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

[NVious]

Yeah it's on me.

PLEASE GODS AUSTON AND MITCH FORGIVE ME. PLEASEEEEEE

 

[Sendhelp2Anaheim]

With Torontos playoff struggles should the fans receive just as much blame as the players. You see other fans going crazy when their team is down a goal or two but Toronto fans are throwing their jerseys on the ice. The exact opposite of what motivates a player.

I understand the players make millions but they are humans with emotions.

Matthews is that you ?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Show me a fanbase that would handle losing G5 and G7 on home ice a combined score of 12-2 well and I will show you a dog shit fanbase.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

For real...Toronto is a wildly easy city to be loved in. You just have to care. Like some people are walking around in Tim Bent jerseys because he had an amazing PK 15 years ago. Reality is Mitch lost the city with his last contract and never got them back when he couldn't back it up. If he didn't want the pressure that came with that contract demand...that is a him problem.

100% , Toronto also has 2 other Major League sports teams which is actually a huge boon for the players compared to a city like Montreal or Edmonton or Vancouver where there's nothing else to talk about.

The thing about effort is spot on , If Matthews and Marner were playing like Knies out there or McDavid and Draisaitl and losing then you could have an argument that the fans vitriol is unwarranted.

The core looks like they don't care half the time how can you expect a fanbase that cherishes passion and hard work to not turn on them. In my opinion it's not even that bad and I don't understand the narrative that Toronto is a hard place to play in. Hell this is the first time Matthews is actually getting flak for his play in 10 years. Toronto fans have been more than patient with these guys.

The only one that might have a point is Marner , he gets a ton of hate but it's also due to his own actions/greediness/softness in the playoffs. I mean these guys are getting paid handsomely anyways. That's what comes with a contract , nobody is roasting Tanev or McCabe Knies or Woll today

 

[BahlDeep]

If I buy a product and it sucks... I have the right to complain about it.

 

[Nikishin al Gaib]

man these are player paids MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to win. fans have every right to be pissed for garbage performance when they pay their tickets FOR games multiple hundreds of dollars.

this narrative that the fans have something to do with it needs to die.

You can be as pissed off as you want, by all means do it.

Don't f***ing dox them and threaten their family because you're upset over a loss. That's where the line gets crossed, and it gets crossed way too f***ing much nowadays across sports (its getting particularly bad in Formula 1 right now).

 

[NVious]

Yes, they and the media prop up the team year after year as Cup favourites when anyone with even a slight bit of objectivity sees that they’re miles away, stands are full night in night out

They have zero incentive to fix any problems

Your perception of Toronto/it's fans and media is always hilarious.

You take the most casual opinion held by 1/100 "fans" (that 1 being the most casual) and then say all of Toronto believes that.

No serious Toronto fan or Toronto sports media member ever thought of them as cup favorites, 10 years ago I think anybody could see immense talent and would've minimalistically thought at least a few runs and maybe a cup, but they never amounted to cup favorites at any point.

 

[Mrfenn92]

No they shouldn’t. Players in the pros are big boys with big boy checks.

Will say some fans do need to find a hobby though. To much living and dying through sports

 

[Fatass]

Of course not. Fans aren’t the ones playing. The embarrassing losses this Leafs core continues to suffer in the playoffs is because they are softies.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

It’s a privilege to play in front of that many die hards. That Tkachuk comment was ridiculous. If the Leafs core players had a better attitude and their ownership/front office set them up for success they’d have the keys to the city

I love Tkachuks comments as a rival fan because it's a trolljob that get's leaf fans mad but it's lame and pretty weak coming from a guy that ran away from pressure to play in the market with the least pressure in the world lol

 

[The Shadow]

The leafs have one of the best fanbases in all of hockey easily. They keep buying into the dream year after year. Failure after failure

They are often the loudest fans in the opposition rinks and they are everywhere.

It’s up to the team to establish a winning culture just like Florida copied Tampa a bit to copy their success.

 

[LeafGrief]

Wow.

How are hockey players developing to be tough enough to fight bloody physical battles, Matt Tkachuk played through a broken sternum, and yet a passionate fanbase is what gets their panties in a bunch?

Absolutely unreal that our team can shit its pants, yet again, and we're the ones who get blamed for it. Hockey is a game played on ice by people with sticks. Blaming wins and losses on people in the stands, the people who fund the players paychecks, is just outrageous narcissistic behavior.

 

[koyvoo]

Leaf fans have every right to voice their disappointment with the club’s playoff record.

