Leafs Fan With Cup-Phobia

[MrQuacky]

People always look at me weird when I say as die-hard of a fan I am (and I am, usually only miss a couple games a year) I'm starting to think I never want the Leafs to win the cup. This may be a common problem with all Canadian cities but there are just SO MANY annoying band-wagoners when it comes to the Leafs. I mean, I put up with it because it's rare right now but a Stanley Cup would probably force me to stay home and avoid all human contact for about half a year.

I'll get to the point here. Too many times I'll try to talk hockey with someone and hear something like "The Leafs biggest mistake was trading Tie Domi. He was the best defence man they ever had" . . .

And that was a guy who actually watched a game every week or so. I can't imagine how many "fans" will come out after a cup win! I didn't have the heart to correct him either.

And with the riots and insanity that happen in other cities for nothing more than a good run I'd put the over/under at deaths in Toronto due to riots at 26.5 win or lose in the Stanley Cup Final.

Now before everyone jumps in here and says "well you don't have to worry about that anytime soon lolololololololololol!!!!!!!" this thread is a major IF/WHEN the Leafs ever win the cup. I'm 24. I have plenty of time to hope!

Thanks to whoever read my mini-rant. I just felt the need to get it off my chest for some reason.

[metaldude26]

There's also something to be said for the awesomeness that is being a tortured fan base. Ask any Red Sox fan if some of the shine has worn off. Sure, they won two World Series and the first one in miracle fashion. I bet they wouldn't trade that for the world but at the same time look at that franchise now. They became everything they hated. They became the Yankees 2.0. Now they have no identity. They are no longer the most tortured fan base - that's the Chicago Cubs now. The Red Sox are now just another one of the over spending bullshit crowd of Major League Baseball.

There's honestly something to be said for rooting for a cursed franchise. For being tortured as a fan. Eventually the losing brings together the real fans, more than winning ever could. It's a weird, sadistic, masochistic sort of fanaticism but it's real and it's awesome. Sure, everyone wants a contender but deep down everyone wants something to complain about too and if you can complain about some crappy team rather than about your wife, girlfriend, kids, the wart on your butthole that just won't go away, etc. then you are achieving the sort of escapism that's sports are meant for.

I applaud your rant and all it's sentiments. Blow Leafs Blow!

[sparrowtrini]

Well my friend you are not alone. Take note what you are going through is nothing.

I can vividly remember watching their last stanley cup. Ive been through the worst ownership ever - Harold Ballard.
The pain of finally seeing a promising squad of the mid 70s being dismantled by Punch Imlach.
The teasing of the 80s(after Pal Hal died). The phantom Gretzky non call.....

Thank goodness for the 72 series. The Canada Cups. the Summit Series..
Hearing the greatest commentators of all time; Danny Gallivan, Foster Hewitt & to some extent Dan Kelly.
Seeing the greatest players; the Orrs, Lemeux's, Gretzkys....
Goalies: Sawchuks, Plantes, Brodeur, Roy(Never a fan of the latter 2 - Names should have an asterick = Huge equipment) and yes even Hasek!!!!
Special mention to billy smith & Bernie Parent - personal favs.
Alas Im feeling pain remembering the good ol' days. The non lockout days...When players worked for what they got. not got things given to them on a silver platter.

That was hockey!!!

[newfcollins]

...I'm starting to think I never want the Leafs to win the cup.

There's a whole bunch of people who would probably agree with you. :-)

Actually, I agree with the sentiment of what you're saying. Drove me nuts when the Habs to the the semifinals a couple of years ago, and everyone started jumping on the bandwagon.

[Fast Tony DeNiro]

I will gladly trade some bandwagon fans for a Stanley Cup. It happened after the Hawks won (although being on the west coast I'm pretty sheltered from the bandwagoners in person, I see them all over the internet though) but I would take that Cup win every single time.

I can't even fathom what that would be like in Toronto though. If I could get my head around that, maybe I would be agreeing with you haha.

[The Guvnah]

I will gladly trade some bandwagon fans for a Stanley Cup. It happened after the Hawks won (although being on the west coast I'm pretty sheltered from the bandwagoners in person, I see them all over the internet though) but I would take that Cup win every single time.

