More Epic Disappointment, Again

[Mess]

Sutter's team even has high scoring players, including 2 with over 100 points.

So yes, he's old school, but he hasn't stifled them where they can't be offensive.

Maybe the biggest difference is they have a #1 in net.

I've always been a big Sutter fan myself, believing in his abilities and wished he had done that behind the Leafs bench, lot less expected disappointment. Probably believes that "Good teams are built from the Goalie out".

Barry Trotz is old school also and coached Alex Ovechkin to the Rocket Richard trophy as leagues leading goal scorer, and OV won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, before drinking out of the Stanley Cup.

If he can do that for OV, I see no reason Auston Matthews couldn't thrive under the same PROVEN success story.

 

[CapspaceKiller]

I didn't watch as many games in the regular season (an excellent season), because the only thing that matters is the playoffs at this point with this team. Their regular season success at this point is nothing more the a blue balling tease.

But I can't believe how many times and the amount of ways they can embarrass themselves and their fans.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

This was me, this year. I didn’t watch the regular season. Didn’t go to one game (STH). Last years loss to Montreal was the last straw for me. The way we lost, in grand Leaf-only like fashion, to the most hated team, with the most arrogant and ignorant fans who have been in my face since elementary school, high school, university, and adulthood - close friends who have no ties to Montreal yet cheered for them their whole life —- I just Needed a break after almost 50 years.

Watched the playoffs. Went to game five. Lost my voice on Tavares’ goal, only for the goal to be called back.
And in the end, as Triumph once sang, “it’s the same old story, all over again....”

I will always be a Leaf fan, but maybe just not as fanatical as I used to be. So sad to say, but they lost me. I don’t anticipate watching regular season games again next year. Yes the effort was better this year than past core years, but there’s always an excuse. I’m just tired.

I hear ya buddy I only watched like 10 games this regular season all near the end. losing like that to MTL broke me, started to believe in them again and got excited all to be let down again. I dont care if TB is the shit it may have been a solid series and they tried more than previous years, I just cant take the consistent let downs. at this point just win I dont care how you do it just get the freaking job done.... once

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Isnt that what real fans are about? You support your club through thick and thin.

I have we have had alot of dark years and with the way things are going it literally feels like no matter the change, nothing will be different.
Im just so sick of this and I hate being a Leafs fan now. but unfortunately I was born and raised a Leafs fan so that will never go away but that doesnt mean I have to pay attention or give a f*** about them anymore. all they do is cause me pain. my high school years when we actually could win a series seem like a lifetime ago. I only know pain and suffering now.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

If you told me after the 2016-17 season this team would be 0-10 in elimination games I would have told you you’re out of your mind.

What a colossal fall from grace and epic disappointment this group has been

 

[Arthur Morgan]

If you told me after the 2016-17 season this team would be 0-10 in elimination games I would have told you you’re out of your mind.

What a colossal fall from grace and epic disappointment this group has been

Yeah I thought in this time we would have made it to atleast the conference finals by now. I never thought a group like this could do so bad

 

[MSZ]

If you told me after the 2016-17 season this team would be 0-10 in elimination games I would have told you you’re out of your mind.

What a colossal fall from grace and epic disappointment this group has been

That 2017 season was actually fun. People finally had hope after what they witnessed that run and expected greatness to come. It just never came.

 

[saffronleaf]

This year 82 games didn’t matter

Next year 88 games don’t matter

If we make the playoffs, it won’t matter. Games 1-6 won’t matter. We will never win a series before game 7. Game 7, the 89th game is the only one that’ll matter. It’s the only one I care about

Once we get there, and if we make the playoffs we know we will for sure go 7, we have to win, no excuses

Even saying this makes me seem dirty. This team has taken the lowest of low bars and still failed to meet them and we give them another chance. We must be like saints

saints or masochists

 

[BrannigansLaw]

That 2017 season was actually fun. People finally had hope after what they witnessed that run and expected greatness to come. It just never came.

That was the most hope I had as a Leafs fan of eventually seeing a Cup win. The promise following that season was unlike anything I’d ever experienced as a fan.

I’m sad as a fan and sad for this core too tbh. So much promise seemingly wasted.

 

[Gabriel426]

the trip CAUSED the high stick


wtf??

I have we have had alot of dark years and with the way things are going it literally feels like no matter the change, nothing will be different.
Im just so sick of this and I hate being a Leafs fan now. but unfortunately I was born and raised a Leafs fan so that will never go away but that doesnt mean I have to pay attention or give a f*** about them anymore. all they do is cause me pain. my high school years when we actually could win a series seem like a lifetime ago. I only know pain and suffering now.

