Where do the Leafs go if they blow it yet again?

[Fatass]

Those guys are all supporting pieces. If Knies is a top player on that team then the pressure turns on him too. Leaf fans are ravenous and no player is safe from their wrath.

The message is very clear after last night: show up or we will hate you with everything we have. What sane player will sign up for that?

Keon, Armstrong, The Big M, Sittler, Salming, Gilmore, Clarke, to name a few.
Yes, all Canadian markets have the added pressure of not being able to leave work at the rink, and TO is likely the hardest for that. But there’s no better place to play if the guy is a dawg. The three Leafs: Matthews, Marner, Nylander aren’t dawgs. They would struggle with playoff hockey south of the border too.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

I think it was deserved tbh. This Leafs core have mailed it in ten years running, so I do not at all blame their fans for having a meltdown after seeing it happen on home ice not once but twice in the same round. I don’t believe that type of dual ass kicking has ever happened before in a seven-game series.

That Matthews followed it up by throwing his teammates under the bus cemented their grievances for me. The man just doesn’t have one give a shit bone in his entire body, and that alone is worth a few more thrown jerseys and beers. Those are the kinds of comments that kickstart firesales.

Yeah no. I hate the Leafs, but throwing beer and jerseys at the players is not deserved, it's clown behavior. It's literally assault. This is sports, grow the hell up if you're doing that stuff.

And if Leaf fans think that's justified then that's exactly the issue with Toronto as a market. Because I guarantee you no player in the league is looking at that display last night and thinking "they deserved that". They're thinking "Holy shit that's brutal".

 

[Oilslick941611]

Lol I've criticized them plenty. They deserve criticism. They don't deserve shit thrown at them.

I'm sorry if talking about the reality of how unappealing of a market Toronto is in the NHL right now upsets you. But I think it's pretty relevant to talk about it considering these players seem to play better when they're on the road where they're away from the media and the rabid fans.

It doesn’t upset me. I don’t live in Toronto, and I’m not a Toronto fan at all.

I just don’t see value in this conversation. We’ve both said our piece.

 

[BeranekAndNeck]

Yeah no. I hate the Leafs, but throwing beer and jerseys at the players is not deserved, it's clown behavior. It's literally assault. This is sports, grow the hell up if you're doing that stuff

Watching a piece of fabric flutter to the ice from thirty or more feet up is “assault”? Are you Mitch Marner’s alt or something?

And if Leaf fans think that's justified then that's exactly the issue with Toronto as a market. Because I guarantee you no player in the league is looking at that display last night and thinking "they deserved that". They're thinking "Holy shit that's brutal".

I’m not a Leafs fan soooo…?

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Keon, Armstrong, The Big M, Sittler, Salming, Gilmore, Clarke, to name a few.
Yes, all Canadian markets have the added pressure of not being able to leave work at the rink, and TO is likely the hardest for that. But there’s no better place to play if the guy is a dawg. The three Leafs: Matthews, Marner, Nylander aren’t dawgs. They would struggle with playoff hockey south of the border too.

You're naming guys from 30+ years ago lol. This is pre-social media, pre-"60 year drought".

There's 31 other fanbases that will also celebrate you if you're a "dawg". I really doubt Brady Tkachuk is thinking "it's cool to have an arena of Sens fans chanting my name, but imagine if they were LEAF fans instead?" But those 31 other fanbases won't try to ding their superstar forward with a tall boy if they have a bad game.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Watching a piece of fabric flutter to the ice from thirty or more feet up is “assault”? Are you Mitch Marner’s alt or something?



I’m not a Leafs fan soooo…?

Yes having beer thrown at you is assault. Do it in front of a cop and see how they view it if you want to test it.

I don't give a shit if you're a Leafs fan.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

It doesn’t upset me. I don’t live in Toronto, and I’m not a Toronto fan at all.

I just don’t see value in this conversation. We’ve both said our piece.

Well yeah it's hard to see value if you don't want to acknowledge it for some weird reason lol.

 

[Fatass]

You're naming guys from 30+ years ago lol. This is pre-social media, pre-"60 year drought".

