You guys taking any applications for new fans..?

[Notsince67]

Leafs hate is strong in Sens country. OP is in Sudbury so he won't get too much flack there.

My daughter goes to school there and she says that she only knows Leafs fans. Not sure if it is because the University Kids prefer the Leafs or because she was raised right.

 

[Notsince67]

I mean this is technically whats happening here... they will always be the #1 team in my heart.

I just cant get emotionally invested into a team thats run by Melnyk and Dorion. Its simply too much heartache following players through the draft and development, and then seeing them shooed away by management once its time to get paid what they're worth.

No other fan base in the league has to deal with an owner who is completely unwilling to pay for a core elite players, not even Arizona.

I've given the Sens 22 years of completely blind and unwavering faith. But this management group has permanently destroyed my trust that they're ultimately working for a Stanley cup. They've proven quite the opposite actually. And I'll be damned if Im going to give them another 10 years of blind faith just to be let down again when the time comes to open up the wallet and keep our players.

At this point they can make whatever other idiotic moves they want to make, and all Im going to do is laugh at them along with the rest of the hockey world, and genuinely not be bothered by it. I'll be back to cheer loud and proud for them the day that an ownership change is made, but not a minute sooner.

Might be a bit controversial here but I knew it was over when they traded for Phaneuf

 

[93LEAFS]

Im already a HUGE Marner fan. Hes Doug Gilmour reborn. Absolutely love the way he plays the game.

I think you'll fit in well here if you think like that.

 

[Samsquanch]

My daughter goes to school there and she says that she only knows Leafs fans. Not sure if it is because the University Kids prefer the Leafs or because she was raised right.

Its not just the university kids, this is a hardcore leafs town. Its me and about 3 other Sens fans in a sea of blue and white.

We also have a french community on the outskirts of town that does have a good amount of Habs fans, but they generally keep to their side of the tracks

 

[Marshy]

My daughter goes to school there and she says that she only knows Leafs fans. Not sure if it is because the University Kids prefer the Leafs or because she was raised right.

Probably lives in residence? Most of the kids in res are from Southern Ontario.

I went to Carleton from 89-92 and that was the case. Ottawa U would be the same I would think.


Edit: Of course it's because she was raised right! LOL

 

[Samsquanch]

Might be a bit controversial here but I knew it was over when they traded for Phaneuf

A bit controversial, I agree. They did make the ECF game 7 double OT with him in the lineup playing a meaningful role.

All of the pain the Sens are feeling has been 100% self inflicted by Eugene Melnyk and Dorion making bad trades.

With that being said, I still fully support the idea of a total Sens roster rebuild, and agree its been a long time in the making. Rebuilds can be fun if you've been watching an older roster the previous years.

What I've taken issue with is the people in charge of this rebuild, and an owner who's proven his total unwillingness to pay for players who are approaching UFA.

Whats the point of suffering through a rebuild with an owner who will let the exact same thing happen again once salaries start to rise?

 

[Trapper]

A bit controversial, I agree. They did make the ECF game 7 double OT with him in the lineup playing a meaningful role.

All of the pain the Sens are feeling has been 100% self inflicted by Eugene Melnyk and Dorion making bad trades.

With that being said, I still fully support the idea of a total Sens roster rebuild, and agree its been a long time in the making. Rebuilds can be fun if you've been watching an older roster the previous years.

What I've taken issue with is the people in charge of this rebuild, and an owner who's proven his total unwillingness to pay for players who are approaching UFA.

Whats the point of suffering a rebuild with an owner who will let the exact same thing happen again once salaries start to rise?

I don't know all the behind the scene stuff, but I don't understand why you wouldn't rebuild with a core of Duchene,Stone,Karlsson and young Chabot (signed long term).
This alone is much better than what Montreal is doing with Weber/Price.
The age is much better and you have key positions filled. You could rebuild with that locked up core.

Now was the owner not willing to pay?
Did Karlsson want out for real?

I can understand the Sens fans frustration. Add 25 more years to this feeling today and you have the 70's/80's/some of the 90's and late 2000's feelings of Leaf fans.

 

[Critical13]

OP needs to tough it out. We toughed it out far longer than he will have to. Sens will have a very sad season next year with no top pick, but in 5 years, I bet things are looking up again.

 

[CanadasTeam]

@Samsquanch I do think we would make a great team

 

[Stephen23]

First thing first, I am sorry to hear about your Mom. And of course you are more than welcome with open arms. Hockey is just a game after all, and 10 years ago we were the Sens are. Going to be a bottom team with no prospects, terrible roster and our likely basement first round pick was with another team. So if you indeed stick with the Sens, it will get better, just will take a while. But if you indeed "jump on the band wagon", it's a hell of a time to enjoy the ride. We have an incredibly deep, young skilled team who should be competitive for the next 10 years with a Center depth of Matthews, Tavares and Kadri and I belive on of the most exciting players in the league to watch in Marner on the wings. So wish you all the best in your personal life and would love to have you join Leafs Nation (No embarrassment of being a Sens fan because if you are a hockey fan in general, you're all good in my book. And rivalries are just for fun).

