Two popular sports media personalities publicly attack the Leafs ahead of Round 2
After making history in the 1st round of the playoffs, the Leafs are now preparing to do something they haven't done in nearly 20 years tonight - take to the ice to play some 2nd round playoff hockey.
Leafs Nation has been in a state of celebrating since Saturday night, with people partying in the streets of Toronto following the win. Fans have also been expressing their excitement for hockey beyond round 1 on social media. Surprisingly, there are some fans from other markets who have shown support to for the Leafs and congratulated Leaf fans on finally getting to play in the 2nd round. Unfortunately, there are a large number of Leaf detractors who have taken to social media to express their disappointment in the Leafs having beaten Tampa.
Former Toronto Marlie Tyson Nash and Bally Sports representative Pete Blackburn count themselves among those who dislike the Leafs and both have been very vocal about that since Saturday - Blackburn even more so since the his Boston Bruins were eliminated on Sunday. The two hockey personalities came together on Monday and bonded over their genuine hatred of the Leafs during a segment of "The Rally".
Another co-host, Russell Dorsey, even referred to the Leafs as "Hockey's Dallas Cowboys".
Look. I get it. There are some people who just inherently dislike a team for reasons beyond what they're capable of explaining. For some, like Blackburn, it's likely due to the fact that, as a Bruins fan, the Leafs are arguably his favourite team's biggest and most heated rival. Nobody's cheering for their own team's biggest rival. For others, they dislike the fact that the Leafs have the best media coverage in the sport by a pretty large margin. Toronto is often referred to as "The Hockey Mecca" and that rubs some people the wrong way, largely due to the fact that their ownership group includes a couple of media heavyweights in Bell and Rogers.
Beyond that, though, to act like the Leafs don't deserve to be exactly where they are right now is just petty and silly. This is a team that has suffered more than any other team in the NHL over the last 20 years - or the last 56 years, if we're going by Stanley Cup droughts. The truth is, it was long past due for the Leafs to go on a run. The team went through a PROPER rebuild and then still experienced hardships before finally breaking through the glass ceiling.
They're simultaneously one of the most popular teams in the league and one of the most hated teams in the league. It's wild if you really stop and think about it.
