News Article: Toronto Star: "The Leafs vs. Habs rivalry is over — and Montreal has won"

[Doc McKenna]

Why would Toronto even come up right now? They are irrelevant to what we have to do.

Because the CBC had Kadri on hockey night in canada for some bizarre reason?

 

[Brainiac]

I get the point of the article, but really, what rivalry? When was the last time we met in the playoffs?

We didn't win anything 'against' them. They've put themselves out of the game and that's it.

 

[HespelerGreenFlash]

Gilmour clean?

 

[ChikN]

The big difference is that the people in suits a the Bell center are crazy about the game also. I've seen numerous times lots of them getting out of the bell center all sweaty their blazers in their hands and no tie to be seen. You can tell they've been cheering hard!

 

[Hackett]

it's funny because it's true. Go Habs.

The rivalry is natural. The proximity is there, the history is there, and the cultures are contrasting.

When you have those elements, you have a natural rivalry. This writer is looking more at on ice results, and there was never any question that Montreal trumps those.

The writer notes that they haven't met each other in the playoffs since 1979. The fact that he is still writing about whether the rivalry is dead 35 years later is a indication of the strength of the rivalry.

It's not montreal's biggest rival, but it's still a rival.

 

[Doc McKenna]

The rivalry is natural. The proximity is there, the history is there, and the cultures are contrasting.

When you have those elements, you have a natural rivalry. This writer is looking more at on ice results, and there was never any question that Montreal trumps those.

The writer notes that they haven't met each other in the playoffs since 1979. The fact that he is still writing about whether the rivalry is dead 35 years later is a indication of the strength of the rivalry.

It's not montreal's biggest rival, but it's still a rival.

Its really not, Ottawa is more than the leafs.

ETA its only media that pushes the rivalry angle and gets both fans worked up. My leaf buddy said he was rooting for the habs and wanted to brun his jersey. Leafs need to start winning before it becomes a competition again. When its not, there is no rivalry, like much of the lats 20 years.

 

[Hackett]

Its really not, Ottawa is more than the leafs.

I never said Toronto was the biggest rival.

 

[Price is Wright]

Because the CBC had Kadri on hockey night in canada for some bizarre reason?

Makes sense to me. He's a Habs fan.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Has somebody posted this on the main boards yet?

 

[Aceekay]

I don't hate the leafs, I dislike some of their players and some of their fans get on my nerves but that's about it.

 

[Saundies]

I've always said this. I don't HATE the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. Why would I? There's never any animosity there. Yes, we play some good games against them and Kadri acts like a puke every now and again, but still.

I hate their fans and their media. Straight up, more than anything. On par with the Bruins TEAM. CBC with Don Cherry kissing their players and pumping their tires over and over and TSN with Darren Dreger and his head being so far up Dave Nonis's arse. Plus, where I live, half of the Leaf "fans" barely watch ANY games at all, and couldn't even tell you more than 5 players on the team. Yet if they hear the Habs are doing bad or the Leafs are doing good, they're the first ones to come up to you (cause I always rock the Habs hat) and say "Take that hat off, go Leafs." or something annoyingly stupid like that.

When it comes to teams, I don't hate the Leafs. I loathe the Bruins and I hate the Sens after last year. There are other teams I dislike, and yes the Leafs are one of them, but the rivalry and blatant hatred just hasn't been there with me for many years.

 

[Ice Poutine]

...the temptation to kick an enemy while it's down has proven too great.

Naw, we were kicking the Laffs even we things were going good for them... relatively speaking that is.


(at least now we dont have to keep hearing Cherry-The-Senile-Blowhard continually pumping up his Leafs on TV.)

 

[Brainiac]

Has somebody posted this on the main boards yet?

Not a good idea. So somebody will probably do it!

 

[3low5*]

The rivalry is not dead for me. For habs fans to deny the rivalry because the leafs are "irrelevant" actually comes off as quite condescending. Think of a habs-leafs playoffs matchup, admit it you know it would be epic!!!

 

[Price is Wright]

The rivalry is not dead for me. For habs fans to deny the rivalry because the leafs are "irrelevant" actually comes off as quite condescending. Think of a habs-leafs playoffs matchup, admit it you know it would be epic!!!

The problem with that is if the Leafs win, it's a milestone in the history of the organization and for many, the closest thing to a Stanley Cup win in four decades. If the Habs win, it's just another series.

 

[Dragao6]

Well when I came to Canada I became a Habs fan because my friends were all habs fans. A few years later I switched to Leafs since they were always on TV and have been ever since...100%. But with the last years my loyalty has been tested and I am on the habs bandwagon mainly because they are the only Canadian playing. I wish all canadian teams staretd doign well as were the ones that really care about hockey, team doesnt have to be the best for us to fill stadiums.

As for the ACC the real fans you can see them outside in the Leafs square cheering and makign noise! Corporates have ruined it. Im tired of seeing the same white haired guy with white Goat T sitting behind the leafs bench!!! Nothing compared to a game in Bell Centre. I may be one live game away from returning to habs permenantly lol. At least while Phaneuf is our Captain, cant stand to see this anymore!!!

 

[3low5*]

The problem with that is if the Leafs win, it's a milestone in the history of the organization and for many, the closest thing to a Stanley Cup win in four decades. If the Habs win, it's just another series.

Not for me!! A playoff victory for the habs over the leafs would be amazing. But I live in a province that is split between habs and leafs fans so maybe it is different feeling in other provinces. But I think deep down you guys would enjoy beating down the leafs more than any team in the whole league!!(well up there with boston). A win over Tampa is just a win, over the leafs? EPIC!!

