Same here. I was here for the Bruins choking memes.
Now hopefully we clear house, get a proper goalie, a proper first pair, and keep players that do something, like Domi
Probably is we can't afford the Domi's of the world unless they want to play at a discount.
I just don't see them moving on from the core... corporate interests win out.
I mean shit, it wouldn't shock me if Shanahan fired Treliving for no apparent reason.
Same. I was pumped when Willy scored but once Boston tied it up on a soft goal 60s later my emotions left my body.
When pasta scored to OT winner I said "welp " and calmly went to bed... there is always next year I suppose.
There is always next year. We have that going for us. It's always next year. And that's probably what we'll be saying again next year. You see how it goes?
Get it checked. I’ve dealt with severe health issues mental and physical but figuring out solutions will save you and you’ll wake up happy. Might take time but they day will come. DM me if you need anything
I’ve heard of people getting their tonsils removed because it can cause what you’re describing. I’d get it checked out because it can be a fairly simple fix potentially
Thanks. I’ve read that too, but am not sure if it will really help.
Inspire surgery is unfortunately not approved here.
I talked to my doctor, did three sleep tests, talked to two sleep doctors, and have a CPAP. But it made me feel more tired.
I'm 40. Watched sporadically as a kid and then religiously since the Kessel / Phaneuf era.
When Nylander scored I really believed it was over and that they finally did it this time. They were playing well, they couldnt possibly throw it away. The thing is, I dont think they did. It was a good game, they played well and then lost to Samsonov being too passive on the bounce off the boards. Even though I truly believed they were going to win that game, when Pastrnak scored I just sort of stared at the screen for another minute or two then shut it off.
They can fire and trade all the players and staff they want, this franchise is cursed and it won't make any difference.
I've definitely been more upset than this before, and this seems to be the tipping point that leads me to just accepting that the Leafs are what they are.
Speaking of immobility.
I have a good friend who's in a wheelchair. I'm in a wheelchair, too. Sharing a disability is how we became friends.
He comes to my place sometimes to watch the Leafs and was here tonight.
He rolls in the front door.
"I forgot my shoes at home," he says. He's only wearing socks.
The Leafs lose and we're sitting in silence watching the handshakes when he says:
"Not only did the Leafs lose, but now it's fucking freezing outside and I don't have shoes!"
We bust out laughing.
A few minutes after the taxi picks him up, he texts me:
"My feet are fucking freezing."
You know how up until recently, every living person, their parents, and grandparents remember Queen Elizabeth as having been Queen forever?
It'd be like that with Leaf and disappointing playoffs.
That’s my fear I grew up when they dominated In the 60s I got to see them hoist a cup. My fear is that the younger generation won’t. I worry about a fan base that loses year after year. I’m desensitized completely but In my head I think about me being the only one in my family to see the leafs win a cup
My Dads stage 4 and was really hoping (perhaps unfairly) for them to pull through this year for him. Might be the last game we got to talk about it. Although I still have hope.
I’m also stage 4, though I hope to have many years left. Part of me wants to wallow in pity that I deserve it before I go but that’s just not how sports work haha. I would like to see a team that I can at least get excited about though
I hope that you can see your team win once! Here’s to many years for you bud 🥂! It’s unfortunate we can’t play for them.. cause our team would be full of heart. I would love to plan a game with my Dad in person next year if he can get out of the house.
When you hear stuff like this, it makes you especially angry at players not giving their all or not caring. They’ll still get paid all their money and go on their extravagant vacations, but they’re robbing people of the chance of last-in-a-lifetime experiences with their loved ones. Unfairly.
Although I get what you mean and really appreciate the sentiment, I’m sure there are so many people with Stage 4 that it kind of becomes mute at some point. They have to live their lives too ya know? That’s some extra pressure. I’m sure these players see it with sick kids hospital and that must kill them. Edmonton wanted to do it for Ben and couldn’t. (Rip my little hero.) I damn hope they get one for him at some point.
montreal truly broke me. that was the last time i truly raged about a playoff L. i was so pissed after that game 7, it was just beyond
tonight i’m actually okay. mostly just feeling down/pessimistic. so i think i’m evolving. i hope soon i reach pure numbness and unflappability
I was dating a girl from mtl at the time and she broke up with me during game 5 while the leafs were winning the game when the series was 3-1, I am not exaggerating. I knew right then and there we would lose the series and I havent felt anything for hockey since
The fact they ran the core back after that abortion of a series was fucking baffling to me. The fact that it's still together after all these failed years is unbelievable. We'll see if anything changes this summer or if the brass thinks 9th times the charm.
