Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase ranked first in unenviable category
Daily Faceoff wanted to know which NHL fanbase was the most tortured based on a variety of factors and it should come as no surprise where Toronto finished.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase has been mocked and teased endlessly for their Stanley Cup drought, the constant first round exits, and their failed core-4 that takes up an egregious amount of their salary cap with very little success to their name. Nevertheless, every season brings about new hope and the fans show up regardless of the outcome from the previous years.
The crew at Daily Faceoff that consisted of author Scott Maxwell, managing editor Matt Larkin, and news writers in Colton Davis, Hunter Crowther, Shane Seney, and Tyler Kruehl decided to rank all 32 clubs based on how tough the landscape is to be a fan of their respective teams.
Unsurprisingly the Maple Leafs came in first with a unanimous vote:
"Matt: Unanimous. Of course it was. Where to begin? Think of the longest-suffering franchises, the starving Sabres and Canucks, never having tasted the Stanley Cup. Then let it sink in that the Toronto Maple Leafs' Cup drought is longer than a pair of 53-year-old Cupless franchises. How utterly embarrassing is that? The last time Toronto won a championship � or even played in the Final � the NHL had six teams, and THE MOON LANDING hadn't happened yet. The rich tapestry of highs and lows that have happened since � the Doug Gilmour overtime goal, the Wayne Gretzky high stick, «It was 4-1» � all happened in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Players who never even saw a Cup Final with the Leafs are hailed as heroes and receive standing ovations at Scotiabank Arena. No other fan base has such Stockholm Syndrome with its own failures that it congratulates itself for tiny feats, such as winning a single playoff series after going 19 years without doing so. No other fan base expects disaster to happen and almost feels comfortable with it. That's what happens when you blow third-period, Game 7 leads in 2013, 2018 and 2024, or lose in overtime twice in a row to blow a 3-1 series lead in 2021. Other fan bases point and laugh at the Leafs and revel in their failure. If, for instance, the Blue Jackets are the wallflower kid on the schoolyard, feeling the pain of being totally ignored and forgotten, the Leafs are the chastised kid, hounded by bullies every day, crying themselves to sleep. To cheer for Toronto is to embrace masochism. Don't believe me? Just follow the cycle of a fan in April, vowing never to support the team again after the latest crushing loss. By next March, that fan will be all in, ready to feel the pain all over again."
The Maple Leafs are a team that controls most of the Canadian media and has the rest of the fanbases seething and annoyed against them on a nearly endless loop for one reason or another. Then you have the obvious staring you dead in the face with a 57-year-drought without the Stanley Cup, which is obviously tops in the NHL, the 7 first round exits in the last 8 seasons, core players that should be elevating their games in the playoffs turtling under the limelight, and then having to watch your divisional rivals in Tampa Bay and Florida lift the Cup 3 times over the last 5 years is tough to watch.
Every year brings about the same level of expectations, excitement, nervousness, and anxiety. "Why can't this be our year?" is a common phrase uttered by the fan base but it's a good question to ask when you consider some of the players donning the Blue and White. The regular season is generally a comfortable ride but once the post-season starts, the ghosts of yesteryears past rear their ugly head and Murphy's Law comes into the equation; "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."
Perhaps 2024-25 is going to be different. Brad Treliving and company addressed their backend and goaltending, were able to extend Max Domi, and they are hoping for big seasons from some of their younger players in Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann. The core remained intact, which could be delirious but at the same time it could render great results - or is that Albert Einstein's definition of insanity coming to the forefront? Nevertheless, it's going to be another season with ups and downs, the Toronto media doing it's thing, and Auston Matthews scoring goals aplenty. What can go wrong?
To round out the top-5, the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks were tied for 2nd, the Philadelphia Flyers finished 4th, and the Ottawa Senators were placed 5th.
Source for the Daily Faceoff article:
The Tortured Fanbase Department: Ranking the suffering of all 32 NHL fanbases
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 21 | 454 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase ranked first in unenviable category Are Leafs fans the most tortured fanbase in the NHL? | ||
| Yes, Leafs fans will always be the most tortured | 411 | 90.5 % |
| No, I don't think so | 43 | 9.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