 

[Liminality]

OP needs to tough it out. We toughed it out far longer than he will have to. Sens will have a very sad season next year with no top pick, but in 5 years, I bet things are looking up again.

That's true that the Leafs had to go through some really rough years recently, stuck with them the entire time and it's finally turning around by the looks of it. The Sens were 1 goal away from the cup finals in 2016-17 right?

Seems like a faster drop than the slow and painful drop the Leafs had.

 

[Critical13]

That's true that the Leafs had to go through some really rough years recently, stuck with them the entire time and it's finally turning around by the looks of it. The Sens were 1 goal away from the cup finals in 2016-17 right?

Seems like a faster drop than the slow and painful drop the Leafs had.

I started watching hockey back in the early 2000's, and the most memorable moments of my Leafs tenure are losing to Boston (twice) in the playoffs, watching Roenick crush my dreams, watching the Hurricanes blow us away, and the aftermath of the Phil Kessel trade.

Surely they can survive!

 

[Daisy Jane]

A bit controversial, I agree. They did make the ECF game 7 double OT with him in the lineup playing a meaningful role.

All of the pain the Sens are feeling has been 100% self inflicted by Eugene Melnyk and Dorion making bad trades.

With that being said, I still fully support the idea of a total Sens roster rebuild, and agree its been a long time in the making. Rebuilds can be fun if you've been watching an older roster the previous years.

What I've taken issue with is the people in charge of this rebuild, and an owner who's proven his total unwillingness to pay for players who are approaching UFA.

Whats the point of suffering through a rebuild with an owner who will let the exact same thing happen again once salaries start to rise?

that's the thing.
what's the point if Melynk won't pay come 2nd/3rd contract time.

 

[Samsquanch]

I don't know all the behind the scene stuff, but I don't understand why you wouldn't rebuild with a core of Duchene,Stone,Karlsson and young Chabot (signed long term).
This alone is much better than what Montreal is doing with Weber/Price.
The age is much better and you have key positions filled. You could rebuild with that locked up core.
Now was the owner not willing to pay?
Did Karlsson want out for real?
I can understand the Sens fans frustration. Add 25 more years to this feeling today and you have the 70's/80's/some of the 90's and late 2000's feelings of Leaf fans.

Everything you said about the rebuild is how all intelligent Sens fans see the situation.

It boils down to the owner did not want to pay Karlsson, and Karlsson was holding out for a new owner.

Watching star players walk away because of the owner has become an all to common trend in Ottawa.

OP needs to tough it out. We toughed it out far longer than he will have to. Sens will have a very sad season next year with no top pick, but in 5 years, I bet things are looking up again.

That’s where you’re wrong, unfortunately.

There is no light at the end of the tunnel if you have an owner unwilling to pay when players develop into stars. We are on the rinse and repeat cycle right now.

I know its easy for some of you guys to sound high and mighty right now in regards to toughing out the bad years of the leafs. And I do commend you on it, Im sure it was hard.

But there was always some glimmer of hope for the Leafs at the end of that tunnel. There was some hope to sell to the fan base. With the budget that Melnyk has imposed on the Sens, it will forever hinder their ability to be anything more than a farm team for the rest of the league.

Its the most hopeless and dire situation of all the teams in the league right now.

That's true that the Leafs had to go through some really rough years recently, stuck with them the entire time and it's finally turning around by the looks of it. The Sens were 1 goal away from the cup finals in 2016-17 right?
Seems like a faster drop than the slow and painful drop the Leafs had.

Again see my point above. Im 100% down with a rebuild, they are not as depressing as it sounds. I was down with a total rebuild in 2011, and Im down with another total one now. Im huge into prospects so this is right up my alley.

What Im opposed to doing is following an owner and management group that is clearly going to do the same thing again in 5 years once the salaries start to rise again.

that's the thing.
what's the point if Melynk won't pay come 2nd/3rd contract time.

100% correct

 

[ER89]

@Samsquanch think you can bring chabot as well? Asking for a friend....

 

[MattySnipes]

Anyone is welcome to cheer on the Leafs at anytime. Its just weird because you're a Sens fan. My older brother is a die-hard Sens fan like yourself, he's heartbroken about EK65 (his favourite player) but he would never temporarily 'bandwagon' the Leafs. He knows how good we are now and what were gonna do going forward and he says it to me all the time, but he will never cheer them on. I like it that way.

Everyone is different but he really hates the Leafs, maybe you just don't hate them as much. I respect your reasons for cheering for us though. Welcome aboard, we'll see how the Sens rebuild goes. Hope hockey is enjoyable for you this year.

 

[Samsquanch]

@Samsquanch think you can bring chabot as well? Asking for a friend....

If I could come bringing gifts, that would be my first one for you guys. Sadly he's got many years left in Ottawa before he's UFA, and Im just an internet dude with nothing of substance to offer...

 

[Drytoast]

that's the thing.
what's the point if Melynk won't pay come 2nd/3rd contract time.

Ballard wouldn't pay come first contract time...we survived.

 

[Canadian Finn]

I jumped on board when my childhood hero, Eric motherfreaking Lindros joined the team.