It's Toronto the Good culture. Everyone is timid to take a risk and hurt people's feelings. The result is mediocrity.
Most management/ownership that's there to win would have made massive changes after Columbus and if not Columbus then after Montreal.
Except for Dubas (who pushed himself out)..... Shanahan and ownership have done shit.
Same buddy. I’ve never been more pissed off as a hockey fan, after that series. Since then, it’s been hard to care about this core. I won’t watch a single regular season game if the same core and Keefe is back.
Poor guy. I remember being in his shoes, now I just feel mad at myself for ever thinking it’ll be different. I miss the Sundin years, the Kessel years were fun even if they were bad
I was there at 8 too, and I still and shout and yell and after an elimination like 2013, 2017, 2019, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024 ---cry.
I wish the youngins didn't have to go through this. I was looking forward to seeing some crying kids in Bruins jerseys. It's about time they shared our sorrow.
66 here, yep, went to Costco today, meetings tomorrow, my Leaf ball cap is retired, Titleist taking its place. No pun intended.
Desensitized is about right
I'm early 40s and already the same way. Completely fucking jaded. Didn't expect the Leafs to win at any point. Wanted it the whole way but 🤷♂️.
In 2013, my brain was devastated. Tonight I shrugged, turned off the TV, and didn't miss a beat.
After decades you just get numb to it. I've simply stopped caring about teams and just watch hockey. Maybe I'll cheer for players individually but that's as far as I go now with every sport. A Toronto team does well, great but I stopped spending money and caring about Toronto sports like I used to.
My grandpa was a die hard Leafs fan too. He died in 2012 and we've carried on the tradition rooting on his beloved team. He never got to see them win another cup. At the rate the Leafs are going I'll never get to see them win the Stanley Cup.....like ever.
I'm 40 and I feel the same way. I don't get excited about the Leafs anymore since Boston 2013, I've learned that sports in general is as just not worth getting into a lather over. At the end of the game they go home to their millionaire lifestyles and I gotta still be a middle class guy trying to get by, I get stressed about things in my life, not about a bunch of millionaires having the time if their lives win or lose.
Me too. 11 years ago to THE DAY I walked home in the rain after the 4-1 loss. I sat here the last 3 games completely numb. I am devoid of emotion for this team. I cant cheer for them. I cant believe in them. I want nothing to do with them. Unfortunately there is no other team I would eve cheer for. I'm not disappointed, I'm fucking worn out, beat down and completely cooked.
I hate how I knew it was coming as soon as Nylander scored too. I had a brief moment of hope but quickly remembered the Leafs usually give up a quick goal after scoring a big one all season long and Boston will have all the momentum and that's exactly what happened.. At least I can watch the east of the playoffs stress free wheb I do have them on.
I'm 34 (Been a fan since 2002)
I've been desensitized since the back to back Boston series losses in 18-19. Then the losses to Columbus and Montreal did it for me where I stopped watching full games.
I've been mainly scoreboard watching, catching highlights and maybe a period or two of a game for the last 3 years
Exactly the same for me. This year I watched the last 2 regular season games to see if Matthews could hit 70. Didn’t watch game 1, 2, 3 and 4. Decided to watch 5-6-7 and well. Yeah. Next year, not watching unless we pass round 3. No more leaf games until game 1 of the finals and that will only happen in my dreams.
Yep same, use to love watching every game and following, I just can’t bring myself to care anymore until they do something in the playoffs. At this point it I’ve accepted it may just never happen
I’m desensitized too. I’m disappointed but not filled with the anger I was. Ever since the Montreal series, I don’t really care about this Maple Leaf’s core.
