Not because of the team, obviously we're doing something right if we've made the playoffs.
But for those of you running around on social media or otherwise claiming that "THIS IS OUR YEAR! WE'RE GOING TO WIN THE CUP!" Please stop. Because no, we aren't.
You cannot go from being the laughing stock of the NHL one season to the best in the league the next season. It is not possible. Leafs fans have a reputation of having too much faith in our boys in blue and I lose respect for Leafs fans who think like that.
I'm not being a pessimist, I'm being realistic. Most Leafs fans are far too optimistic.
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” - William Arthur Ward
We're facing the Bruins. I do not under any circumstances expect the Leafs to beat the Bruins. It would be nice if we did, and I would be so excited to make the second round, but I don't want to watch the Leafs getting pummelled every game. It's embarrassing and we're better than that.
Changes and improvements need to be made before the Leafs should even think about the Stanley Cup (i.e. who is leading in ice time...) but making the playoffs is definitely commendable and we should be proud of our team and the progress they have made.
Every hockey fan has certain problems with other hockey fans too though. I have serious issues with two types of fans, one of which, I'm sure everyone will agree with; (1) bandwagoners and what I like to call (2) the archival fan.
Obviously almost every other hockey fan has a grudge against most Blackhawk fans simply because they're Blackhawks fans and obviously take loads of risks in the casinos as well...
I have more respect for people who are fans of teams like the Avs or the Panthers because they are loyal to their teams and understand the league. Watching your team grow and improve is part of the fun of hockey (trust me, I know, I'm a Leafs fan) and the competitive thrill associated with the sport diminishes as soon as your team runs defeated for the majority of the season.
The second kind of fan that really irritates me is the "archival fan" who values the history of hockey over the current events; sometimes they are stuck in the past too.
"Yeah, the Leafs made the playoffs, but they haven't for the past nine years."Okay, yeah thanks for the history lesson, but it's 2013 and we're in the playoffs just like your team, so obviously we're exhibiting some sort of high calibre hockey. I can go on about how many Stanley Cups we've won in the past (unless you're a Habs fan, which is another matter) in comparison to your "superior" team. But I usually get a response that sounds like "Yeah well that's years ago."
So does that make nine years ago pretty recent? If you want to start waving facts about hockey history and statistics in my face as a way of belittling my team, go for it. We can do it all day. But if that's the only chirp you have against my team, it's unoriginal and I've heard it before.
I'm not trying to say my team is better than yours, and I think it's pretty rude to try to take away my right to be excited about my team's accomplishment. I do not understand why you need to be bitter about the Leafs' improvement if you don't feel threatened by them and they're such a piece of crap team who "hasn't made the playoffs in nine years."
Unless I'm bluntly putting down your team, I don't see why you should attack mine especially when they're participating in the playoffs.
I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm sick of being stereotyped as an overconfident Leafs fan and being attacked for it.
Just enjoy the damn hockey guys. It's literally a game.
Hopefully tomorrow Reimer doesn't get shot at again like it's hunting season...
Also, I thoroughly enjoy this completely related Tumblr
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