I can't even fathom what that would be like in Toronto though. If I could get my head around that, maybe I would be agreeing with you haha.

Agreed. As a longtime Hawks fan living in the GTA, you bet I walked around with a new swagger for a few weeks after they won. Funny thing is, none of my friends wanted to talk about it with me lol... poor Leafers. I did see some bandwagon jumping in the form of more Hawks jerseys/caps/etc. than I had ever seen before that summer.

As for the OP, I agree with that too but for a different reason. Anyone who knows me knows that I am so NOT a Leafs fan that if the Leafs win the Cup, I'll NEVER hear the end of it. I would have to cancel my facebook account for a year or so, and maybe work from home! And the bandwagoners will be the worst part... the guys who have been suffering for 20-30 years waiting for a Leafs championship, I can sympathize with, I've been there. But Joe Casual who suddenly has flags on his car and is at the local sports bar every night watching the game just to get swept up in the emotion of it all... I don't want to be anywhere near that guy!

[TheRook]

That's just stupid.

Why wouldn't you want your team to win the Cup? What do you root for then? What's the point of being a fan if you don't want them to win?

[lockedge]

See, I'm kind of the opposite...I HATE the Leafs, and how freaking annoying their fanbase is.

But it's so god darn pitiful to still hear them squeaking about 13 cup wins, as if that actually means anything, considering they never had worse than a 1 in 6 chance of winning the cup (there would always be two poor teams), and talent was iirc more regional than anything at the time. it's just so pathetic hearing leafs fans taunt me, as a Sharks fan, about how many cups they've won compared to my team. My team's won two Pre-expansion cups in the past few years, by the standards the maple Leafs used to have to meet. I don't consider those as real cup wins, and neither should they.

It's so annoying, going home each christmas to hear my dad taunt my team and praise his leafs. I feel tremendous pity for him because I know that deep down, he understands that his team is a tremendous failure. I'd like for the Leafs to win ONE. Just one...so that when I have to put up with that shit, it actually means something. That their taunts have weight. I've watched hockey for close to twenty years, and that's twenty years too long of enduring pathetic, empty taunts from leaf fans. I don't want thousands of people to keep embarrassing themselves year after year.

[MrQuacky]

That's just stupid.

Why wouldn't you want your team to win the Cup? What do you root for then? What's the point of being a fan if you don't want them to win?

For the reasons I listed.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I would be over the moon if they were to win the cup. You'd be hard pressed to find someone happier (besides the players I'm sure). It's not the hoisting of the cup or the time leading up to it that scares me (the actual hockey part at least). It's the 12 months following the win. The 12 months of morons flooding the sports call-in shows or jam-packing the sports bars. I just can't stand bandwagoners and the sheer volume that would appear following a Leafs win would be painful. Like Gunvah said, I don't want to be anywhere near the new-found die-hards.

I know it sounds all high and mighty but I mean I know many die-hard fans of different teams. I know how they watch every game they can every year and how much they care about every little going on. How they continue to support through losing seasons with as much optimism as possible. And I know the annoying guy who's favourite team is whoever's the best that year. How he trash talks with incorrect facts and mis-pronounced player names. I don't want my die-hard beaten down fellow Leaf fans to be overrun with this. We're already viewed so poorly as it is!

[MrQuacky]

I will gladly trade some bandwagon fans for a Stanley Cup. It happened after the Hawks won (although being on the west coast I'm pretty sheltered from the bandwagoners in person, I see them all over the internet though) but I would take that Cup win every single time.

I can't even fathom what that would be like in Toronto though. If I could get my head around that, maybe I would be agreeing with you haha.

I think I may just need to make sure I'm out of Ontario by the time the Leafs finally do win one. That's probably the best plan for my wallet as well due to the crazy amount of money I'd shell out to go to games.

[ovi42]

People always look at me weird when I say as die-hard of a fan I am (and I am, usually only miss a couple games a year) I'm starting to think I never want the Leafs to win the cup. This may be a common problem with all Canadian cities but there are just SO MANY annoying band-wagoners when it comes to the Leafs. I mean, I put up with it because it's rare right now but a Stanley Cup would probably force me to stay home and avoid all human contact for about half a year.