I’m 29 and after Willy scored I told my girlfriend they’d cough it back up within a couple minutes and they’d go to overtime
Shocker Boston scored within 2 minutes and we went to OT. I even left her place during the intermission to drive to my dad’s place so I could watch them lose with him
I mean I had hope they’d pull through — I watched every game this season and even bought a Woll jersey today (RIP) — but I saw it coming from so far away I was deciding whether I could get to my dad’s within the 15 minute intermission
I’ll always root for them but I’ve been past the soul-crushing phase for a good while now. Over a decade of browsing r/hockey with a Leafs flair probably helped speed things up, we must be the only team in professional sports with a 50+ year drought that everyone seems to universally hate haha
My dad left his home country with nothing but the shirt on his back in the 80s, started a family, bought a house, put us kids through post secondary, nearly lost his job several times, had to deal with diabetes for the last decade, now he's too old to work at the age of 65 and ready to retire.
And still, the hardest thing and his biggest regret was to become a Leafs fan. He used to be full of passion watching the games, yelling, cheering, screaming, swearing. Today he just turned off the tv and went to bed without saying a word.
35 for me, I gave up getting stressed out watching them after Montreal. Always be a doomer, never expect anything and it’s never led me down the wrong path.
I am 20 years younger...and I am approaching your dad's state of mind for the first time this year.
I don't think it's apathy. I think once you get wounded so deeply by something in the past, it becomes almost impossible to be hurt by the same thing again.
Nothing was gonna surprise me tonight...I'm disappointed but already in the bounceback phase (that usually takes a minimum of 1-2 months).
The team wasn't good enough. They found a way to play solid defense the last 3 games...but they don't have a complete team...not even close.
I'm well into my 50s now, been a solid fan since 1982. Been feeling desensitized for a few years now.
I cheered in this game when Willy scored, but the two Boston goals didn't garner much of a reaction.
Similar to your dad, I just shrugged when they lost and said, "Well, that's that for another year."
this year I'm the same as your Dad except I bailed after Game 4. I only watched the 3rd periods of the games thereafter.
Allowing a tying goal 75 seconds after taking the lead is so Leafy. It's Groundhog Day for 50 plus years.
He is right. He knows the Leafs just cannot win and they have been proving this since 1967. I am not sure what the winning formula is for them, but they don’t have it.
I became a Leafs fan in 2007 but started to become desensitized after the 2013 loss; Reimer on the ground after Bergeron scored is burned in my memory and I was speechless. Then we lose to the Bruins in 2018 and 2019. I wasn't surprised we lost to Montreal in 2021 unlike some people; they even went to the finals.
However when we beat Tampa last year I was estatic. In hindsight I shouldn't have but I really want to see the Leafs win in my lifetime.
Im 39 and completely desensitized. I expect the loss. I have 0 confidence in this team. They are a pathetic franchise that cares more about making money than winning.
They dont care. The arena is always full, why would they care? The fans keep coming back year after year of mediocrity.
Last night when Pasta scored, i calmy got up and walked to bed. Watched youtube for a bit and slept. No reaction. Not worth it.
If they really do run it back with Marner and co, they should make each and every one of the core 4 + Rielly read this thread. Maybe it'll get it through their thick skulls a little bit about what their apathy on the ice is doing to the people that not only pay for their salaries, but put their own time and energy in to cheer for **THEM.**
Fuck it, maybe even read it to them at their exit interviews anyways. Show them how they fucked up playing for the greatest fanbase in the world.
I was playing dnd with the game on my phone in the background lmao. I've come a long way since being in shock and tears from 2013, numbness and disbelief in 2021 and all the madness between and afterwards. Your father is actually exhibiting a healthy relationship with hockey. No sense getting upset over the fact that a random assortment of men in different coloured costumes always seem to come out on top. It's just silly entertainment.
I am a Flyers fan living in Philly and I was pretending to clean my bar last night before erupting in an unacceptably loud “YEAH WILLY!” When he scored. I smiled and apologized to everyone at the bar and gleefully went back to pretending to clean so I could watch your boys finally beat the Bruins. (I hate Boston more than I like the Leafs but I really love you guys and you deserve a winner)
No reaction when they tied it or scored in overtime. Sammy was screened but his positioning on that shot was disgraceful. It’s like he made his body a mold of all the places that the puck would’ve gone if it hadn’t been blocked (as it wasn’t) by Rielly.