 

[hockey20000]

hes not wrong do you see the critism and backlash the players face in this market on top of the media in there face all the time? why would anyone want to play in torronto for 11-12million when you can go somewhere nice like califoina or southern usa or even the othe 5 canadian marrkets besides montreal in canada for same money where media doesn't constantly criticze or bug you..

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Your perception of Toronto/it's fans and media is always hilarious.

You take the most casual opinion held by 1/100 "fans" (that 1 being the most casual) and then say all of Toronto believes that.

No serious Toronto fan or Toronto sports media member ever thought of them as cup favorites, 10 years ago I think anybody could see immense talent and would've minimalistically thought at least a few runs and maybe a cup, but they never amounted to cup favorites at any point.

Revisionist history, hundreds if not thousands of posts on this website to prove otherwise

 

[Ducer]

did Matthew cry himself to sleep for the six years he was in Calgary?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Biggest issue for the Leafs is Dubas messed up their cap structure with signing Tavares and too much money for 4 forwards. Nobody else has a cap structure like that and it doesn't make sense. They've waited too long to correct it and now it might be too late. This left them with a good, not great team. Contrary to popular belief, the Leafs were never Stanley Cup favorites in any individual year. They've just had a long stretch of being a good team but they are not particularly unique in this aspect, as a good number of teams have long playoff streaks or x in x+1 year playoff appearances.

 

[kerrabria]

Wow.

How are hockey players developing to be tough enough to fight bloody physical battles, Matt Tkachuk played through a broken sternum, and yet a passionate fanbase is what gets their panties in a bunch?

Absolutely unreal that our team can shit its pants, yet again, and we're the ones who get blamed for it. Hockey is a game played on ice by people with sticks. Blaming wins and losses on people in the stands, the people who fund the players paychecks, is just outrageous narcissistic behavior.

Most physical ailments, personal tragedies, etc. are random and unintentional. If you break your sternum, there's nothing to be mad at. A bad thing happened once, it hurts, it sucks, but it's nobody's fault, and it will pass.

On the other hand, it's very difficult to be Stoic and unbothered by other people's willing, repeated behaviors.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Most physical ailments, personal tragedies, etc. are random and unintentional. If you break your sternum, there's nothing to be mad at. A bad thing happened once, it hurts, it sucks, but it's nobody's fault, and it will pass.

On the other hand, it's very difficult to be Stoic and unbothered by other people's willing, repeated behaviors.

That's the job.

If they don't want it, they are free to retire from the NHL and walk away from all the benefits.

There is no real pressure in the NHL. This is just Florida taking a piss at how weak willed the Leafs are and how insecure their fans are, and for some reason, a whole bunch of you are taking the insults as praise.

 

[nturn06]

Biggest issue for the Leafs is Dubas messed up their cap structure with signing Tavares and too much money for 4 forwards. Nobody else has a cap structure like that and it doesn't make sense. They've waited too long to correct it and now it might be too late. This left them with a good, not great team. Contrary to popular belief, the Leafs were never Stanley Cup favorites in any individual year. They've just had a long stretch of being a good team but they are not particularly unique in this aspect, as a good number of teams have long playoff streaks or x in x+1 year playoff appearances.

I know that this is not a popular opinion, but I believe that besides signing JT, the firing of Babcock was a second big mistake Dubas made.

This core needed a coach which was an ah*le, not someone who tried to babysit them. All their issues probably go back to the fact that they were taught there are no repercursions no matter how bad they play.

 

[The Note]

I think it’s more the guys getting paid millions of dollars who managed to score 4 goals over the last 4 games of the series.

 

[kerrabria]

That's the job.

If they don't want it, they are free to retire from the NHL and walk away from all the benefits.

There is no real pressure in the NHL. This is just Florida taking a piss at how weak willed the Leafs are and how insecure their fans are, and for some reason, a whole bunch of you are taking the insults as praise.

It's not the job for 31 other franchises (maybe 30.5 given Montreal).
I'm sure that (other than Tavares) they'll walk away from Toronto and all the benefits.
It's not even about the pressure, it's about the unfair criticism and intrusion in day-to-day life.
It's also not Florida taking the piss. I believe they're being genuine. This is how low Tkachuk, Marchand, Jones, etc. think of Toronto's media and fanbase. They feel bad for their fellow players.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

did Matthew cry himself to sleep for the six years he was in Calgary?

He cried in the 4 Nations final on the bench, he was paralyzed by the pressure of USA caring about hockey for a couple of hours.

 

[Lieutenant Bookman]

Yes blame the fans because the millionaire players couldn’t be bothered to show up for the biggest game of the year

 

[Zwui21]

Lmao this narrative is so corny.
Toronto's failures are because of bad management and players that put their own self in front of the team's