Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Back, with no voice
I don't think I can call last night's game epic. I will call it hugely entertaining despite a scary-looking injury in the first period (which of course didn't turn out all that bad). However, last night firmly planted one thought into me: Leaf fans will cheer for ANYTHING.
Granted I'm writing this entry after reading Damien Cox's shredding of both the Laffs and their faithful, so it only serves to add more fuel to the fire. Even on the bus-ride home, at 3 in the morning, occassional chants of 'Go Leafs Go' were being heard from the back of the bus. (I might add that this bus was mostly full of Walkhome employees, so you can draw your own conclusions with regards to their sanity in the first place. Yet I digress.) This leads me to believe one of two things: 1) Leaf fans are the most die-hard fans on the entire planet, or 2) they are the most completely disillusioned and psychotically delusional people in this country (aside from those out there who voted conservative; odd how Toronto seems to be full of smart people politically, but when it comes to hockey, those smarts disappear.)
Right off the bat, I'm disregarding the first option. British soccer fans are the most die-hard fans on the entire planet. I don't even try to claim I've got anything on them. This leads me to fully endorse the second theory - that your average leaf fan (not including the full three quarters of the city who wear their jersey at playoff time and profess to love the team 'long time' and profess to the eternal domination of the leafs as THE power in the NHL... as long as you don't look at the last 30-some years) is completely FUCKING nuts.
Your team has lost 6 out of 6 to your provincial rivals. Steve, you can play this down all you want, but you know it stings. There have been three blowouts in those six games, two shootouts, and a game that had no business being close. Your franchise now sits in 9th place in the Eastern Conference behind Atlanta and only 3 points in front of the lowly habs and 5 in front of the awful Bruins. You are three games over .500 (an even .500 team if you take overtime losses into account.)
Yet you're winning the Cup this year. I think not.
Ottawa is a team that has the talent, the depth, the scoring, the goaltending, and most recently, the grit to win the Stanley Cup. Some people may call me delusional because of my hockey allegiances.
You want to see delusional, you need look no further than outside your front door if you live in the GTA.
Granted I'm writing this entry after reading Damien Cox's shredding of both the Laffs and their faithful, so it only serves to add more fuel to the fire. Even on the bus-ride home, at 3 in the morning, occassional chants of 'Go Leafs Go' were being heard from the back of the bus. (I might add that this bus was mostly full of Walkhome employees, so you can draw your own conclusions with regards to their sanity in the first place. Yet I digress.) This leads me to believe one of two things: 1) Leaf fans are the most die-hard fans on the entire planet, or 2) they are the most completely disillusioned and psychotically delusional people in this country (aside from those out there who voted conservative; odd how Toronto seems to be full of smart people politically, but when it comes to hockey, those smarts disappear.)
Right off the bat, I'm disregarding the first option. British soccer fans are the most die-hard fans on the entire planet. I don't even try to claim I've got anything on them. This leads me to fully endorse the second theory - that your average leaf fan (not including the full three quarters of the city who wear their jersey at playoff time and profess to love the team 'long time' and profess to the eternal domination of the leafs as THE power in the NHL... as long as you don't look at the last 30-some years) is completely FUCKING nuts.
Your team has lost 6 out of 6 to your provincial rivals. Steve, you can play this down all you want, but you know it stings. There have been three blowouts in those six games, two shootouts, and a game that had no business being close. Your franchise now sits in 9th place in the Eastern Conference behind Atlanta and only 3 points in front of the lowly habs and 5 in front of the awful Bruins. You are three games over .500 (an even .500 team if you take overtime losses into account.)
Yet you're winning the Cup this year. I think not.
Ottawa is a team that has the talent, the depth, the scoring, the goaltending, and most recently, the grit to win the Stanley Cup. Some people may call me delusional because of my hockey allegiances.
You want to see delusional, you need look no further than outside your front door if you live in the GTA.
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*sigh*
You Sens fans are the best. Hey, when you get bounced from the playoffs in the second round because a, your team can't win close games, and b, your goaltender is in maximum security for going on a three-province killing spree, it'll be interesting to see how you spin it--especially since you won't be losing to the Leafs this time 'round.
You Sens fans are the best. Hey, when you get bounced from the playoffs in the second round because a, your team can't win close games, and b, your goaltender is in maximum security for going on a three-province killing spree, it'll be interesting to see how you spin it--especially since you won't be losing to the Leafs this time 'round.
Leaf fans are all insane. This is the first time in memory that I haven't heard the Blue Chorus singing how they will win the cup...it almost refreshing.
Really, they make Red Sox fans seem reasonable...
Really, they make Red Sox fans seem reasonable...
Even in Ottawa I get the Blue Menace ranting about such and such. However, it's a refreshing minority and I can can actually get into a hockey conversation without having to carefully mention who I cheer for.
The ranting's been getting quieter, but I think that as soon as the Leafs actually win a game it'll be right back to top volume.
The ranting's been getting quieter, but I think that as soon as the Leafs actually win a game it'll be right back to top volume.
I think Sens fans make Red Sox fans seem reasonable, actually. My buddy Neil (a displaced Flyers fan living in Ottawa) was at a game versus Tampa in November in which a "Leafs Suck" chant started at the Corel Centre (or whatever it's called). And that, there, is what I love about Senators fans: how completely they define themselves according to the Toronto Maple Leafs. You'd think that a team with legitimate designs on the Stanley Cup would be able to look beyond a team that will struggle to make the playoffs...but you'd be wrong. Then again, I don't pretend to know what four consecutive playoff losses does to a fan base's psychology.
Also, another point: just because 90% of Leaf fans are absolute idiots, it doesn't mean that the remaining 10% aren't legit/capable of discussing the team in a rational, objective way. Warrants mentioning.
Also, another point: just because 90% of Leaf fans are absolute idiots, it doesn't mean that the remaining 10% aren't legit/capable of discussing the team in a rational, objective way. Warrants mentioning.
It may warrant mentioning, but not substantial recognition. We base our comments on the majority.
For example, Western girls are skanks. McGill Football Players are sodomites. Girls who wear Uggs all deserve to get THE shovel in the face. Sure there are exceptions to the rule, but that happens EVERYWHERE.
The reason the team doesn't look past the fact that they're CLEARLY superior in pretty much every way (speed, skill, goaltending, coaching, management) is because they recognize the past and are hell-bent on allowing it to happen again.
For example, Western girls are skanks. McGill Football Players are sodomites. Girls who wear Uggs all deserve to get THE shovel in the face. Sure there are exceptions to the rule, but that happens EVERYWHERE.
The reason the team doesn't look past the fact that they're CLEARLY superior in pretty much every way (speed, skill, goaltending, coaching, management) is because they recognize the past and are hell-bent on allowing it to happen again.
You've 'chosen' to cheer for the Leafs because your boyfriend is a Leaf Fan. Three years ago, when you were in Grade 12 and the Sens were playing the Leafs in the playoffs, you were cheering for the Sens. Strange also that our brother, the leaf fan, was home that summer.
I don't think it's a matter of one group of fans being more or less a group of assholes than the other - it's which group of assholes you're closest to!
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I don't think it's a matter of one group of fans being more or less a group of assholes than the other - it's which group of assholes you're closest to!
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