Can we please put to rest this idea of "pressure" being the culprit behind playoff failure for this team, it's insulting.

[Leafsfan74]

My intention is not to be insensitive, players are different.

However, the way I view it, if you don't embrace pressure. Welcome it and enjoy it, how did you even make it to the NHL to begin with? How do you ever expect to win a Stanley Cup?

You know what is pressure? Being a single mom raising three kids on a salary that pays min. wage. How about those who cut down trees every day, one of the most dangerous jobs in Canada and knowing that if you aren't alert you might not make it home that night.

Pressure is relative. There is absolutely no self-made success without pressure.

Clearly some of these players can't handle the pressure of big games and moving away from them is the best decision. Find those who LOVE the pressure and respond with fight instead of flight.

 

[Mentat]

I live in Europe and football (no, it´s not soccer) is king. Football stadiums can be very very loud, packed to the rim with 50, 60k fans. Some stadiums can hold even more people. It´s an intense, loud and amazing experience, Everybody loves it.
If ANY coach/owner/manager/player of ANY team said that their own fans are too loud, ie they are the problem, he or she would have a very angry mob to face. And the WHOLE of sports media would be chewing his/her ass for being a complete and utter buffoon.
Pressure is not knowing when the next meal will come from. This is a sport that pays its professionals very very well. The so called pressure is part of the job descritpion.
If you can´t stand the heat, gtfo of the kitchen.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

100%

 

[Mugzy97]

I don’t recall anyone saying that pressure was the sole reason they’ve lost, but it’s definitely one of many factors.

I don’t think they feel as much pressure as some people suggest. They put pressure on themselves to win as well.

The media and fans put high expectations on the team and rightfully so. We all care and want them to win.

 

[Roo]

I don’t think it’s the reason they lost, but it’s a valid reason for why players might not want to come here - which does hurt this team.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Okay, hear me out...

I think a few media members this week have done a pretty nauseating job pandering to fans, and of course, they would, they drive their views and clicks.

If you think that the fans and media pressure are not an issue, then you're fooling yourself. You can't really contrast this situation with any other, whether it's the Yankees, Lakers, or whichever European football team; the point is that in this sport, here is the most intense and on top of that, the most volume. Particularly when you contrast that with many other places in the same league, i.e. the Sun Belt teams.

But one of the worst things you can do is take a Toronto hockey media member's opinion on the pressure of playing hockey here. I've seen and heard more than a few, and some of my favourites as well, immediately deflect and say, "Oh, Vancouver is worse, or Montreal is worse," and I just don't see it anymore, especially when the teams are good and the expectations are high. Not to mention the nearly 60-year-long drought we're working on...

Now, does that excuse some of the on-ice performances? No, does that mean the fans are at fault for it? Nope. But when you take both of these two realities and smash them together, you can get quite a vitriolic concoction, and that's where the reputation comes from, and it's been reported that they've lost out on UFAs because of this.

 

[ashs]

Florida was trolling us. Be mad that they knocked our goalie out on purpose, use that and play harder.

 

[Torontonian]

I don’t recall anyone saying that pressure was the sole reason they’ve lost, but it’s definitely one of many factors.

I don’t think they feel as much pressure as some people suggest. They put pressure on themselves to win as well.

The media and fans put high expectations on the team and rightfully so. We all care and want them to win.

I don't recall one single Leaf player or manager using "pressure" as an excuse. In fact every leaf player when asked about it disregarded it. Tkchuck & Marchand and Maurice brought it up.

This is a media & other players driven excuse, not the Maple Leafs players.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Pressure is for tires.
Charles Barkley

 

[The Shadow]

Look at Montreal’s record in game 7’s. If anyone has pressure it’s them

They have an insanely good record in those games

 

[WTFMAN99]

Can't stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen.

 

[PhantomLeaf]

I'm really good at my job. Sometimes, however, there are major cracks in the chain that not only makes my job harder, but also has me having to do other work that is not, strictly speaking, under my purview.

At those times I feel an indescribable amount of pressure to not only make sure my responsibilities are done correctly, but I must also stretch myself just thin enough to make sure other people's responsibilities and jobs are done on time. There are hard deadlines that have to be made. During those times I am incredibly grumpy, some-what belligerent, and my patience is thin as black ice. I have come to understand that I am completely different under that strain/pressure than normal. I make more mistakes, and move and speak with a sense of urgency that makes those around me shrink into the background.