Been a fan ever since.

Welcome.

(you a redblacks fan? they are my #2 in the CFL behind my TiCats)

 

[Samsquanch]

Anyone is welcome to cheer on the Leafs at anytime. Its just weird because you're a Sens fan. My older brother is a die-hard Sens fan like yourself, he's heartbroken about EK65 (his favourite player) but he would never temporarily 'bandwagon' the Leafs. He knows how good we are now and what were gonna do going forward and he says it to me all the time, but he will never cheer them on. I like it that way.

Everyone is different but he really hates the Leafs, maybe you just don't hate them as much. I respect your reasons for cheering for us though. Welcome aboard, we'll see how the Sens rebuild goes. Hope hockey is enjoyable for you this year.

I was even a borderline leaf fan growing up as a yound child. I picked the Sens when I was about 10 years old, the time I actually started caring about hockey and watching it on my own, and never looked back.

Most of my family and friends are leafs fans, and Sudbury is a hardcore leafs town. So its an easy transition for me.

And dont get me wrong, I hated you guys with a passion when we got beat 4 straight years in the playoffs by you. You guys want to talk about tough periods of time that test your fandom? Try living in a sea of blue and white as a Sens fan during 2000-2004.

But that hate started to dissipate as we continuously spanked you guys over the next decade. Then that hate eventually vanished and just turned into sympathy. And now that you guys are building teams on the principles that made me fall so deeply in love with the Sens (drafting and player development), well lets just say Im already coming around to being a fan.

 

[Samsquanch]

I jumped on board when my childhood hero, Eric motherfreaking Lindros joined the team.

Been a fan ever since.

Welcome.

(you a redblacks fan? they are my #2 in the CFL behind my TiCats)

Not much of a CFL fan, and Im in Sudbury so the Sens are my only real Ottawa connection.

 

[Canadian Finn]

Right.

You said that.

Reading comprehension isn't one of my biggest skills

 

[Samsquanch]

Ballard wouldn't pay come first contract time...we survived.

The landscape of the league was pretty different in Ballard's time though.. Not saying it wasnt horrible in an epic way, but I have to wonder just how many leaf fans here were actually suffering through his reign back in the 70's and 80's..

I mean Im 32, and I wasnt even born until 85, so clearly I have no idea what Ballard was like or how hard the years were under him. How old are you guys?

 

[Drytoast]

The landscape of the league was pretty different in Ballard's time though.. Not saying it wasnt horrible in an epic way, but I have to wonder just how many leaf fans here were actually suffering through his reign back in the 70's and 80's..

I mean Im 32, and I wasnt even born until 85, so clearly I have no idea what Ballard was like or how hard the years were under him. How old are you guys?

I'm 43.

If you want a comparable to this Karlsson situation, we had Sittler and MacDonald. A stud 1d and 1c...I'm sure you've heard of them. They were really close friends and loved playing in Toronto;

The 1980s

If you think it's dark now, just imagine a decade without a winning season. That was the 1980s for the Maple Leafs.

Trading Lanny McDonald to get at Darryl Sittler

As if feuding with one beloved Leafs captain wasn't enough, Ballard was back at it with Keon's successor, Darryl Sittler.

Technically, it was Punch Imlach who made a real mess of the situation, but one of the reasons Ballard hired the former-GM back was that he was vehemently anti-union, and Sittler, among others, were getting a little too ingrained in the NHLPA for Ballard's liking.

The first shot fired was by Imlach, who tried to block both Sittler and goaltender Mike Palmateer from appearing on Showdown, a program that ran during intermissions on CBC. That stunt began a big feud with Sittler and other prominent players on the Leafs.

It got to the point that Imlach was willing to trade Sittler, the Maple Leafs' best player, anywhere in the league. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for Toronto fans), Sittler's agent, Allen Eagleson, negotiated a no-trade clause into Sittler's contract and said that it would only be waived for $500,000. Unfortunately for Leafs fans, Lanny McDonald did not have a no-trade clause, and since he was one of Sittler's best friends on the team, Imlach decided to ship him out instead.

Another future Hall of Famer gone.

Well, that pissed off some people, to say the least. Sittler ripped off his captain's "C" in the dressing room, declaring that he couldn't be captain as he no longer could be a go-between the players and management.

By next season, with Imlach in the hospital after suffering his second heart attack, Ballard and Sittler made up publicly, and the "C" was back where it belonged. However, the détente wouldn't last, and the relationship between the two men became so strained that Sittlerwould waive his no-trade clause without receiving compensation.

The Leafs traded Sittler to the Philadelphia Flyers for Rich Costello, a second-round pick, and future considerations, a package that amounted to almost nothing.

A History of Harold Ballard's Villainy | Five Minutes For Fighting

That should help explain the 50 year drought as 30 of those years was spent under the umbrella of Ballard's shitty rein.

 

[Notsince67]

Its not just the university kids, this is a hardcore leafs town. Its me and about 3 other Sens fans in a sea of blue and white.

We also have a french community on the outskirts of town that does have a good amount of Habs fans, but they generally keep to their side of the tracks

I meant in Ottawa