I don’t even know what I’m saying here now. I sympathize. I’m not “coming in peace” I’m distressed over it myself. Hopefully this leads to meaningful changes made. You deserve a winner. The fans do. Not MLSE. My team is also owned by a piece of shit corporation.
I had just turned 8 years old, and can still remember watching the leafs win the Stanley Cup on our black and white round Admirable television in 1967. It was huge, as an 8 year old I knew something big had happened, Toronto won the Stanley Cup. The biggest event to happen in Toronto. My dad remembers the parade at the the new city hall, with the Leafs and players parading the cup in the square. I read these posts and yes for sure I am desensitized to the Leafs loosing as this is the norm and has been since then. No matter how much money they pay, how many great players they get, it won’t happened. It won’t happened unless you assemble a group of players which play amazingly as team because they hunger and thirst to win the Stantely Cup at any cost. That’s what the team in 1967 was about the drive to win. But believe me, the biggest disappointment for me, is that my sons now 29 years the other 27, have not seen the jubilation of the Toronto Maple Leafs win a cup, not even just once. Good luck next year, hopefully the Leafs can get past the first round.
I first experienced watching playoff hockey with Canucks again Bruins in 2010, that’s my first time watching hockey.
I been desensitized since the loss to Habs during covid being up 3-1 and loss to Zamboni driver. No coming back from that unless we actually win the cup.
Watching the Leafs over the years has really helped me grow as an adult and realize that it's just entertainment. On my drive home today I just stopped thinking about Leafs and instead started planning chores for Sunday.
At this point, I wear my loser badge proudly.
No matter how much they suck… No matter how many times they fall apart and choke in the playoffs…
They are only hockey team that matters and the only one that I’ll ever care about.
I thought this year would be different. I was cheering the Leafs on extra hard this year. Heartbroken again but tell him to keep his head held high and there’s always next season. #LeafsForever #GoLeafsGo
I'm the same. 49 years old and been following the Leafs since I can remember. Probably around 5 years old. My pops would sit me down at the foot of his lazyboy and we'd watch the game.
Up until 5 or 6 years ago I would get extremely nervous during the playoffs. My heart would race, I would be yelling and screaming.
I decided to just stop getting so worked up. I've seen it all with these guys over the years and nothing I can do will change the way they play or the results of the game.
Since then I'm just very casual in attitude. Not to be confused as a casual fan. I still haven't missed watching a game in over 20 years.
Tonight right after Boston scored I switched back to my media server calmly, went to tv shows and hit shuffle.
I put the remote down and all I said was one single "fuck" with barely any emotion.
Sun will rise tomorrow.
My dad is 59 and is a huge Leafs fan and I do make fun of the Leafs a lot but its kinda getting sad seeing him not even be bothered and just accepting a loss.He made sure I picked my team when I was younger and not just make me a Leafs fan knowing the heartbreak this team has put him through.I feel for the longtime fans
I dumped my emotional investment in this team decades ago. I’m 60. My 9 year old grandson is just now becoming a leafs fan. I told him it’s not easy to cheer for the leafs unless you enjoy disappointment…then the leafs deliver that year after year.
Last year is what did it for me. I have been emotionally detached from the team all year. I didn't have much of a reaction at all to them losing. Can only see the same rerun so many times until you're bored.
Oof, that's rough. Caps fan here, we were the same exact way as Leafs - losing year after year in spectacular fashion in the playoffs, breaking hearts every year. Just when we thought it would never happen, it did. Hang in there, from an outsiders perspective- this is the grittiest best Leafs teams i've seen in the playoffs.
I sat and watched. They scored… I drank in the moment for what seemed like an eternity, (it was maybe 10 seconds) closed the laptop lid calmly…. Brought the laptop inside and went to bed. My dog jumped up to cuddle next to me and I petted her until I fell asleep.
Your dad must be my twin.
