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

[theTTC]

• “Pressure? What pressure? Pressure is poor people in the world trying to feed their families. There is no pressure in football”—Jose Mourinho speaking in a post-match interview

The Core Fore have league high guaranteed salaries, no trade clauses, no AHL demotion threat, best therapy/massage/rehab services in the world, fame, adulation, don't have to bodycheck or fight on the ice, could retire at 30 with generational wealth. MLSE paid them before they won or proved anything.

Pressure? wtf?

 

[Nineteen67]

I just heard a clip on tsn1050 where a basketball player was asked why they didn’t try harder…… wish Toronto media actually had access to players and had just one media member ask a tough question.

It’s never happened and never will in the easiest media market in the league.

 

[The Best Leafs Everr]

Imagine if a baseball player said he doesn’t want to play for Yankees or Red Sox because there’s pressure to win. Only pathetic losers in hockey has this mentality. It’s time we kick these guys out. Bring in players who wants to come to Toronto to take on the challenge to win in a market that wants them to succeed.

 

[ACC1224]

Imagine if a baseball player said he doesn’t want to play for Yankees or Red Sox because there’s pressure to win. Only pathetic losers in hockey has this mentality. It’s time we kick these guys out. Bring in players who wants to come to Toronto to take on the challenge to win in a market that wants them to succeed.

Imagine if a player had ever said that here?

 

[The Best Leafs Everr]

Imagine if a player had ever said that here?

While they don’t say it upfront almost all of them do once they leave. Just goes to show how weak they are!

 

[Maple Leaf]

Oilers have pressure
their stars are legitimate and get it done

 

[darrylsittler27]

I want the pressure of making millions and getting 5 to 6 months off. Where do I sign up?

 

[notbias]

Oilers have pressure
their stars are legitimate and get it done

Maybe they will this year, but they most certainly disappeared in the biggest moments last year.

"but what about...."

I don't care... the stars didn't get it done like you are saying.

I want the pressure of making millions and getting 5 to 6 months off. Where do I sign up?

Maybe you could have done this in some career if you had the drive and dedication these players had.

 

[Antropovsky]

• “Pressure? What pressure? Pressure is poor people in the world trying to feed their families. There is no pressure in football”—Jose Mourinho speaking in a post-match interview

The Core Fore have league high guaranteed salaries, no trade clauses, no AHL demotion threat, best therapy/massage/rehab services in the world, fame, adulation, don't have to bodycheck or fight on the ice, could retire at 30 with generational wealth. MLSE paid them before they won or proved anything.

Pressure? wtf?

I read that Marner has said someone in Toronto yelled something in his direction once..and it was incredibly hurtful.

... jeez the poor guy.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

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.

I agree with you. I just think you're having a conversation with 2 types:

1. Hockey fans who believe that the enormous interest and media coverage is what is crushing these players.

2. Shanny, who just happens to be gone from the organization. I believe that he interveined too often. Protected all stars. Limited the pressure.

Pressure is not this group's major issue.

This group (JT,MM,AM,WN) are all too similar. They've all had their turn at shying away from physical contact. Perhaps JT less. None of them play on the edge. None of them will fight. None of them will go through a wall for their team.

None of them can touch recent examples of great playoff performances from recent Leafs: Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts, Steve Thomas, Sundin, Gilmour, Wendel.

You'll be waiting forever if you think Matthews will one day be a beast, use his size, play mean, hack/chop/whack/punch, get fired up in a game.

They're all the same.

Pressure? They can play through pressure
They just don't win because they don't have any will or fight in them.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Maybe the core isn't that good

My point exactly. Shanny bet on them and lost...every single time.

 

[Nineteen67]

I agree with you. I just think you're having a conversation with 2 types:

1. Hockey fans who believe that the enormous interest and media coverage is what is crushing these players.

2. Shanny, who just happens to be gone from the organization. I believe that he interveined too often. Protected all stars. Limited the pressure.

Pressure is not this group's major issue.

This group (JT,MM,AM,WN) are all too similar. They've all had their turn at shying away from physical contact. Perhaps JT less. None of them play on the edge. None of them will fight. None of them will go through a wall for their team.

None of them can touch recent examples of great playoff performances from recent Leafs: Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts, Steve Thomas, Sundin, Gilmour, Wendel.

You'll be waiting forever if you think Matthews will one day be a beast, use his size, play mean, hack/chop/whack/punch, get fired up in a game.

They're all the same.

Pressure? They can play through pressure
They just don't win because they don't have any will or fight in them.

All that, and slow feet, make it very difficult to play in winner take all games.

 

[HellasLEAF]

The Leafs are a unique team in the 4 major sports in that, a larger portion of the players come from this single home province.

Just under 50% are from Canada. And just under 50% of those are from Ontario. We are looking at roughly 1/4 of the league coming from the region of 2 of the 32 teams (Toronto (and Ottawa, if you must)).

When you then factor in the burden of the championship drought and the intense media to go with the fans, I think it's a factor that works against the team. But to complain about it, nobody cares or wants to hear it. Will simply have to find a way to overcome.

