NonisMustGo*
Guest
I have been a long time fan and I have finally come to my wits end. Several months ago I stopped watching this team altogether. It wasn't necessarily this unlikable roster, but more to do with a decade of failure and the growing resentment I have had not only for management, but of the NHL as a whole.
I am 31 years old, I have watched this team since I was 5. I remember immediately the terrible goaltending tandem of Peter Ing and Allen Bester. I remember the hype behind some obscure Russian prospect whose calling card came when he was shipped to Calgary in part of the Gilmour trade. I remember my father telling me what the Leafs meant to him, even as a teenager who barely spoke English. In that 1993 series against Detroit, it was my dad who told me to hold out hope late in the 3rd period, and sure enough it was the most satisfying victory I have ever experienced as a Leaf fan.
In the last 30 years this franchise has had some good to great players. Never a team talented enough to go all the way. Pat Quinn, God bless his soul, got more out of a roster than any other coach we had in the past. Who could have imagined a team with a defense tandem of Lumme and Berg could make it to the Conference Final? It wasn't necessarily the quality of the roster, but the team cohesion and great goaltending that led to some near successes.
The last decade has been a complete embarrassment for this organization. Sadly, they were not punished financially until late this season. The value of the Leafs has grown significantly since the lock-out of 2004-2005. In that time-frame we, the Leaf fan base, have had to witness franchises win Cups with superstar players we could only dream of having. After the more recent lock-out I have started paying attention to how the league works, and after reading more about revenue sharing Leaf fans should be outraged. The blatant hypocrisy displayed by the owners and the NHL is a slap in the face, and furthermore, the players are becoming entitled. I do not blame the players, they need to benefit from their dealings with the owners, after all, they are ultimately the product and any one of us would take a sweetheart deal; however, it just isn't tasteful anymore.
As teams like Tampa transitioned from Lecavalier, Richards, and St. Louis to Hedman and Stamkos, I have watched the Leafs ice teams that included the likes of John Pohl, Andy Wozniewski, JS Aubin, Bates Battaglia, Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala, Jason Blake, and who knows how many other plugs have had the honour of skating on the ACC ice surface. This current crop of players is just a collection of misfits and brats. Besides a handful of players, the management needs to totally revamp their roster. Hopefully, the next group of players appreciate where they play and leave their blood, sweat and tears on the ice. This city deserves it.
My ultimate point is, for too long Leaf fans have been propping up the NHL and its terrible business decisions. Canadian fans as a whole deserve better. Many of these players are born and raised in our cities and are educated in our schools, while playing in rinks paid for by tax payer money. Admiring them from a far while watching our own wretched team has become too taxing. If on draft day, Rogers is not 'rewarded' for acquiring the television rights for a bush league professional sports league while also owning one of the biggest hockey franchises in Canada I am officially out. The mismanagement of this league borders on asinine.
I am 31 years old, I have watched this team since I was 5. I remember immediately the terrible goaltending tandem of Peter Ing and Allen Bester. I remember the hype behind some obscure Russian prospect whose calling card came when he was shipped to Calgary in part of the Gilmour trade. I remember my father telling me what the Leafs meant to him, even as a teenager who barely spoke English. In that 1993 series against Detroit, it was my dad who told me to hold out hope late in the 3rd period, and sure enough it was the most satisfying victory I have ever experienced as a Leaf fan.
In the last 30 years this franchise has had some good to great players. Never a team talented enough to go all the way. Pat Quinn, God bless his soul, got more out of a roster than any other coach we had in the past. Who could have imagined a team with a defense tandem of Lumme and Berg could make it to the Conference Final? It wasn't necessarily the quality of the roster, but the team cohesion and great goaltending that led to some near successes.
The last decade has been a complete embarrassment for this organization. Sadly, they were not punished financially until late this season. The value of the Leafs has grown significantly since the lock-out of 2004-2005. In that time-frame we, the Leaf fan base, have had to witness franchises win Cups with superstar players we could only dream of having. After the more recent lock-out I have started paying attention to how the league works, and after reading more about revenue sharing Leaf fans should be outraged. The blatant hypocrisy displayed by the owners and the NHL is a slap in the face, and furthermore, the players are becoming entitled. I do not blame the players, they need to benefit from their dealings with the owners, after all, they are ultimately the product and any one of us would take a sweetheart deal; however, it just isn't tasteful anymore.
As teams like Tampa transitioned from Lecavalier, Richards, and St. Louis to Hedman and Stamkos, I have watched the Leafs ice teams that included the likes of John Pohl, Andy Wozniewski, JS Aubin, Bates Battaglia, Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala, Jason Blake, and who knows how many other plugs have had the honour of skating on the ACC ice surface. This current crop of players is just a collection of misfits and brats. Besides a handful of players, the management needs to totally revamp their roster. Hopefully, the next group of players appreciate where they play and leave their blood, sweat and tears on the ice. This city deserves it.
My ultimate point is, for too long Leaf fans have been propping up the NHL and its terrible business decisions. Canadian fans as a whole deserve better. Many of these players are born and raised in our cities and are educated in our schools, while playing in rinks paid for by tax payer money. Admiring them from a far while watching our own wretched team has become too taxing. If on draft day, Rogers is not 'rewarded' for acquiring the television rights for a bush league professional sports league while also owning one of the biggest hockey franchises in Canada I am officially out. The mismanagement of this league borders on asinine.
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