A former Leaf made a guest appearance on the Missin' Curfew podcast this week and discussed what it's like to be a fan in Toronto. Joffrey Lupul was a fan favourite during his time with the Leafs, but persistent health issues eventually resulted in a trip to the LTIR that he never came back from.
Lupul revealed to the Missin' Curfew crew and listeners what it was like to be a Leafs player after a bad home loss, at first admitting to scorning some fans who expressed their displeasure in a disrespectful way when encountering Leafs players out in public. He then apologized to those fans, revealing that he understands it much better now.
"I played in Toronto a long time and the best thing about playing there is the fans and the worst thing about playing there is the fans. You'd be out after a game [after] you got your ass kicked and someone's just like, 'f**k, you guys suck' or something, and most of the time you just shake it off, but the odd time, I'd be like 'f**k you', and after that I'm like, I never really understand why these fans feel the need to do that... until [Wednesday]."
This, of course, in reference to the Toronto Blue Jays' 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins this past Wednesday, preceded by their 3-1 loss to those same Twins on Tuesday.
"After that game, I total get it now. It would be my obligation as a Jays fan, if I saw the Manager, or [Vladdy] Guerrero somewhere, to be like, 'what the f**k were you thinking?', so, to any of those fans I told to shut up, I apologize. I totally understand it now. It took me 40 years, but [Wednesday] was like, 'I get it. I understand what these people are doing.'"
Lupul was a member of the Leafs' team in 2013 who suffered one of the worst collapses in franchise history, surrendering a 3rd period 4-1 lead over the Boston Bruins, losing Game 7 by a score of 5-4 in OT, so he has certainly taken his fair share of heat over the years. Now, he knows what it's like to be on the other side of that as a fan.
POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 7 | 142 ANSWERS Former Leaf admits to finally understand fan's frustration with the team Are you also a Blue Jays fan? | ||
Yes, and I'm not proud of it | 19 | 13.4 % |
Yes, for better or worse, I am | 94 | 66.2 % |
No, I cheer for a different baseball team | 10 | 7 % |
No, I don't watch baseball | 19 | 13.4 % |
List of polls |