Going into the series I was telling a friend “the only thing that SHOULD make any reasonable human feel anything at all about this pending loss of a series is if it happens in OT of game seven”…. I shouldn’t be shocked that they found a way to make that happen
My dads the same, after the Montreal series i was devastated and he looks at me and says "its may and the leafs are out of the playoffs, get used to it"
I’m stuck with the team for life, don’t feel like cheering for another team. Damn I barely watch regular season anymore.
Unless another team came to Ontario. I find it hard to watch other teams mostly due to announcers.
As soon as Pasta scored, TV went off and went to bed.
I wasn’t mad or angry, just yep knew it was gonna happen.
“Part of our Heritage”
Decades of Leafs failure is making me care less about hockey altogether. Last nights loss meant nothing to me anymore, I’ve chosen to not let a team that can’t win affect my mood anymore. I’m in my 40’s and they have affected too much of my life.
I still want the leafs to win and if they do I’ll be excited but I expect failure and don’t get upset when I get what I expect.
Yup. 54 and my reaction was one of, “Yup, there it is.” For a brief moment I allowed myself to believe it could be otherwise and then, like clockwork, reality reared its ugly head.
Been fan since I was a kid growing up in the 90s and early 2000s.
It gets easier with time.
Now I have the joy of bringing my kids into the fandom and they’re getting an early lesson.
Me and my brother stared at the TV for a solid 5 minutes after the goal. Neither of us said a word. Finally I grabbed the remote, turned it off and just went to bed, he did the same, neither of his have mentioned anything about the game or hockey itself since.
My father was 2 years old when the leafs won their last cup, he was alive for it, but has no memory of it. He’s turning 59 this year. He didn’t watch last night, just went to the cabin, where cell service is spotty and there’s no internet.
This sounds exactly like my son posting this. I’m 68 and actually remember them winning the cup, I was 12! Yep I was the same way. I had my son keep the remote in his hands in case the Bruins scored, so I didn’t have to watch their celebration. And my reaction was, I just quietly went to bed. Fucking Leafs!😤
At this point I’m not sure what the fans expect. As someone who watches from the outside and was born and raised in Toronto, I watched them for a few years trying to get into the team during the years of Domi, Sundin and Cujo, but they never won anything. After a while I just stopped expecting anything from them. Even after all this time, nothing has changed and yet there is still some huge buzz around this team as if they will win. They never show up in playoffs and I doubt they will for the next thirty years.
I wasn't upset as I didn't think they had a player rooster fit for the style of hockey required in the playoffs from the get go. I was expecting them to lose. They were purely built for the ease of the regular season. When they can build a team with balanced skill, grit and heart I will start to believe again. Way to too top heavy with the core 4 hogging the money.
I’m imagining a Cubs like situation where we wait over 100 years for a Championship, meaning we likely win around 2080ish or so. I’ll be in my late 70s/early 80s by then and can still potentially witness it.
I cried myself to sleep when we lost in 2002 as an idealistic 16-year-old boy. Last night, I sat silently eating soup and just turned off the TV. My wife thought I needed comfort, but the desensitization is real.
Also life long Leaf fan in my 60’s. My new strategy is to only watch second round Leaf playoff games (the jokes have been told already). I did not watch after game 3 this year mostly because I tried avoiding in game anxiety. BTW, watch other playoff games because I like hockey and can really enjoy it because I’m not emotionally attached. There it is. I’m sure a therapist would have a field day! Enjoy the rest of the playoffs!
He's probably well aware of the NHL algorythym. He expects to be disappointed and is well prepared to be so. The favorite teams in the Eastern division are Boston and Pittsburgh, and Garry Bettman ensures that one of them takes the cup every second year or so. The rest is just entertainment.
Ive been watching this forever now.
My birthday is in May and the leafs are normally eliminated by then. This will be my 50th and I have not seen a cup or even close to it. This organization is doomed. I just don’t see a path by hiring former players that were not even leafs to begin with. They hire mediocre management with no history of winning or commitment to the organization.
Hard to choose former leafs talent because we never win so they hire others who don’t have skin in our game.
I felt nothing all game. There was a bit of excitement when Nylander scored, but not enough to make me believe this had a chance to get far this postseason.