I'll get to the point here. Too many times I'll try to talk hockey with someone and hear something like "The Leafs biggest mistake was trading Tie Domi. He was the best defence man they ever had" . . .

And that was a guy who actually watched a game every week or so. I can't imagine how many "fans" will come out after a cup win! I didn't have the heart to correct him either.

And with the riots and insanity that happen in other cities for nothing more than a good run I'd put the over/under at deaths in Toronto due to riots at 26.5 win or lose in the Stanley Cup Final.

Now before everyone jumps in here and says "well you don't have to worry about that anytime soon lolololololololololol!!!!!!!" this thread is a major IF/WHEN the Leafs ever win the cup. I'm 24. I have plenty of time to hope!

Thanks to whoever read my mini-rant. I just felt the need to get it off my chest for some reason.

You just want to consider cheering for a team that doesn't play in arguably the biggest hockey market in the world then. Same as being a Yankees, Cowboys or Manchester Unites fan. Comes with the territory.
And if you think that's bad, prepare yourself for the Blue Jays train if they make any noise this year.

[MrQuacky]

True enough good sir but I was born into it! I do like other teams and when I was younger I tried making the Penguins my #1 team but it lasted for all of 3 days. I just can't do it.

Way to put me in my place on the Blue Jays comment! I've been a mediocre Jays fan for the past 3-4 years. Go to probably 4-5 games a year and watch them whenever I can. I just don't go out of my way like I would with the Leafs. But now that they're showing promise I'm already planning on buying those cheapo season passes. I guess that makes me a hypocrite? You may have just helped me reduce my potential rage when the Leafs win the cup in 2047!

[Thunder]

Fortunately for you, being a Leafs fan with Cup phobia is kinda like suffering from a fear of crowds when you're stranded on a desert island. Not much to worry about.

[mister_mcgoo]

I agree with you dude, look what happened with the Nucks and they didn't even win anything (in spite of the parades!). It was frightening to see how many a$$holes came out of the woodwork the last few years to cheer for VAN and light the city on fire. I know lots of long-term, long-enduring Nucks fans who've cheered for the team since back when Linden was drafted and its sad to see guys like that (like yourself) in that kind of position.

I think part of it boils down to the makeup of the city itself. For example, NY and Boston natives are completely intolerable on all fronts to me. With the Giants, Patriots, Yankees, Red Sox, Bruins victories lately its just incredibly painful and near impossible to talk to most of these douchebags and talk honestly and openly and objectively about the sport and the players. I'm terrified the Rags will win here in NYC and I'll have to listen to them nonstop.

I think that the smaller market and blue collar towns tend to have the best and most knowledgeable fans. They're friendly and easy to talk to and they don't boast because why bother when you've already won? So for example, its been great seeing the Packers, Steelers and Saints win the superbowl in the last few years because they have great, dedicated fans who love the game and love their team. Same with the Red Wings, they've had incredible success but their fans have always been pretty cool and easy to talk to, I think its because its a blue collar town. Same with the Oilers, they're gonna have a contender pretty soon and I've yet to meet an Oilers fan who wasn't modest and cool.

[Mr. Guru]

Awesome post. Fun to read.


As another hard core Leaf fan, I would want them to win the cup every year! I don't care about the band-waging fans, actually I'd party WITH them!

First of all, when your this deep into fantasy hockey, you can't have a normal conversation with 'regular' fans of the game. I don't know about you guys, but whenever I try to talk hockey with a casual fan, I just nod my head to the stupid shit they think they know, and then realize that this poor bastard doesn't understand you could name the backup goalie for the Charlotte Checkers!

There is very few people you can actually talk hockey to, the way you want to. And thats pretty much why we are on these forums!

Saying that, if the Leafs ever won the cup, you would be partying with your Leaf buddies who understand the Leafs/NHL as much as you do, and who have been through the years of suffering we all have.

It would be the greatest party ever; for both the hard core and bandwagon fan. It would be especially sweet for the hardcore fan, and you would experience it.