There's 31 other fanbases that will also celebrate you if you're a "dawg". I really doubt Brady Tkachuk is thinking "it's cool to have an arena of Sens fans chanting my name, but imagine if they were LEAF fans instead?" But those 31 other fanbases won't try to ding their superstar forward with a tall boy if they have a bad game.

Nothing like being a dawg star hockey player in a Canadian market. MM, AM, WN would be soft in any market. It’s not the market; it’s those guys dna.

 

[BeranekAndNeck]

Yes having beer thrown at you is assault. Do it in front of a cop and see how they view it if you want to test it.

If cold liquid is this scary to the Leafs players I understand why they try and get away from it so quickly every spring.

I don't give a shit if you're a Leafs fan.

Then why did you write an entire paragraph assuming I was one?

 

[Fatass]

Yes having beer thrown at you is assault. Do it in front of a cop and see how they view it if you want to test it.

I don't give a shit if you're a Leafs fan.

Here we agree. Throwing stuff on the ice or at players is foolish. Not too sure that’s just a TO thing though?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Maybe Toronto players are a bit jealous of the guys who get to play in warm, no state tax environments that get to be heroes when the team is winning and get to be anonymous when the team is losing.. but the idea that it's the fans fault for being too numerous and caring too much doesn't pass the sniff test.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Yeah no. I hate the Leafs, but throwing beer and jerseys at the players is not deserved, it's clown behavior. It's literally assault. This is sports, grow the hell up if you're doing that stuff.

Getting $13M and putting up a performance like that deserves worse tbh

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Nothing like being a dawg star hockey player in a Canadian market. MM, AM, WN would be soft in any market. It’s not the market; it’s those guys dna.

If a player wants to be a superstar in a Canadian market then there's 6 other teams to do that in that won't throw beer at you if you fail to meet expectations.

My point isn't to lay blame entirely on the fanbase. Yeah Marner and Matthews would struggle to be the top player in any market (although they developed in the Toronto market, which obviously will impact the type of players they became. Maybe they were doomed from the start). My point is good players have multiple offers from good teams. Why would anyone choose Toronto knowing what happens if they fail? Why would they invite that on themselves when they can join a different team and build a legacy there instead?

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

If cold liquid is this scary to the Leafs players I understand why they try and get away from it so quickly every spring.



Then why did you write an entire paragraph assuming I was one?

I wasn't talking about you. I was talking in general. I know many Leaf fans who think those antics last night were justified.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

Gilmour and Clark was over 30 years ago, that city was only in a 26 year long cup drought at that point. Pressure builds, and it's now almost 60 years without even reaching the finals. Anyone who signs there is going to be looked at as an answer to a 60 year problem. And when the players don't meet those expectations they are met with a fanbase that thinks they're justified in throwing things at their players and booing them off the ice. Do you actually have a good answer as to why any good player that has multiple offers would ever choose Toronto after what they just witnessed? That's an all time low display from a hockey fanbase.

Again, they threw beer and relentlessly booed the hometown kid who they once paraded around as a hero and future savior.

Personally, I think you're being overly dramatic. I don't think the "no-Cup" pressure is any worse in 2025 than it was in the mid 90's. As far back as I can remember - there was always pressure to win in TOR which is why they acted so aggressively pre-salary cap. The pressure the team faces now is based on the best players failing to show up when needed at the biggest time. With that said - I'm not in TOR so that's just my impression from being on this site going back 25+ years.

The "Future Saviour" got booed because he had potentially the most eggregiously terrible play that I can remember in the play-off's since Roy's Statue of Liberty non-save like 30+ years ago. As a Hawks fan I remember a terrible play by Erat which led to the Hawks scoring a late goal and then winning a game in OT that Nashville deserved that might be worse based on the impact of the game, but that MM play was just BRUTAL. The fact that Mitch was seen as the future saviour was based on his amazing skills and then projecting hopeful future play-off performances based on those skills. He got booed because the team that he is a major part of a team just got absolutely sodomized on home ice. They got outshot attempted 25-0 to start a game 7, and where never in that game.

 

[TheDoldrums]

It's literally assault.

Throwing jerseys on the ice is not assault Karen. Nothing hit or was thrown at a player. You’re being ridiculous.

