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Thoughts: The Toronto Maple Leafs
I think I know why I find the Leafs so frustrating now.
When I first got into hockey, the Leafs weren't very good, and I actually didn't pay that much attention to them. So the Leafs being good didn't get me into hockey. But the Leafs not being good is making it very hard for me to stay in hockey fandom.
I think the biggest reason why I find the Leafs frustrating is because they are far too high profile for a mediocre team.
Ever since Mitch, Willy, and Auston joined the full time roster, we've been seeing a lot of ads for everything under the sun. Even guys like Frederik Gauthier, a 3rd/4th liner are getting ads on TV. I see these ads because I actually live in the city that the Leafs play in. I doubt I'd be seeing these ads if I lived in another region. So even when I'm not thinking of the Leafs, I am reminded of them. This wouldn't be such a big issue if the Leafs weren't so mediocre. I see Raptors commercials on TV sometimes (though they are far less frequent than Leafs ads). Why don't I get annoyed when I see them? BECAUSE THE RAPTORS ARE GOOD.
There is a new manager in my office who is a big Leafs fan. He's the kind of guy who lives and breathes hockey. He grew up playing hockey and still plays in a beer league, and his kid(s) played hockey to a high level, and from what he's told me, at least one of them still plays on his university team. So he loves the Leafs. But there's only so much you can say about the Leafs to explain their mediocrity.
Currently my only connection with hockey is perhaps the Steve Dangle Podcast. I find it immensely entertaining because of the chemistry between the hosts, and it is my most regular dose of hockey. So I am a hypocrite by actively seeking out Leafs content. But I also appreciate that the hosts will call out the Leafs when they are doing poorly. And it hurts a little less when they throw humour into the mix.
Much of Leafs media coverage focuses on the Big 3 (Willy, Mitch, Auston) and occasionally Freddie and Mo. Tavares doesn't get that much coverage because he's pretty good at doing his job and staying low-key. Anyway, back to the point I was trying to make. It's a bit hard to take these three seriously right now as the leaders of the team. They were always touted as the three-headed monster, the future of the team, but I don't feel inspired by them. Maybe it's because they're young, or maybe because they're trying to be as plain white bread as possible in their post game interviews, which is fair, but gets frustrating for fans who want answers for why the team can collapse so easily and dramatically on a regular basis.
Those dramatic games where they win big don't even affect me anymore. I don't feel anything. I just feel skeptical. Because they're just going to sneak into the playoffs and then lose in the first round to Boston again. I know I sound like a hater, but the fact is that they still haven't found a way to address this. They still haven't learned from their mistakes. The regular season is gruelling enough with the ups and downs, and their playoff exits are always so disappointing.
Side note, ever since this summer's incident with Auston's disorderly conduct charge, I can't see myself taking him seriously for a long time. Remember those pictures of Auston with the new jersey and you could see the outline of a "C" underneath? I legitimately thought it was a given that he was being named as the captain. I am so glad that it didn't happen. I am so glad someone boring but responsible and low-key and competent like JT got the captaincy instead. I am so tired of the Leafs being all pizzazz and no results.
I wanted to bring up two things that I heard on the Steve Dangle Pocast recently.
Steve Dangle hypothesized that the Leafs didn't like each other, and that was a reason for their mediocrity on the ice. I can believe that. A couple of years ago, I felt like the Leafs were just a handful of Marlies kids having fun. But now I don't feel that anymore. It might be just that the players are trying to put their personal lives back under wraps. Granted, I don't watch the games as closely as I used to, but I also don't really see any sparks when I see the team play. I just don't feel inspiration.
The SDP also mentioned that the Leafs wouldn't be how they are right now if Lou Lamoriello was still part of the organization. As we know, the Leafs were trying something new by being hip and cool, with the Shanaplan and a young GM who was into analytics. Despite Dubas trying his best to change around parts, nothing really seems to be making a big effort. Dubas got rid of Babcock, and then all that stuff about Babcock being a very terrifying coach came up. Is the team still recovering from Babcock? I can't tell.
I tried to compare my relation with the Leafs to the relation with the other teams I'm a fan of.
I would consider the Vancouver Canucks my second team. I used to watch quite a few of their games because their games would be on TV here in the evenings (with the time difference). Maybe it's because I'm not as invested in the Canucks' performance, and I just care about them trying. I look at the Canucks and I feel relaxed, you know? I also feel like they enjoy hanging out with each other. And I also don't see any of their ads because I don't live in Vancouver.
I'm not going to get too in depth into Liverpool. They're doing amazing so there really is nothing to be mad about. Valencia, my other soccer team, haven't been doing that well over the past couple of games, but I'm not mad at them. I really think it's because I have no contact with soccer other than the games themselves.
So examining my relationship with my other teams helped me come to the realization that the Leafs are tiring because I see them everywhere. This wasn't be a big issue if it weren't for the fact that THEY AREN'T GOOD. The Leafs have no business having this much visibility for a team that can't even win a playoff round.
And I don't know if it's just me watching the games with a biased eye, but why does it feel like the Leafs aren't trying? Sometimes they just feel so tired and lethargic and I don't feel energetic or inspired at all watching them. And it's really hard to take them seriously when the face of the team are three kids between the ages of 22-23 who don't have the life experience to inspire.
I know that because I'm starting to pay less attention to hockey, that my hockey takes are no longer as nuanced as they used to be. But man, give me a reason to care about this team please. I just want to care about the Leafs, but it's getting hard to be anything more than a casual fan now.