Pressure IS a game changer. Some people are built to thrive under it. Some people shrink and shrivel under it. Others get beaten down by it and eventually remove themselves from the equation. Still others adapt and learn to thrive in those environments.

It's been nine years of the same song as dance. The core is not built to thrive under it, not has it shown any growth or ability to adapt to it. On the contrary, they always shrink and shrivel under its weight.

 

[horner]

I don’t recall anyone saying that pressure was the sole reason they’ve lost, but it’s definitely one of many factors.

I don’t think they feel as much pressure as some people suggest. They put pressure on themselves to win as well.

The media and fans put high expectations on the team and rightfully so. We all care and want them to win.

The pressure is on them for not winning.
It would be the same in Montreal Philly Rangers any big market .
Highest paid players 9 yrs of nothing, it would be different if they got in the fight but they dont

 

[ITM]

What is the gain by the club admitting that the pressure in question exists?

Public-facing comments by our club admitting to it won't happen.

Public-facing comments by other clubs isn't necessarily evidence, but it sure seems like a consensus.

I think there's an absolutely palpable internal culture of psychological warfare that sets about this club when it matters most.

I think privilege on the way up kills accomplishment at the top.

Our captain lets others fight his battles. Laughs in scrums but doesn't retaliate - sorry Buttercups, THAT's hockey - and doesn't nearly use his size as he did when entered the league.

Marner is EMOTIONAL. Sensitive? And between the two of them, the easy resolve, the gentle solution seems preferred in every circumstance. Then take casting blame in the aggregate or away from them in media-trained comments that don't necessarily shield their culpability, but they do protect their feelings.

Predator that he was, Babcock knew precisely what he was doing when tasked Marner to name names. We took it for manipulation towards an untoward end. I think Babcock did it to confront the notion that you can't blame others and if you are going to, then name them. What does that do? It shuts the accuser up and determines whether or not he's got the minerals to mature, and fast.

Babcock had to travel to Arizona to placate Matthews. ALL of this is appealing to narcissism.

So yeah, I think there's pressure and I think a lot of it is self-driven but not explicitly identified. Instead, we can infer that if other clubs see it, if the leaders we acquire want to leave the environment and don't see the "opportunity" to lead two "amazing players", then obviously it's something other than magnetic tier 1 skill that drives most away.

Add to that the media pressure, and an apparent agreement with the NHL where any team we face is permitted one type of play while we get penalized for the same play...

...and I'd say you have reasonable suspicion to believe that "pressure" is a knot we're likely not going to untie by deferring to the exact same leadership.

People, Ryan O'Reilly is from Clinton, Ontario and signed for Nashville for $4.5M per year.

That screams internal disfunction...Even louder than Willy did on the bench.

 

[dougieg93]

I agree to some extent but I do hope the media can show a little integrity. I don't have much respect for corpo journalism in general and have greater respect for independents. So many questions I just eye roll, while the team PR is so guarded we lack any emotional connection that are integral for creating a bond.

 

[Jozay]

It’s a BS excuse

 

[Voodoo Child]

It’s a BS excuse

I agree.

'Oh boo hoo, I get to make millions for working half the year while I get to travel and bang my super hot girlfriend, but the newspapers sometimes are mean to me and that makes me sad!'

Again, see the Yankees, Lakers or any European soccer team.

 

[Legion34]

1.) It wasn’t the leafs players who were saying it. It was other teams and has been other players for a long time.

2.) comparing to other sports is dumb. Because it is a competition. You are playing against another team. It’s not like they can’t skate or play. If it negatively affect your performance it matters.

There is no other correlate of a cap system where teams are put on an equal playing field money wise but other athletes can get paid the Same and live in anonymity. It may be easier to deal with and give a competitive advantage.

That’s like saying “Gretzky scored 200
Pts with a wooden titan stick I could buy from Canadian tire…… don’t tell me you can’t beat players with new composite sticks”.

3.) a much lazier narrative is the “mix”. Every year our teams choke. And every year our players leave and have success.

Remember when kessel/kadri/bozak couldn’t win?

Hyman lost a whole bunch of game 7s. Look at his leafs stats.

Just off the top of my head leaf cup winners/finalists:

Kadri. Kessel. Bozak. Hyman. Brown. Ceci. Campbell. Pickard. Potentially lubushkin. Kappanen.

Everyone is now saying if Marner leaves here he will have success.

how many “chokers” have success the second they leave the market. There is a common denominator here.

 

[mikeyz]

Okay, hear me out...

I think a few media members this week have done a pretty nauseating job pandering to fans, and of course, they would, they drive their views and clicks.