If you told me after the 2016-17 season this team would be 0-10 in elimination games I would have told you you’re out of your mind.

What a colossal fall from grace and epic disappointment this group has been

Yeah I thought in this time we would have made it to atleast the conference finals by now. I never thought a group like this could do so bad

That 2017 season was actually fun. People finally had hope after what they witnessed that run and expected greatness to come. It just never came.

We all talked about progress and playoffs experiences…. This is the first year I saw progress from the boys in playoffs. The past few playoffs, it seemed like playoffs we’re just a few more reg season games. Also there were no excuses this year, they can’t use COVID break(against BJs) or JT’s injury(Habs). Deep down I think the last two years playoffs, the players found an excuse for underperforming. But this year, they realized they didn’t have an excuse. I might have missed it but I don’t think any players came out and said something along the line of TB is the 2xChamps, got beaten by a better team…
I believe the players will grow from this playoffs and this is the playoffs exp they needed to move on to the next step. I only wished they felt this way 2-3 years ago.

 

[DougGilmour93]

I watched more Leaf games this playoffs then I did all season. I’ve been a die hard Leaf fan since 88, and this past season was the first I ignored. I have no faith in this management team. Our GM is clueless to what it takes to win in the playoffs. That’s been evident for years.
Too many years have gone by and I watch them make mistake after mistake.
You know the definition of insanity...lol. I have to step back, for my own well being and sanity.
Once Shanahan, Dubas and Keefe are gone and they have some competent people in place, I’ll pay more attention.

 

[saffronleaf]

If they actually choked like they did last season I'd understand this line of thinking. They finished with 115 points and got rewarded with a date against the back to back cup champs who had 110 points while missing Kucherov for half the season and Vasilevskiy playing far below his standards. They were the better team for the most part in the series and had some bad breaks go against them at key points (goal taken back in game 7 on interference that Tampa got away with all night including at least one of their goals, 5 on 3 in game 6 for TB to tie it on an embellished high stick that didn't even touch the player above the shoulders and a high stick where Hedman lifted Kerfoot's twig into his own face etc.)

The funny thing about this is if we won a round against a weaker team like Capitals or got that one break we needed to win this series everyone here would be going on and on about how much promise this team is showing and how great of a job Dubas and Keefe are doing etc.

It's fine if people want one of the core 4 gone but they also have to understand that you are probably not going to get an equivalent immediate impact back on the return and the team likely gets further from winning the cup next season.

The issue with this team is that you can't make that straightforward prediction that if the Leafs played an inferior team like the Capitals they would win. Montreal was the worst team in the history of the league to get into the playoffs and....

 

[TGB]

I'm just glad I watch purely for entertainment nowadays. The whole notion of allowing your emotions to be controlled by the performance of people you don't know under conditions you can't control is just silly.

 

[keonsbitterness]

The issue with this team is that you can't make that straightforward prediction that if the Leafs played an inferior team like the Capitals they would win. Montreal was the worst team in the history of the league to get into the playoffs and....

Not even close. Look up 87-88 Leafs. Made the playoffs finishing 20th in a 21-team league with a .325 winning pct.

 

[MSZ]

Not even close. Look up 87-88 Leafs. Made the playoffs finishing 20th in a 21-team league with a .325 winning pct.

Well in a 31 team league Montreal was certainly the worst playoff team ever.

 

[D00bis]

I’m just numb to it at this point, I didn’t even watch most of the game my mens league team had their first playoff game played in that instead. We won I scored two including the gwg then watched the third at the arena

 

[drktmplr12]

coming in peace. sorry about the outcome. would have liked both a TOR-FLA or TBL-FLA matchup.

 

[myleafs]

I don't really agree with this though. Sure 8 are going to the next round but how many of them would beat Tampa to do it? How many of them actually make it to game 7 against them? I wager if we played like we did in this series against anyone else save Colorado we win. God knows with even a tiny amount of luck we would have won this series in game 6.

So what happens if Florida takes it to Tampa which I have a feeling might happen. Tampa is really good but they are not the same team as the last couple of years. You can see they are a little battered and worn. The changes that the leafs make I think kind of depend on how Tampa does from this point on. Get past the Panthers and the Leafs loss doesn't look too bad get beat by the Panthers and Leafs loss looks worse.

 

[myleafs]

Winning a cup - how about a round?

