't watch ANY other TV (ok, I lied as I did watch CYE).

At any rate, I don't see anything wrong with selectively tuning into watch. It's your time and you're free to do as you please with it.

Also, it's still a long ways until October.

 

[dubey]

Didn't watch much this year other than the tail end of the season when Matthews was going for 50 and then 60

Not sure how anyone could expect a huge difference this year compared to previous seasons

 

[2 Slick]

Game seven was the only one I intentionally didn’t watch, I’m glad I didn’t because I knew what the end result was going to be as I’m sure everyone else did as well.

If you’re one of those people that likes to be overly dramatic whenever it comes to a big loss or someone messes up, people will generally tend to give you shit for being overly negative. After watching Toronto bow out of yet another disappointing first round exit after being up three games to two in the series, now you see why people talk shit as much as they do even after just something as simple as a regular season game. They are frustrated and rightfully so. I think any negativity this team receives from fans is absolutely well-deserved, you shouldn’t get praised until you actually do something when the games matter most. There are no moral victories in hockey, there are no participation awards in the playoffs, no one really cares about regular season statistics if you can’t get it done in the playoffs, at least I don’t care.

At the end of the day though I know that they won’t change anything in upper management, there won’t be any huge roster changes, it’s pretty much the status quo for another year and if that happens, the end result will be the exact same, except they may even be a little bit worse next season due to free agency and losing some of their players.

I think next season will be the first season in over 20 years that I don’t watch every single game, I will still cheer for this team, I still love them, but I’m not going to invest as much time, passion and effort into a team that doesn’t know how to give the same in return. Just not going to do it.

 

[Leafblooded]

Yeah I was sort of in the same boat this past season, tuned in daily again only at the 40-50 game mark. The Montreal series left such a bitter taste. After so many other disappointments, now this. Likely they won't be able to get their shit together before Matthews leaves, more disappointment incoming. Now we have exceptional players, but no money for a supporting cast. Pre-salary cap we had lots of money, but spent all our resources chasing aging stars. Coming back to the Leafs feels like buying pants that don't fit, on purpose, time and time and time again. It just never works out. Yet here we are, still beleafing.

 

[Dave92]

They need to keep Dubas so he can find a way to lose to Buffalo and Ottawa too. Otherwise another GM might be able to challenge his legacy of failure within the next 50 years.

 

[6ix]

I’ll be back

But less of a watcher

My brother has already stopped watching regular season games

I think I’m gonna tune in if I have the time, but I won’t not make plans due to the games

After last years debacle, this is exactly what I did for this year. Only watched maybe 25ish-30ish regular season games, and a lot of them were near the end of the season to see if Matthews could hit 60 goals.

There’s no point at all to be really invested in the regular season. It just doesn’t mean anything really.

 

[the squared circle]

I’ll be back

But less of a watcher

My brother has already stopped watching regular season games

I think I’m gonna tune in if I have the time, but I won’t not make plans due to the games

This was me, this year. I didn’t watch the regular season. Didn’t go to one game (STH). Last years loss to Montreal was the last straw for me. The way we lost, in grand Leaf-only like fashion, to the most hated team, with the most arrogant and ignorant fans who have been in my face since elementary school, high school, university, and adulthood - close friends who have no ties to Montreal yet cheered for them their whole life —- I just Needed a break after almost 50 years.

Watched the playoffs. Went to game five. Lost my voice on Tavares’ goal, only for the goal to be called back.
And in the end, as Triumph once sang, “it’s the same old story, all over again....”

I will always be a Leaf fan, but maybe just not as fanatical as I used to be. So sad to say, but they lost me. I don’t anticipate watching regular season games again next year. Yes the effort was better this year than past core years, but there’s always an excuse. I’m just tired.

 

[saffronleaf]

last time leafs won a series I was 14...

 

[ShaneFalco]

I learned to appreciate the fun, relaxed nature of the regular season this year and not think about the playoffs.

I can appreciate Matthews’ awesome year in isolation. But I knew the playoffs were what mattered and I just didnt believe in that group.

I tuned out for the playoffs because that’s when it really mattered. I watched maybe 30% of the series. Usually towards the end when the game was closer to being decided. Made handling the disappointment a lot easier since I had already convinced myself they wouldn’t do anything, and that there wasn’t enough time for me to get my hopes up in a game

Sad though right that it's come to this?

 

[saffronleaf]

The best I can muster is that this easily tops all those seasons of missing the playoffs. Unfortunately, that's just such a low bar for comparison.

lol but those kessel era teams were in some ways fun

 

[saffronleaf]

Game seven was the only one I intentionally didn’t watch, I’m glad I didn’t because I knew what the end result was going to be as I’m sure everyone else did as well.

If you’re one of those people that likes to be overly dramatic whenever it comes to a big loss or someone messes up, people will generally tend to give you shit for being overly negative. After watching Toronto bow out of yet another disappointing first round exit after being up three games to two in the series, now you see why people talk shit as much as they do even after just something as simple as a regular season game. They are frustrated and rightfully so. I think any negativity this team receives from fans is absolutely well-deserved, you shouldn’t get praised until you actually do something when the games matter most. There are no moral victories in hockey, there are no participation awards in the playoffs, no one really cares about regular season statistics if you can’t get it done in the playoffs, at least I don’t care.

At the end of the day though I know that they won’t change anything in upper management, there won’t be any huge roster changes, it’s pretty much the status quo for another year and if that happens, the end result will be the exact same, except they may even be a little bit worse next season due to free agency and losing some of their players.

I think next season will be the first season in over 20 years that I don’t watch every single game, I will still cheer for this team, I still love them, but I’m not going to invest as much time, passion and effort into a team that doesn’t know how to give the same in return. Just not going to do it.

I feel like when my life is busy with other things I can easily avoid Leafs regular season games without any issues. I'll still be upset if I miss playoffs games, but if it's an important event screw it.

with the pandemic, lockdowns, living solo, etc., I think I've leaned more into the Leafs to fill up my time. Big mistake (for me, YMMV).

 

[Anthrax442]

 

[Buds17]

lol but those kessel era teams were in some ways fun

You're better than I am! I can only say that for the 2012-2013 season.

 

[lebdafor norris]

I'm almost 34 years old. I've watched this team for nearly 30 years, season in, season out. Every fall they get my hopes up, and every spring they crush them. I promised after Montreal last playoffs that I wouldn't let them play me like this again. Yet, somehow they lured me in with their regular season success, again. I beleafed again. I supported them again. I rooted for them again. I cast a blind eye to all the obvious problems and glaring deficiencies, again. I excused them, again. Again and again and again, leading to another epic disappointment and another crushing defeat... Again. I don't know how much longer I can keep supporting this f***ing trainwreck of a team... I'll say it, again. Yet, I know I'll be back next year... Again. Until then, f*** this team, AGAIN!

I became a Leafs fan in around 2003 as a pretreen, little did I knew at the time that the amazing 7 game series victory for Leafs against the Sens on the back of 3 shutouts by Belfour would be the highest peak and greatest highlight for nearly 2 decades of following this team.