If you think that the fans and media pressure are not an issue, then you're fooling yourself. You can't really contrast this situation with any other, whether it's the Yankees, Lakers, or whichever European football team; the point is that in this sport, here is the most intense and on top of that, the most volume. Particularly when you contrast that with many other places in the same league, i.e. the Sun Belt teams.

But one of the worst things you can do is take a Toronto hockey media member's opinion on the pressure of playing hockey here. I've seen and heard more than a few, and some of my favourites as well, immediately deflect and say, "Oh, Vancouver is worse, or Montreal is worse," and I just don't see it anymore, especially when the teams are good and the expectations are high. Not to mention the nearly 60-year-long drought we're working on...

Now, does that excuse some of the on-ice performances? No, does that mean the fans are at fault for it? Nope. But when you take both of these two realities and smash them together, you can get quite a vitriolic concoction, and that's where the reputation comes from, and it's been reported that they've lost out on UFAs because of this.

You really should have stopped at “Hear me out” Lol.

I do not feel 1 ounce of sympathy for these guys who play a game and make more money in 2-3 games then 99.9% of the population makes in a year,

This “pressure from the fans and media” narrative is so incredibly ridiculous it’s not even funny.

Give me just 5% of what the core 4 makes and I wouldn’t be able to move for a year after 1 playoff series. That’s how hard I would play.

 

[Legion34]

I agree.

'Oh boo hoo, I get to make millions for working half the year while I get to travel and bang my super hot girlfriend, but the newspapers sometimes are mean to me and that makes me sad!'

Again, see the Yankees, Lakers or any European soccer team.

If the Yankees were subjected to a hard cap and were playing against souped up tax free teams that didn’t have the extra nonsense. They might not do as well.

 

[Rare Jewel]

You really should have stopped at “Hear me out” Lol.

I do not feel 1 ounce of sympathy for these guys who play a game and make more money in 2-3 games then 99.9% of the population makes in a year,

This “pressure from the fans and media” narrative is so incredibly ridiculous it’s not even funny.

Give me just 5% of what the core 4 makes and I wouldn’t be able to move for a year after 1 playoff series. That’s how hard I would play.

It's not about sympathy on the ice as much as understanding. I'm with you, these guys are renumerated incredibly well, and Leafs fans return on their real and emotional dollar as not to be returned.

But you often hear the saying "he's not cut out to play in a big market" or things along those lines. What if the issue is that the high-end talent might not be best suited to this market? They didn't have control over being drafted here.

I'm just having a bit of a hard time agreeing that this isn't a hard place to play when that story about Marner's address getting leaked and threats made to his family, and then I hear some media people and podcasters say that Toronto isn't that bad, and fans are rather tame.

 

[Leafs87]

Realistically they lost to the runner ups/cup champs in 7. Effort was unacceptable but outcome was likely this either way.

 

[GQS]

I'm just having a bit of a hard time agreeing that this isn't a hard place to play when that story about Marner's address getting leaked and threats made to his family, and then I hear some media people and podcasters say that Toronto isn't that bad, and fans are rather tame.

Toronto and any other Canadian market really isn't that hard a place to play. Sure you get more media attention and your performances may be analyzed more and there are more fans that boo you if you play poorly, but that's about it. Outside of a few idiots like those that leak personal info about players or whatnot, Leafs fans just boo you, complain about your poor performance online and that's about it. If you want to see how crazy fans can get, just see how soccer fans behave when their teams are playing.

As I said in another post in a different thread I think complaining about media attention and 'too much pressure' are largely just excuses to not want to play in Canada because many athletes prefer to play in the US where taxes are often lower, quality of life is better, weather is often better, don't have to deal with border stuff etc.

I mean yeah if you win the cup in Toronto you'll be remembered as a legend forever in this city, but in day to day living is Toronto or any other Canadian city really that great? If you're rich and especially if you're a young, rich athlete why choose to live in Canada when there are many better places in the US to live in? Its the same reason why the Raptors have never been able to attract a huge free agent star to their team in its entire history. Same with the Jays and the same with the Leafs despite playing well these days. Everytime July 1st that rolls around, how often do you ever see the best free agents sign with a Canadian team? Very rarely and I don't think that's a coincidence.

 

[Dreakmur]

The fact that we’re talking about “the pressure” instead of how pathetic the team’s efforts were in games 5 and 7 is a pretty good case that the media is pretty easy in these players.

 

[blue stick]

terrible excuse. even the lowest paid player is a millionaire.