6 reasons why it's good to be a Leafs fan.

Reporters everywhere are constantly belittling the Leafs. They are always panicking and putting a damper on every Leaf season. This is no way to support Leafs nation.

Just look at some recent headlines:

“Dissecting a Leafs season gone wrong” (Toronto Sun – Jan. 25, 2010)

“Leafs fail to finish deal ... again” (Toronto Sun – Jan. 24, 2010)

“Maple Leafs show ‘effort’ but no fire: Wilson claims Leafs are trying hard, but that means they simply aren't good enough to compete” (Toronto Star – Jan. 24, 2010)

“Battle of the bottom dwellers lives up to its billing” (Globe and Mail – Jan. 21, 2010)



Yet, I feel it is necessary to present another side to the debate. Let’s look at the bright side for a change. Let’s embrace losing … the odd win will be that much sweeter.

Here are 6 reasons why being a Leafs fan is in fact, a good thing.

1. Leafs don’t sign big name players. I know what you’re thinking, “how is having a team of crappy players a good thing?” But listen to this, if the Leafs signed big name players then these players would come to Toronto and ruin their careers – we would have no reason to like these players anymore. So by not signing the best players in the league, we can still appreciate the talents of Ovechkin, Crosby, Iginla, Nash, etc. as they play for other and better teams. Hockey heroes can remain heroes and do not have to give up their incredible careers. The result? We still get to see some amazing goals and hits from these players on TSN as they play elsewhere because if they came to the Leafs, their excellence would vanish.

2. Leafs haven’t won a cup in a super long time. How is this a good thing you ask? Well, simply put, we don’t know or remember what it’s like to win a cup. And if you’ve never felt the joy of winning a cup then you don’t really know what it’s like and thus, aren’t missing it. You see if you haven’t experienced something great then you don’t get to miss it when it’s gone. For example, chocolate is delicious, but if you’ve never tasted it, then you don’t know what you’re missing. Chocolate then stands for nothing; a foreign food that to you, is tasteless. The same goes for winning a cup, if you’ve never experienced winning one then you don’t know what you’re missing.

3. Leafs will never win a cup. “But how can you claim that not winning a cup is something to desire?!” This one is easy; Leafs fans don’t get their hopes up. If we actually thought they could win a cup, not winning the cup would make us feel horrible. So if you aim low, and I mean really low, then you can’t be disappointed. Leafs fans don’t even think about winning a cup because it won’t happen and therefore, can’t be disappointed when we lose in the playoffs. Hell, we won’t even get to the playoffs. No expectations = no heartbreak = enjoyment in just watching teams beat up on the Leafs night in and night out because a Leafs loss is something we can always guarantee.

4. Pro-line wins. Another easy argument. Bet that the Leafs lose and you will always win pro-line. It’s simple math that never fails.

5. Leafs don’t win games very often. Yes, it’s true, Leafs lose way more than they win but every so often they DO win. And when they do somehow pull out a victory, Leafs fans are the happiest fans on the planet. You know that expression, “it’s the small victories that count?” Well, this saying holds true with the Leafs because if you’re a Leafs fan, every win is like winning the cup. Therefore, if the Leafs win 20 out of 72 games in a season, then Leafs fans will essentially win 20 cups that year. So when other fans laugh at Leafs fans because we never win the cup, we can laugh back at them because to us, every win is a cup win.

6. Every other NHL team is better. Fans across the league who cheer for good teams only get excited when their teams win cups and if you look at the numbers, chances are they won’t win very often (even if they cheer for the Red Wings). So the fans of good teams are constantly being disappointed because their teams don’t win the cup every year. Whereas, since Leafs fans are ecstatic with just winning games, we actually get excited many more times in a year than those other fans of cup-contending teams. Red Wing fans are happy only once in every 5 years but Leafs fans get excited 20 times every year. So in a 5 year span, we actually feel good about our team 100 times and not just once.

In the end it’s simple, being a Leafs fan is a good thing. We cheer for a goal, a rare win, and the slightest glimpse of a winning streak. Our expectations are so low that we can’t get disappointed, which is more than we can say about other fans of good teams who actually think their teams can win it all, all the time.



All I can say is: Shame on you short-sighted reporters and thank you Leafs for sucking - you make every victory a Stanley cup win.

*I promoted this blog post on twitter, FaceBook, and ning in order to examine how quickly people would read it/respond to it. On the Toronto Maple Leafs fan page, on Facebook, this blog post received attention within 2 minutes of being promoted.

Here's the thread on Facebook -> blog attention.

Thanks for being my test subjects.

UPDATE!!! Check out one of my newer posts that gives a few more reasons why it's good to be a leafs fan...just click here!