[Matthew Tkachuk] Leafs would be unbelievable if the team wasn't in Toronto

[Erik Alfredsson]

The highs are also higher.

If you win, you would want to win in Toronto because you will live like a king for the rest of your life.

How do you know this? I really doubt you're old enough to have seen anyone win in Toronto.

 

[Diglett]

At the end of the day it's just sportball.

Some fans need to learn it's not the end of the world if your team loses. Harassing and threatening players after a loss is loser behaviour and should require therapy.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Its very embarrassing for both sides

Well, its not like Paul Maurice, Matthew Tkachunk and the Panthers organization are known to be classy ( see the tweet from one of the owners that got him suspended)

Steve Dangle made a great point about Tkachuks hypocrisy, talking about players not wanting the spotlight while running his mouth to any microphone or magazine that he comes across.

 

[Oilslick941611]

How do you know this? I really doubt you're old enough to have seen anyone win in Toronto.

My guy, you have spent ALL dunking on the leafs and their fan base, what are even doing here still?

 

[Eternal Leaf]

How do you know this? I really doubt you're old enough to have seen anyone win in Toronto.

Cause I know how many ads and attention Toronto legends get around town. These are guys who didn't even win a cup.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

My guy, you have spent ALL dunking on the leafs and their fan base, what are even doing here still?

You've spent all day arguing with people who are criticizing the Leafs. What are YOU still doing here?

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Cause I know how many ads and attention Toronto legends get around town. These are guys who didn't even win a cup.

Lol I don't think either of those things are exclusive to Toronto, but okay.

 

[TheDoldrums]

You can blame whoever you want for it, the fact still remains that the Leafs fanbase is different than those other teams because Leaf fans hate their own team. The justification behind the hate might change depending on the players, but it comes down to the team has sucked for 60 years despite having the advantages of the deepest pockets and being an O6 team with a passionate fanbase.

They hate them because they lose every year, that's the real reason.

Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark never won anything and those teams are beloved. It has nothing to do with 60 years, no one is blaming this core for the 70s. There has never been a core of superstars this unlikeable, it’s generational futility in the biggest moments. When you have ridiculous talent and no heart, when it looks like you don’t care, any fan base is going to have a tough time accepting that.

 

[Oilslick941611]

At the end of the day it's just sportball.

Some fans need to learn it's not the end of the world if your team loses. Harassing and threatening players after a loss is loser behaviour and should require therapy.

Exactly, take it from a fan of a team who saw his team win in 1990 and lose in 6 in 2006 and 7 last year …. Tomorrow still comes, your bills still need to be paid and you still have to go work.

 

[Oilslick941611]

You've spent all day arguing with people who are criticizing the Leafs. What are YOU still doing here?

I didn’t actually, i replied to you a handful of times in the afternoon and left for the majority of the day, judging by your post history, you did not and have been a troll all day.

 

[Turin]

This narrative is so fake. If you can play in front of 19000 people like all pros can, you can handle Toronto. Montreal is even crazier and they’ve done better with a lot worse in recent history.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Tkachuk is very obviously concern trolling the Leafs and their fans.

 

[Crow]

How do you know this? I really doubt you're old enough to have seen anyone win in Toronto.

I’d wager he is almost certainly right. Does he really have to know it?

I’ve seen some extremely long championship droughts come to an end and the people involved are revered to this day in Chicago.

 

[colchar]

During an appearance on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, Tkachuk acknowledged Toronto's high-pressure environment and just how much pressure the Toronto players face:


Thoughts on Toronto's intense media and fan environment obstructing team success and player performance? Could you see nerves under the weight of the massive expectations in the largest market being part of the reason for Toronto's early playoff exits?. Personally, I don't buy the excuse, but Tkachuk bringing it up shows how aware the players are of this.

Sports Illustrated link to quote

What a ridiculous load of shite.

Players in other sports in other North American cities have more pressure and handle it just fine (Yankees players, guys who play football and baseball in Philly, etc.). Then there are soccer players in Europe and South America where it is far, far more intense than North American sports will ever be.