When I first got into hockey, the Leafs weren't very good, and I actually didn't pay that much attention to them. So the Leafs being good didn't get me into hockey. But the Leafs not being good is making it very hard for me to stay in hockey fandom.
I think the biggest reason why I find the Leafs frustrating is because they are far too high profile for a mediocre team.
Ever since Mitch, Willy, and Auston joined the full time roster, we've been seeing a lot of ads for everything under the sun. Even guys like Frederik Gauthier, a 3rd/4th liner are getting ads on TV. I see these ads because I actually live in the city that the Leafs play in. I doubt I'd be seeing these ads if I lived in another region. So even when I'm not thinking of the Leafs, I am reminded of them. This wouldn't be such a big issue if the Leafs weren't so mediocre. I see Raptors commercials on TV sometimes (though they are far less frequent than Leafs ads). Why don't I get annoyed when I see them? BECAUSE THE RAPTORS ARE GOOD.
There is a new manager in my office who is a big Leafs fan. He's the kind of guy who lives and breathes hockey. He grew up playing hockey and still plays in a beer league, and his kid(s) played hockey to a high level, and from what he's told me, at least one of them still plays on his university team. So he loves the Leafs. But there's only so much you can say about the Leafs to explain their mediocrity.
Currently my only connection with hockey is perhaps the Steve Dangle Podcast. I find it immensely entertaining because of the chemistry between the hosts, and it is my most regular dose of hockey. So I am a hypocrite by actively seeking out Leafs content. But I also appreciate that the hosts will call out the Leafs when they are doing poorly. And it hurts a little less when they throw humour into the mix.
Much of Leafs media coverage focuses on the Big 3 (Willy, Mitch, Auston) and occasionally Freddie and Mo. Tavares doesn't get that much coverage because he's pretty good at doing his job and staying low-key. Anyway, back to the point I was trying to make. It's a bit hard to take these three seriously right now as the leaders of the team. They were always touted as the three-headed monster, the future of the team, but I don't feel inspired by them. Maybe it's because they're young, or maybe because they're trying to be as plain white bread as possible in their post game interviews, which is fair, but gets frustrating for fans who want answers for why the team can collapse so easily and dramatically on a regular basis.
Those dramatic games where they win big don't even affect me anymore. I don't feel anything. I just feel skeptical. Because they're just going to sneak into the playoffs and then lose in the first round to Boston again. I know I sound like a hater, but the fact is that they still haven't found a way to address this. They still haven't learned from their mistakes. The regular season is gruelling enough with the ups and downs, and their playoff exits are always so disappointing.
Side note, ever since this summer's incident with Auston's disorderly conduct charge, I can't see myself taking him seriously for a long time. Remember those pictures of Auston with the new jersey and you could see the outline of a "C" underneath? I legitimately thought it was a given that he was being named as the captain. I am so glad that it didn't happen. I am so glad someone boring but responsible and low-key and competent like JT got the captaincy instead. I am so tired of the Leafs being all pizzazz and no results.
I wanted to bring up two things that I heard on the Steve Dangle Pocast recently.
Steve Dangle hypothesized that the Leafs didn't like each other, and that was a reason for their mediocrity on the ice. I can believe that. A couple of years ago, I felt like the Leafs were just a handful of Marlies kids having fun. But now I don't feel that anymore. It might be just that the players are trying to put their personal lives back under wraps. Granted, I don't watch the games as closely as I used to, but I also don't really see any sparks when I see the team play. I just don't feel inspiration.
The SDP also mentioned that the Leafs wouldn't be how they are right now if Lou Lamoriello was still part of the organization. As we know, the Leafs were trying something new by being hip and cool, with the Shanaplan and a young GM who was into analytics. Despite Dubas trying his best to change around parts, nothing really seems to be making a big effort. Dubas got rid of Babcock, and then all that stuff about Babcock being a very terrifying coach came up. Is the team still recovering from Babcock? I can't tell.
I tried to compare my relation with the Leafs to the relation with the other teams I'm a fan of.
I would consider the Vancouver Canucks my second team. I used to watch quite a few of their games because their games would be on TV here in the evenings (with the time difference). Maybe it's because I'm not as invested in the Canucks' performance, and I just care about them trying. I look at the Canucks and I feel relaxed, you know? I also feel like they enjoy hanging out with each other. And I also don't see any of their ads because I don't live in Vancouver.
I'm not going to get too in depth into Liverpool. They're doing amazing so there really is nothing to be mad about. Valencia, my other soccer team, haven't been doing that well over the past couple of games, but I'm not mad at them. I really think it's because I have no contact with soccer other than the games themselves.
So examining my relationship with my other teams helped me come to the realization that the Leafs are tiring because I see them everywhere. This wasn't be a big issue if it weren't for the fact that THEY AREN'T GOOD. The Leafs have no business having this much visibility for a team that can't even win a playoff round.
And I don't know if it's just me watching the games with a biased eye, but why does it feel like the Leafs aren't trying? Sometimes they just feel so tired and lethargic and I don't feel energetic or inspired at all watching them. And it's really hard to take them seriously when the face of the team are three kids between the ages of 22-23 who don't have the life experience to inspire.
I know that because I'm starting to pay less attention to hockey, that my hockey takes are no longer as nuanced as they used to be. But man, give me a reason to care about this team please. I just want to care about the Leafs, but it's getting hard to be anything more than a casual fan now.