I find the patting the leafs on the back by Keefe and by the media for the large part for putting up a fight and not shitting the bed completely a little concerning. Sure, they looked better than the previous 2 yrs but the set up (being up 3 -2 ) and losing again is the reality. Weve seen this core go against average teams (columbus) bad team (habs ) and now a very good team in Tampa all with the same result. People talking about leafs being a cup team....this group has no idea what going 4 rounds looks like...hint...it will be a lot tougher than 1 round. Watching the Oilers and Flames make it to the next level while we sit and talk about how much our guys really tried this time is depressing. My first thought is we are just gonna run it back aren't we? imo something has to give...anything or Im afraid I am already losing interest pretty quickly for next year.

 

[Mess]

even the playoffs don't matter anymore. you f*** up so many times does it even matter if you deliver at a certain point anymore

That is the problem isn't it?

With this management team, with these core players that have failed and disappointed over and over, that its made the regular season essentially meaningless as to finish as long as you qualify for the playoffs.. You almost wish you could fast forward the regular season straight to the playoffs..

Leafs finished 4th in the regular season standings overall.. Want to know what almost all the other top teams with home ice advantage did in round #1 .... WIN of course, because they made the regular season mean something !!!!!

Now at 0 W - 6 L in the 1st round even winning a single round would feel like so little a bare minimum achievement to erase the bitter taste of all that past failure.

Now if you double down on the disappointing fact that Leafs haven't won a single playoff round in 18 years and sit as the most unsuccessful team in the NHL, that even ending the streak at 19 years with a single round win would barely blunt all those consecutive years of disappointment.

Its almost Stanley Cup of Bust at this point for this long suffering fan base, and wake me up when the playoffs start.

 

[myleafs]

If people want to pretend this team sucks because they lost a nail biter to Tampa that's their prerogative. Just have the integrity to try and understand that not all first round opponents are equal. But hey if they lost to Tampa after beating a shitty team in round one they're a better team in your eyes right?

I don't see too many saying they suck. And lets see what Tampa does from here before claiming them to be the best of the bunch this year. Will you feel the same way if Tampa get taken out quickly by the Panthers? Their inability to close out important games over the last few years is troubling and telling. I don't want a blow up but I want to see some changes.

 

[ShaneFalco]

I find the patting the leafs on the back by Keefe and by the media for the large part for putting up a fight and not shitting the bed completely a little concerning. Sure, they looked better than the previous 2 yrs but the set up (being up 3 -2 ) and losing again is the reality. Weve seen this core go against average teams (columbus) bad team (habs ) and now a very good team in Tampa all with the same result. People talking about leafs being a cup team....this group has no idea what going 4 rounds looks like...hint...it will be a lot tougher than 1 round. Watching the Oilers and Flames make it to the next level while we sit and talk about how much our guys really tried this time is depressing. My first thought is we are just gonna run it back aren't we? imo something has to give...anything or Im afraid I am already losing interest pretty quickly for next year.

Even the goalie situation alone. Campbell running it through 3 4 rounds?

 

[saffronleaf]

That is the problem isn't it?

With this management team, with these core players that have failed and disappointed over and over, that its made the regular season essentially meaningless as to finish as long as you qualify for the playoffs.. You almost wish you could fast forward the regular season straight to the playoffs..

Leafs finished 4th in the regular season standings overall.. Want to know what almost all the other top teams with home ice advantage did in round #1 .... WIN of course, because they made the regular season mean something !!!!!

Now at 0 W - 6 L in the 1st round even winning a single round would feel like so little a bare minimum achievement to erase the bitter taste of all that past failure.

Now if you double down on the disappointing fact that Leafs haven't won a single playoff round in 18 years and sit as the most unsuccessful team in the NHL, that even ending the streak at 19 years with a single round win would barely blunt all those consecutive years of disappointment.

Its almost Stanley Cup of Bust at this point for this long suffering fan base, and wake me up when the playoffs start.

yup, winning the first round at this point feels like you're the fat kid in gym class struggling to cross over the finish line 2 min behind everyone else. like bravo, here's a cookie.

 

[Mess]

yup, winning the first round at this point feels like you're the fat kid in gym class struggling to cross over the finish line 2 min behind everyone else. like bravo, here's a cookie.

or as I see it in terms of pain and disappointment threashold. .

Losing in round #1 = equivalent of a swift kick to the groin
Winning round #1 = equivalent of missing the groin and kick the stomach instead.

So tallying up the accumulating pain score of Leafs 0-6 record in the first round past 6 playoffs with a potential win in 2023 of round #1 = 6 swift kicks to the groin, and 1 kick to the stomach.

Run it back !!!