Most Pressurized Environment - #1

[loosemoose]

Right now? Buffalo and it's not close. That place is just destroying souls.

Vancouver is also trending in that direction, although it will take 2-3 more years of abject misery before things get Buffalo-bad.

 

[93LEAFS]

Sabres aren't even the most popular team in their city.

Agreed, but no NHL team in any American market to the best of my knowledge is more popular than the local NFL team. The only city that might have been true for is Boston prior to the dynasty when the Pats were the joke of the NFL for most of the 70's and 80's. Maybe Knights/Raiders, but that is so new it'd be hard to quantify.

 

[Bouboumaster]

It's Montreal, by far

If the team doesn't straight up suck, you have guys like Réjean Tremblay and some other fools from Québécor who cries about the lack of québécois in the team while sending guys like Drouin in burn out

 

[Goomba]

Montreal is more pressure than Toronto. The media is wild in Toronto but that’s mostly because we all hear about it. The French media is ruthless we just don’t hear about it and fan pressure in Montreal is crazier than Toronto.

Montreal doesnt have the lengthy go without a Cup

for that reason alone its likely Toronto

 

[Adele Dazeem]

How’d you manage to dig a hole deep enough to bury your head this much in the sand? Where are the fans “eating it up”? LMAO the Habs board is maybe the most dejected group of people on the internet

That's a small minority of fans, most people on there think they have a legit shot.

 

[Iapyi]

The sense of entitlement from Montreal fans puts them way in the lead for this.

 

[Hockeyholic]

The sense of entitlement from Montreal fans puts them way in the lead for this.

24 cup wins will do that

 

[The Crypto Guy]

What an odd poll. Everyone already knows it's going to be the Canadian cities first, followed by the major US cities.

 

[Iapyi]

24 cup wins will do that

Yeah I've also noticed they like to look in the rearview mirror.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Agreed, but no NHL team in any American market to the best of my knowledge is more popular than the local NFL team. The only city that might have been true for is Boston prior to the dynasty when the Pats were the joke of the NFL for most of the 70's and 80's. Maybe Knights/Raiders, but that is so new it'd be hard to quantify.

I don’t know the answer to this, but what about Minnesota? Minnesota is a hockey state more than a football state. I don’t know how that extends to pro sports, but I think it could play a part.

 

[Xspyrit]

The sense of entitlement from Montreal fans puts them way in the lead for this.

I blame the nostalgic dinosaurs here (the Tremblays, Bergeron for example) who kept gushing over how Glorious les Canadiens were... but what they failed to mention/analyze is that most of the "24 Cups" were won during a time where the sport was still just a regional/backyard" sport... I mean, 6 teams for a long time... then eventually 12 teams... mostly just canadian players (very small country in terms of population, even today Canada is only the 37th most populated country, same pop as Tokyo). The city of Ottawa won 11 of the first 35 Cups awarded so they could have won a bunch more (and maybe take some from Montreal) if they didn't lose their team in 1934... The difference is you almost never hear about this "past glory".

So all this nostalgia of when the NHL was in a very different reality from today created unrealistic expectations for this team. I think new generations (people below 30-35 y/o) are a bit more reasonnable since they realize that they haven't witnessed any of this "glory" during their own life. They kinda understand that the Canadiens are just "another NHL team" like the others. Now that whole world is sending its talent over and the americans are taking the sport seriously, it's a very different story.

It's probably because of that "pompous" and entitled attitude that I have never been a Habs fan despite living here. As soon as I arrived from Europe in 1991 (never even heard the word hockey before lol but loved it right away) I was a Nordiques fan and then eventually became a Sens fans after they lost their team. Never could become a Habs fans even I tried hard in 2004 going to playoffs games.

 

[SotasicA]

It's Montreal. Toronto media is at least somewhat human. I mean, they crush the players professionally, but at least they give them their free time. Montreal is just sick. Canadiens' players every move is reported by some beat writer / radio show host / tweeter / podcaster / paparazzi.

They also have 24 Stanley Cups and can't accept losing. And they want you to speak French. And they boo their own players (see Brisebois, Patrice).

 

[Davenport]

Right now, the answer is Toronto. They have to win their first-round series against Montreal.

 

[MessierII]

Montreal doesnt have the lengthy go without a Cup

for that reason alone its likely Toronto

Toronto has droves of Jays and Raps fans that don’t care all that much about the Leafs. In Montreal the Habs are life.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Yeah I've also noticed they like to look in the rearview mirror.

I think that adds to the pressure though.

Price has to live up to Roy & Dryden.