 

[hfman]

all montreal has is the habs.. no wonder they're so hockey crazy. there's no other teams there




toronto flips between the leafs.. the jays.. the raptors... fans are spread out between a selection of the other professional league sports. lots more to do in terms of toronto sporting events, its a bigger city with a bigger selection of major north american sports franchises

fans move on to to other sports in toronto in the spring, but all montreallers can do when they get eliminated from the playoffs is dwell until next october, why else do you think they're so hell bent on focusing on how much the leafs suck lol, there's nothing else to focus on until the fall.. unless they have a professional pool or darts team or something

 

[Strat]

Every time I catch a Leaf game I see at least a dozen white haired jet-set greaseballs with open collars unbuttoned to expose their liver spotted leathery chest and fresh Florida bronze tans, chatting away behind the bench about their latest merger with absolutely zero regard for anything going on the ice in front of them. These could be another set of boobs if tickets were reasonable.

That's everywhere. Some people have more money than sense.

Last time I went to the Bell Centre, I was seated next to 2 people who called the puck a ball and were each telling each other things that were utterly untrue, such as Streit being from France and so on so forth.

I saw a bunch of people on cell phones, talking about meetings, their home life, etc. Since then, I've vowed to never sit in the reds again. It'll be in the Molson or Desjardins sections where the party always seems to be.

 

[Strat]

all montreal has is the habs.. no wonder they're so hockey crazy. there's no other teams there

There are the Alouettes and before then, there were the Expos.

Nevertheless, this is Canada and hockey is usually the dominant sport. Nobody is surprised that Montreal is hockey crazy and I doubt it'll ever change.

 

[Jackson14]

The article completely ignores the elephant in the room. The Leafs aren't in the playoffs but the city is buzzing because of the Raptors. Toronto isn't a one trick pony like Montreal. The scene outside the ACC Saturday was just as crazy as it was for the Leafs....

 

[Bob b smith]

I don't think the problem with the Leafs is the players or management... It's always been ownership. There were problems before 67, like letting the Habs raid the executive that built the architecture of many Habs Cups, Frank Selke... Starting in the 60s it just go worst, with the disastrous reign of Ballard. Closer to us it was MLSE run by Teachers or Telephone conglomerates.

Their goal is to optimize profits and they just can't seem to butt out of hockey decisions. Only Burke was given free reign, and he was allegedly fired over a misunderstanding with ownership not incompetence... And it looks like Leaf ownership as no intention to stop being involved in things they have no clue about (see Leiweke interview)... I would be freaking out if I was a Leaf fan.

Note: If you don't think bad ownership can kill an organization, look at Chicago before Rocky Wirtz.

 

[Analyzer*]

all montreal has is the habs.. no wonder they're so hockey crazy. there's no other teams there




toronto flips between the leafs.. the jays.. the raptors... fans are spread out between a selection of the other professional league sports. lots more to do in terms of toronto sporting events, its a bigger city with a bigger selection of major north american sports franchises

fans move on to to other sports in toronto in the spring, but all montreallers can do when they get eliminated from the playoffs is dwell until next october, why else do you think they're so hell bent on focusing on how much the leafs suck lol, there's nothing else to focus on until the fall.. unless they have a professional pool or darts team or something

To be fair, the Raptors weren't suppose to do well. The Blue Jays suck now and will suck for a while. I don't even care about Basketball, but I bet the Raptors will go back to sucking next year.

To try and switch the focus because Toronto has "other options" is ********. They (Blue Jays and Raptors) have sucked for a while, too.

When you go from one ****** team to another to another it's hard to fully get behind any sports team when you're so use to failure.

I heard Toronto's MLS team is better than Montreal's, though.

 

[Moen is Gone]

Maybe a dino would look better than a leaf on their jerseys. I think I'll send them this suggestion

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

all montreal has is the habs.. no wonder they're so hockey crazy. there's no other teams there




toronto flips between the leafs.. the jays.. the raptors... fans are spread out between a selection of the other professional league sports. lots more to do in terms of toronto sporting events, its a bigger city with a bigger selection of major north american sports franchises

fans move on to to other sports in toronto in the spring, but all montreallers can do when they get eliminated from the playoffs is dwell until next october, why else do you think they're so hell bent on focusing on how much the leafs suck lol, there's nothing else to focus on until the fall.. unless they have a professional pool or darts team or something

The article completely ignores the elephant in the room. The Leafs aren't in the playoffs but the city is buzzing because of the Raptors. Toronto isn't a one trick pony like Montreal. The scene outside the ACC Saturday was just as crazy as it was for the Leafs....

I don't think the problem with the Leafs is the players or management... It's always been ownership. There were problems before 67, like letting the Habs raid the executive that built the architecture of many Habs Cups, Frank Selke... Starting in the 60s it just go worst, with the disastrous reign of Ballard. Closer to us it was MLSE run by Teachers or Telephone conglomerates.

Their goal is to optimize profits and they just can't seem to butt out of hockey decisions. Only Burke was given free reign, and he was allegedly fired over a misunderstanding with ownership not incompetence... And it looks like Leaf ownership as no intention to stop being involved in things they have no clue about (see Leiweke)... I would be freaking out if I was a Leaf fan.

Note: If you don't think bad ownership can kill an organization, look at Chicago before Rocky Wirtz.

The only reason you have other sports teams is because the Leafs can't win. Toronto fans just want to win and I don't think they care too much who wins. Like Montreal, when we have a chance for a Grey Cup we go nuts. Last year the Impact had my total attention with the team they had.

In the end, hockey is really the only sport that matters between Montreal and Toronto and that rivalry has dated back so many years, that a lot of us have no idea what it was really like. Now the rivalry is a traditions, but **** tradition.