 

[JKG33]

Pressure? What f***ing pressure is there in Toronto? The city in general worships the ground these losers walk on. The players can do no wrong. Under Dubas & Shanahan the organizational culture was the same. And every year most of you lapped up the "best Leafs team ever" garbage.

Boston, New York, Philadelphia.. now theres pressure. Any of those fanbases would've run Matthews and Marner right outta town years ago for their playoff performances

 

[Tak7]

It doesn't really matter if the pressure thing is real or accurate or not.

The fact that it's out there, and prominent players and coaches are talking about it, should be a massive concern for the Maple Leafs.

We know the players are a very tight knit fraternity. We know a lot of guys talk. We know a lot of guys train in the summer. The fact that the pressure thing is established amongst hockey players, means it's something within their circle, and has become a factor.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

It doesn't really matter if the pressure thing is real or accurate or not.

The fact that it's out there, and prominent players and coaches are talking about it, should be a massive concern for the Maple Leafs.

We know the players are a very tight knit fraternity. We know a lot of guys talk. We know a lot of guys train in the summer. The fact that the pressure thing is established amongst hockey players, means it's something within their circle, and has become a factor.

What are you talking about?

Be more specific. This is gossip/innuendo.

 

[Apex Predator]

Imagine if a baseball player said he doesn’t want to play for Yankees or Red Sox because there’s pressure to win. Only pathetic losers in hockey has this mentality. It’s time we kick these guys out. Bring in players who wants to come to Toronto to take on the challenge to win in a market that wants them to succeed.

People that say there’s a lot of pressure on Toronto due to media don’t watch other sports. It’s not even close to some teams in basketball, baseball, football or European soccer.

 

[JKG33]

The Leafs are a unique team in the 4 major sports in that, a larger portion of the players come from this single home province.

Just under 50% are from Canada. And just under 50% of those are from Ontario. We are looking at roughly 1/4 of the league coming from the region of 2 of the 32 teams (Toronto (and Ottawa, if you must)).

When you then factor in the burden of the championship drought and the intense media to go with the fans, I think it's a factor that works against the team. But to complain about it, nobody cares or wants to hear it. Will simply have to find a way to overcome.

Ehhh a large chunk of NBA & NFL players are from California/Texas/Florida. At least one of those 3 states probably has similar percentages to Ontario in the NHL

 

[Tak7]

What are you talking about?

Be more specific. This is gossip/innuendo.

Bettman talked last week before the cup final about having no plans to address the "tax imbalance" in the league.

CJ mentioned on his show that multiple teams have complained about the tax advantage that some teams get over others.

So, whether any of us think it's an issue or not, it's clear that some NHL teams do.

 

[The Best Leafs Everr]

People that say there’s a lot of pressure on Toronto due to media don’t watch other sports. It’s not even close to some teams in basketball, baseball, football or European soccer.

It’s just the rich kids being p***y is all with this sport. All the other sports can be played with minimum investment, but hockey gears for growing kids are expensive as hell. All our top players come from rich family and Matthews was the only one to come out of a family that was struggling to fund his love for hockey, but these rich kids got him infected with their mindset as well. Pathetic as it is but nothing we can do about it now.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

It’s just the rich kids being p***y is all with this sport. All the other sports can be played with minimum investment, but hockey gears for growing kids are expensive as hell. All our top players come from rich family and Matthews was the only one to come out of a family that was struggling to fund his love for hockey, but these rich kids got him infected with their mindset as well. Pathetic as it is but nothing we can do about it now.

Even the "poor" families like Matthews were not poor in real terms. They just struggled to pay all the fees and equipment costs along with training. Matthews had a personal trainer (Some Russian guy) since he was a kid...That is not poor.

That's why it irks me when people say Hockey Culture is racist because of the over representation of white people in the sport. It's a class and economics problem IMO. Poor people need to prioritize their money to get by and guess what? Hockey sticks at $400 are not part of that.

 

[The Best Leafs Everr]

Even the "poor" families like Matthews were not poor in real terms. They just struggled to pay all the fees and equipment costs along with training. Matthews had a personal trainer (Some Russian guy) since he was a kid...That is not poor.

That's why it irks me when people say Hockey Culture is racist because of the over representation of white people in the sport. It's a class and economics problem IMO. Poor people need to prioritize their money to get by and guess what? Hockey sticks at $400 are not part of that.

That’s why I didn’t say that he came from a poor family. Struggling family is not poor, poor is the one who has hard time feeding their family.

Any way since we watch hockey I won’t say too many bad things about it, just what I have seen living in a countryside and watching how hockey kids behave. They do have manners but boy are they f***ing p***yes! Even a baseball player is more gutsy than them.

Also you’d be having many parents funding their kids if it was only hockey stick problem, imagine buying whole new gear including the skates every year because last year’s gears are too small for them. It’s a lot more expensive is all I would say. Lucky me that I follow a whole lot of other sports too and don’t have to cheer for these losers.