The Luxury of Being the Toronto Maple Leafs
Due to a fortunate series of events last night, I was able to score a last-minute ticket to see the Maple Leafs face off against Buffalo last night, owners of my favorite cheer in the NHL ("Let's Go, Buff-a-lo! *clap, clap, clap-clap-clap*) ... which is entirely beside the point. It was an exciting game at times; in particular, the Leafs capped off a second-period scoring frenzy by deciding not to show up in the third period, thus losing the game 8-4.
Most fans right now are legitimately frustrated that the Leafs are heading into the weekend on a 7-game losing streak, their best players can't stay healthy, Ed Belfour is getting old, yadda, yadda, yadda - I mean, it's been analyzed and over-analyzed. We get it, right? But I think it points to a bigger, stupid, problem. Last night, Michael, Steve and I were talking about how the Leafs could easily sell out a 22,000+ seat arena. But think about what the team has done recently. Seriously - they were eliminated early from the playoffs by Philly in 2003 and 2004, they're currently not in contention for a playoff spot at all, their defense is painful to watch, they haven't brought home a cup in more than 30 years, their coach has been sitting behind the bench so long he's petrified ... I mean, what have they done to deserve such loyal and dedicated fans? And how could the team keep making such frustratingly inept decisions?
Some people might say that it is the most loyal fan, the one with the strongest allegiance, that will stick by their team in bad times as well as good - and I agree, to a certain extent. When Calgary was in danger of losing the faltering Flames in 2000, 15,000 fans bought season's tickets and filled the Saddledome, cheering for a team that was by far the worst in the NHL. But Toronto's dedication seems lackluster. Yesterday, I witnessed a scene that went something like this:
Announcer: Answer - they are the team with the loudest fans in the NHL? Question - Who are the Toronto Maple Leafs? Let's hear it for the leagues LOUDEST FANS
TML Fans: *cough*
Announcer: We're gonna count down from 4, and we want you to make some noise, Toronto. 4....3....2...1.... GO LEAFS!
TML FANS: *crickets chirping*
RANDOM TML FAN: "Go Raptors!"
RANDOM TML FAN: "Go back to the AHL!"
As a fact, when it opened, the Gaylord Entertainment Centre in Nashville (seating 20,000) was named "The Loudest Arena in the NHL". Although it's fans may not be the most rabid, I can attest from personal experience that the acoustics are mindblowing; even the sounds of the game itself -the sticks hitting the ice, the checks against the boards- come at you like a train. Also a great place to see a game: Winnipeg Arena or Chicago Stadium, circa 1990. But I digress. Seeing a Leafs game at the ACC is about as involving as sitting in a board room with a bunch of guys in stuffy suits eating shrimp rings. It's so civilized! I just can't get past the corporate domination to find the real, rowdy, crazy fans. I dunno what point I'm trying to make here, other than that the Leafs are damn lucky to have fans that will follow them blindly to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and that whoever the announcer was last night, he was a total liar. And that's a fact.
PS - I definitely woke up at 5:30 in the morning to write this entry. Whether or not that makes it more legitimate is probably up to you.
2 comments:
Some facts, BHBHGGFBJ:
1. The "announcer" was Bryan McCabe and Wade Belak.
2. The Leafs are one point out of a playoff spot.
3. Like I said, your hate isn't welcome at the Air Canada Centre; you and the other Albertan from Borden Street are more than welcome to take your dirty hockey allegiances elsewhere.
4. How you blogged about last night without mentioning the ghost car is beyond me.
But back to the point of your entry. Basically, Leaf fans root for the Leafs because the Leafs are their (our) team. We know we haven't won a Cup in 39 years; if we didn't, we'd have jerks like Kevin du Manoir there to remind us. We know we're not poised to make a serious run at a championship this year. These aren't mysteries to us: they're clear as day to the average Leaf fan. Yet that said, we still sell out the ACC night in, night out. We still buy the jerseys, still subscribe to Leaf TV, still travel to other team's buildings...and the reason, quite simply, is that we're passionate about our team. If success were the sole determinant of fandom, then there wouldn't be any point in having a favourite sports team; you'd simply bounce from one champion to the next. Part of the allure of cheering for the Leafs is being part of a rich tradition--and knowing that when (not if) the Leafs next win the Cup, the celebration is going to shut down Southern Ontario for a month. No jokes.
hey, well have our purposes in life. yours is to cheer for a subpar hockey team and somehow convince yourself you're superior to me in any way (got two kidneys? I THINK NOT!!)
Mine is to remind you that you're not.
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