Montreal's best forward has to live up to Lafleur.

Their best defenceman will always be compared with Robinson.

In this day and age it's impossible to have the impact of said past players. Free agency has changed everything.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Toronto has droves of Jays and Raps fans that don’t care all that much about the Leafs. In Montreal the Habs are life.

This.

There's no other distractions in Montréal. The mood of the city and province is dictated by the state of the hockey team.

I think most people in Montréal are Habs fans. I don't sense the majority of fans in Toronto are Leaf fans.

 

[Goomba]

Toronto has droves of Jays and Raps fans that don’t care all that much about the Leafs. In Montreal the Habs are life.

I interpreted the question as speaking strictly hockey

for sure hockey is king in Montreal and, while its kimg in Toronto too, like you said it has other avenues of entertainment

Plus I know the French media can be absolutely brutal

 

[93LEAFS]

I don’t know the answer to this, but what about Minnesota? Minnesota is a hockey state more than a football state. I don’t know how that extends to pro sports, but I think it could play a part.

Naw, Vikings are still bigger than the Wild. To be honest it’s rare for any team to be more popular than any other team. Rare exceptions like Yankees in NYC (and Giants aren’t far behind) or Lakers in Los Angeles over the Rams. NFL just is way easier to follow (one game a week, almost always on Sundays) plus the interest in gambling and fantasy football.

 

[93LEAFS]

This.

There's no other distractions in Montréal. The mood of the city and province is dictated by the state of the hockey team.

I think most people in Montréal are Habs fans. I don't sense the majority of fans in Toronto are Leaf fans.

There are a ton of distractions in MTL they just aren’t sports. Toronto is similar. I’d say most people support the Leafs but due to all the options of entertainment in the city pre-Covid we probably have a ton of casuals.

 

[Liver King]

my stomach after chipotle

 

[Pyrophorus]

Toronto has droves of Jays and Raps fans that don’t care all that much about the Leafs.

...and they're not the majority

 

[MessierII]

...and they're not the majority

No but they exist and in large numbers. Toronto also has more transient hockey fans who moved there for work purposes from other provinces and aren’t Leaf fans.

 

[Iapyi]

I blame the nostalgic dinosaurs here (the Tremblays, Bergeron for example) who kept gushing over how Glorious les Canadiens were... but what they failed to mention/analyze is that most of the "24 Cups" were won during a time where the sport was still just a regional/backyard" sport... I mean, 6 teams for a long time... then eventually 12 teams... mostly just canadian players (very small country in terms of population, even today Canada is only the 37th most populated country, same pop as Tokyo). The city of Ottawa won 11 of the first 35 Cups awarded so they could have won a bunch more (and maybe take some from Montreal) if they didn't lose their team in 1934... The difference is you almost never hear about this "past glory".

So all this nostalgia of when the NHL was in a very different reality from today created unrealistic expectations for this team. I think new generations (people below 30-35 y/o) are a bit more reasonnable since they realize that they haven't witnessed any of this "glory" during their own life. They kinda understand that the Canadiens are just "another NHL team" like the others. Now that whole world is sending its talent over and the americans are taking the sport seriously, it's a very different story.

It's probably because of that "pompous" and entitled attitude that I have never been a Habs fan despite living here. As soon as I arrived from Europe in 1991 (never even heard the word hockey before lol but loved it right away) I was a Nordiques fan and then eventually became a Sens fans after they lost their team. Never could become a Habs fans even I tried hard in 2004 going to playoffs games.

Very astute post, I would like it if I could.

The funny thing is that being originally from Saskatchewan and being old enough that I was a kid before any team came to the prairies [when I was about 18] it was basically either Toronto or Montreal.

Some of my very best friends are Montreal fans and the Maple Leafs were not a good team for the most part. {this was when the Impatient Fan ruled the roost in Toronto and they made knee jerk reactionary decisions} but as I said to them at the time if the roles were reversed I would never be as dinkish to them as they were which led me to think it was something about the team (of course this is hogwash but I was younger and more foolish then).

I have always respected the organization though.

 

[Albatros]

Sabres aren't even the most popular team in their city.

And it's not that great of a city either. Being stuck there for years preparing for the next game that you know you're probably going to lose anyway while no one gives a shit would be even worse than the aquariums north of the border.

 

[McFlash97]

It’s Toronto

There’s no other right answer

Most fans = most pressure

Like the Yankees, Knicks or Cowboys

It's not about being most fans. It's about 50 plus years of trash.

No finals
No cups
No 100 point scorers
None
Nada

Please don't compare the Leafs to other storied franchises