If Leafs players cannot handle playing in Toronto then they are mentally weak. Ignore social and mainstream media and the pressure is gone.

 

[HabzSauce]

How do you know this? I really doubt you're old enough to have seen anyone win in Toronto.

Kawhi Leonard man. Was celebrated as a God & offered the keys to the city after he won the chip in 2019

 

[winnipegger]

This new brand of toxicity started with the "it was 4-1" thing. That broke a lot of people and all they need to get over the humiliation is one deep run. They just can't get it.

 

[Plural]

I know it's a hazzle and inconvenience...but shut the f*** up already.

There are football teams (soccer for you bloody yanks) in England that experience the level of pressure x 1000 compared to Toronto Maple Leafs.

It's not fun and it can at times, have bit of an effect on your team. But these are pro-athletes making millions and millions of dollars. Other athletes have managed to handle that spotlight and more. It is the core of the team, not the fans, not the media and not the city. Maybe the core would be better somewhere else with less pressure. That just means that they have weaknesses, it doesn't mean that you can't win in Toronto because of the city and the fans. That's just plain insulting to the fans who spend their monthly salaries to attend just one playoff game.

 

[TheDoldrums]

This new brand of toxicity started with the "it was 4-1" thing. That broke a lot of people and all they need to get over the humiliation is one deep run. They just can't get it.

Eh, that team wasn’t good anyways and there was a lot of positivity after rebuilding and drafting Nylander, Marner and Matthews in succession.

The fans really turned on this core after the Montreal series. Even the year before against Columbus was excused away by Covid stuff and fans trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, because despite the narrative here the fans don’t want to hate this team. But Montreal was unforgivable and since then it’s been an uphill battle.

 

[Leafs87]

He’s not wrong. The boards have been nonstop. Look at Winnipeg, they went out in peace after the presidents trophy. If anything I’d assume they’d have “blown it” worse than the Leafs after losing in 7 to the reigning champs

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

Florida Panthers on Toronto: please run it back

 

[Plural]

Lol I don't think either of those things are exclusive to Toronto, but okay.

Not exclusive but winning the Cup for a hockey crazed market will absolutely give you a larger legacy than winning it in a city where it's niche. Selanne hardly gets recognized in Anaheim, hell I think more people know his name because of his restaurant and not him winning the first (and last so far) Cup there.

 

[Crow]

He’s not wrong. The boards have been nonstop. Look at Winnipeg, they went out in peace after the presidents trophy. If anything I’d assume they’d have “blown it” worse than the Leafs after losing in 7 to the reigning champs

Not much to discuss there beyond cursing helle, which gets old pretty quickly. Kind of a conversation ender. Everyone agrees he sucked.

The leafs are more of a mystery. Maybe it’s just much easier for people to understand a goalie choking compared to a group of very highly paid forwards.

 

[Silky Johnson]

With all due respect. f*** off with this.

I’m a Bruins fan, so I have no problem laughing at torontos pain here. This is entirely on the players, as it always is

Bullshit

This has been going on since 1967. It transcends the players.

And the media pressure is definitely part of it.

Also, the hockey gods and the ghost of Harold Ballard hate the leafs and work tirelessly to bring sadness to the city - because Toronto sucks.

 

[CascadiaPuck]

You can blame whoever you want for it, the fact still remains that the Leafs fanbase is different than those other teams because Leaf fans hate their own team. The justification behind the hate might change depending on the players, but it comes down to the team has sucked for 60 years despite having the advantages of the deepest pockets and being an O6 team with a passionate fanbase.

They hate them because they lose every year, that's the real reason.

Unironic fan base generalizing is weird. Toronto feels overrepresented in terms of whackos because of the number of fans it has in total, no other reason.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

He’s not wrong. The boards have been nonstop. Look at Winnipeg, they went out in peace after the presidents trophy. If anything I’d assume they’d have “blown it” worse than the Leafs after losing in 7 to the reigning champs

He's lying to troll you. "He's not wrong."