Toronto is not going to struggle to sign players. Their amenities outside the salary cap like travel, medical, facilities, etc. are the best in the league. There will always be some local players so see the allure of playing close to home. The potential for being part of the group that finally wins like the Red Sox or Cubs teams is a big draw.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Here we agree. Throwing stuff on the ice or at players is foolish. Not too sure that’s just a TO thing though?

Other than the odd jersey on the ice during a bad game (which has probably happened with every fanbase at this point), I can't recall any other fanbase who chucked beer at their own players. At other team's players? Sure, I'm guessing that's considered a past time in Boston and Philly. But at their own? Don't think I've ever seen that.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Getting $13M and putting up a performance like that deserves worse tbh

Clown opinion. You take sports way too seriously if you think players should have beer thrown at them.

 

[Fatass]

If a player wants to be a superstar in a Canadian market then there's 6 other teams to do that in that won't throw beer at you if you fail to meet expectations.

My point isn't to lay blame entirely on the fanbase. Yeah Marner and Matthews would struggle to be the top player in any market (although they developed in the Toronto market, which obviously will impact the type of players they became. Maybe they were doomed from the start). My point is good players have multiple offers from good teams. Why would anyone choose Toronto knowing what happens if they fail? Why would they invite that on themselves when they can join a different team and build a legacy there instead?

Don’t disagree. It could be worse though. A Saskatchewan Roughrider kicker missed a key field goal. The next day a farmer dumped a truckload of crap on his driveway. We take our sports too serious up here.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Throwing jerseys on the ice is not assault Karen. Nothing hit or was thrown at a player. You’re being ridiculous.

Toronto is not going to struggle to sign players. Their amenities outside the salary cap like travel, medical, facilities, etc. are the best in the league. There will always be some local players so see the allure of playing close to home. The potential for being part of the group that finally wins like the Red Sox or Cubs teams is a big draw.

Throwing beer at player is literally assault by legal definition. Go do it to a cop if you want to test it out.

Toronto will absolutely struggle to sign good players after their meltdown last night. Multiple Panthers players straight up called out the market and the media as a reason the team hasn't had success. You think they're the only players in the league to have that opinion?

No player gives a shit about having the "best facilities". It's 2025, every NHL team has A+ facilities and medical teams. And it's pretty clear this group isn't close at all to winning a cup, so the draw to break a curse really can't be that high.

I hope you realize Toronto was already a unique market lots of players don't want to play in. Last night is only going to make that phenomenon worse.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Clown opinion. You take sports way too seriously if you think players should have beer thrown at them.

Not players, just Matthews

 

[elmaco]

Throwing beer at player is literally assault by legal definition. Go do it to a cop if you want to test it out.

Toronto will absolutely struggle to sign good players after their meltdown last night. Multiple Panthers players straight up called out the market and the media as a reason the team hasn't had success. You think they're the only players in the league to have that opinion?

No player gives a shit about having the "best facilities". It's 2025, every NHL team has A+ facilities and medical teams. And it's pretty clear this group isn't close at all to winning a cup, so the draw to break a curse really can't be that high.

I hope you realize Toronto was already a unique market lots of players don't want to play in. Last night is only going to make that phenomenon worse.

Does the rain assault you when there's a downpour? Cringe and ridiculous take bro.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Does the rain assault you when there's a downpour? Cringe and ridiculous take bro.

The only thing ridiculous is thinking it's acceptable to throw trash at your own team's players because they didn't meet your expectations. That's why Toronto is the worst fanbase in the league and why more and more players are going to make sure they stay away from that toxic city.

Expect a lot of NTC to be updated this summer to include TO, if it wasn't on there already.

 

[BeranekAndNeck]

I wasn't talking about you. I was talking in general. I know many Leaf fans who think those antics last night were justified.

If the Leafs core cared about anything as much as you seem to care about a few beers and jerseys being thrown on the ice after they mailed it in for a tenth year running, the team might still be playing today. Alas, the best we’ve gotten are Toronto media mouth pieces railing against mean social media comments and the odd person asking Marner IRL when he was going to sign… six years ago.

This ain’t it, Chief.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Not players, just Matthews

Any fan throwing anything at any on-ice player/official/coach should be banned from all NHL arenas for life.

I know you're trying to make a hot take here, but it's a terrible one.