Lang on Leafs: Sympathizing with Leafs Nation
Posted February 28, 2012 3:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
While they will get no sympathy from anyone else, I really feel for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Think of the plight of what beleaguered fans of the Leafs have suffered through since the end of the lockout. Year after year, Leafs fans have been forced to watch as other teams make the playoffs and, in a few cases, their hated rivals advancing to the Stanley Cup final.
Here’s a look at what Leafs fans have had to put up with since the end of the lockout:
2005-06 season: The Leafs ended the season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 90 points, two points out of the playoffs. The Hurricanes went on to beat the Oilers in the Stanley Cup final.
2006-07 season: The Leafs once again found themselves in ninth place in the East after a 91-point season, a mere one point out of the playoffs. The Ducks would go on to beat the Senators in the Cup final. At this point, Sens fans and even some Ottawa-based reporters (@ian_mendes) love to point out that even though they lost, at least their team made it to a Cup final in the last four decades.
2007-08 season: The Leafs stumbled all the way down to 12th place in the East with an 83-point season, 11 points out of the playoffs. The only upside is that Leafs fans had time to book hotel rooms in Detroit as they watched the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup final.
2008-09 season: The Leafs found themselves in 12th place in the East again after an 81-point season, 12 points out of the playoffs. At least Leafs fans were able to sit down with their respective families and watch Sidney Crosby and the Penguins beat the Red Wings in the Cup final. So that wasn’t so bad, was it?
2009-10 season: The Leafs completely bottomed out after a dismal 74-point season. The Leafs ended up in 15th place in the Eastern Conference, a whopping 14 points out of the playoffs. Of course the Bruins were able to turn that awful season into Tyler Seguin as the Leafs had previously dealt the pick to Boston in the Phil Kessel trade. At least Leafs fans were able to watch Vince Vaughn celebrate alongside his beloved Chicago Blackhawks after they beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the Cup final. And who doesn’t love Vince Vaughn?
2010-11 season: Dazzled by the emergence of James Reimer, Leafs Nation arose from the ashes of the previous season. Thanks to a late-season run the Leafs ended the year in 10th place in the East with 85 points, only eight points out of the playoffs. To cap it off, Leafs fans were able to revel in the sight of Tyler Seguin lifting the Stanley Cup over his head when his Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks in a wild seven-game series. (The thought of Seguin winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate definition of Schadenfreude to Leafs fans).
As everyone knows by now, Leafs general manager Brian Burke did nothing of any significance at the NHL Trade Deadline and is going to stick with his current team, including his two shaky goaltenders, until the end of the season. With 20 games left in the regular season, the Leafs enter Tuesday night’s game against the Florida Panthers with 65 points, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
With no help on the way and two wildly-inconsistent goalies, Leafs fans had better start preparing for the fact that when the playoffs begin in April their team won’t be a part of it, again.
Of course if the Panthers get in this year, the Leafs will have the dubious distinction of having the longest current drought of missing the playoffs in the NHL.
Have no fear Maple Leafs fans, because Brian Burke has a plan.
