I'm gonna rant a sec. I don't go off about hockey alot because in my family it's not something you write about - we play, cheer, boo, curse, break tvs and objects over, but we don't write about it. But am I ever about to.
Fuck sportsmanship and better luck next year guys. This is so pathetic now it's not even funny anymore. If you don't want to read stop now. If you take this personally because you come from Toronto, well maybe it's finally time for Torontonians to start fucking taking it personally.
I'm not Torontonian by birth. I'm born in Montreal and am proudly a Habs fan, and as such I am obligated to be sworn enemies of the Boston Bruins.
So given that I have lived in Toronto most of my adult life and the rivalry with Boston, I had millions of reasons to hope in my secretest of hopes that the Leafs actually would prevail against Boston.
And the Leafs, again, blow it. Again. For the who knows how many dozens-th time in my life.
There was an article someone posted from Deadspin and the premise was "why would you ever raise your child to be a Leafs fan?" Indeed, why? To teach them what it's like to be a loser, year after year?
Torontonians are too pathetic to ever demand success and accountability. Until fans are willing to turn off the TV, not buy seasons tickets, leave the ACC half full for games on end, nothing will change. This shit cannot happen in Montreal year after year. The city burns and heads roll. In Toronto, the fat cats just get fatter while they laugh all the way to the bank.
We need a team in Hamilton. Fuck the stats and all the money-centric boardroom arguments, there's a psychological dependence factor missing here with a close rival. The Sabres aren't close enough and they are American. Any self-respecting Southern Ontario hockey fan that wants to jump on the Buffalo bandwagon should likely just fuck off anyways. Just like a potential return of the Nordiques would absolutely re-ignite the fire under the Habs collective asses, the addition of a Hamilton NHL team would do wonders for getting the Maple Laughs organization shook down, and then some. Sorry Toronto but that's the truth and every self-respecting hockey fan knows it.
Toronto hockey is to the Canadian sporting world what Cleveland is to the American sporting world. A fucking joke! And yet, no offense to Cleveland, but it aint Toronto! Toronto is a world class city, a top tourist destination, and yet our hockey team is the laughingstock of the NHL year after year...in a province that produces as much if not even a bit more NHL talent than any other, and in CANADA. Where hockey reigns supreme.
The second sentence of that article I referenced earlier reads: "There isn't a Toronto fan under the age of 50 who knows what it's like to end a season happily." What the hell??? It's patently atrocious, and disgraceful. At least I can hold my head up high with the Habs. I've lived through, and experienced, not only far trips into the playoffs, but at least 7 or 8 Stanley Cup wins! In my lifetime!!
Fuck the Leafs, seriously. For all my allegiances and the obligatory hatred for Boston that is supposed to entail, the Bruins played with the hearts of champs and thoroughly deserve to march on. The Leafs did exactly what was expected of them: choke.