Been way too hard to get really excited the last few years when you keep seeing the same mistakes during games, the same mentality, the same type of depth, and the same deployment.
I refuse to have an excitement or will to watch this team until there are real changes. This is serious bullshit at this point.
I was hoping they'd lose honestly. Only way they will hopefully make major changes. Another 2nd round and they would just make more excuses to run it back.
I can't wait until Tavares and Marner are gone. Overpriced and underperformed. We need playoff players.
My dad is 83, I know what you are experiencing.
Take comfort in knowing your dad may develop dementia. I can tell my dad that Marner scored a hat trick, or played with some degree of intensity during the 4th game of the sweep against Boston.
https://preview.redd.it/5vw893h75nyc1.jpeg?width=1631&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f27e36859c03230cd77bdba3590d2717afae0fd
Desensitized is completely accurate.
My father is the same way. Die hard Leaf fan.
Still has all the old newspaper clippings from the 60s when they last won the cup.
He loves the team, but he’s honestly so used to the disappointment now. He says he won’t let them ruin a good nights sleep anymore lol.
I’ll be honest, I’m in my 30s and have been a lifelong fan and I’m slowly starting to feel the same way. I was crushed last night, but I think less so than I have been years prior.
At least a cup was won during his lifetime. Not sure if he remembers it. In the next 10 to 15 years we are in danger of going through a generation of fans so weren’t even born when the leafs last won the cup.
After the loss, I saw a guy try to pull out a presto machine while yelling “I’ve given them SO MANY HOURS of my life”. Honestly, same, but I’m a lot more jaded to show it.
Most of us knew they would lose, but there’s always a bit of hope.
I was in the bathroom at a bar in Vancouver when OT started and I heard the cheers. I wasn’t sure which team scored as there seemed to be a 50:50 fan base there, but I kind of knew it was going to be a Bruins goal. I’m that desensitized.
54 years old, lifetime Leafs fan here. I feel exactly like your father in regards to Leafdom. It's a defense mechanism built up over time. It works for me, and the beauty part is that I'm now free to watch the remainder of the playoffs without stress and anxiety.
Been a fan for 30+ years. The last time I was emotional about it was 2013. Obviously still sucks, but I’m mostly desensitized to it now. I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll probably never see it happen and I’m at peace with it.
Yeah I'll be 39 this summer, I'm VERY much over having strong reactions to the Leafs choking in the playoffs.
Under the best of circumstances, the cup is insanely difficult to win. It's next to impossible in the idiotic pressure cooker that is Toronto.
Guys like me and your pops are just the ones left. The weak ones went to other teams years ago.
Trust me, if you can't handle moments like last night, you can't be a long-term Maple Leafs fan.
I’m 68 and feel the same way. Too many heartbreaks over the years especially against the Bruins. I didn’t expect them to beat the Bruins in a game 7 in Boston. It was great to see them toughen up both physically and mentally and to come back in the series but at the end of the day their star players don’t rise to the occasion. We’ve seen it happen over and over again so I’m no longer surprised or as upset I guess. It’s just a numbness that never goes away.
I was too young for that sweet moment but I’ve seen all the series since then including the thrashing by Bobby Orr and the Big Bad Bruins in 1969 when the Leafs lost the first two games in the playoff series in Boston 10-0 and 7-0 and got swept four straight. The curse started there.
I'm 22 and have been that since 2022. It is what it is at this point - the only way I can ever be happy is when they win. Gotta get rid off Marner, Keefe, Shanahan, and Sammy.
I presume you weren't born during the Harold Ballard era. Your dad has suffered through decades of disappointment ever since 1967. It's no wonder why he has accepted the inevitable.
My internet went out about 5 minutes into the 3rd period, so I missed the two goals, only being able to follow it on the Score mobile app. The internet came back during the 3rd intermission. Right there and then, I saw the writing on the wall.
Another year, another letdown. Same shit, different year.
I’m almost half his age and desensitized
Same here. I was here for the Bruins choking memes. Now hopefully we clear house, get a proper goalie, a proper first pair, and keep players that do something, like Domi
Probably is we can't afford the Domi's of the world unless they want to play at a discount. I just don't see them moving on from the core... corporate interests win out. I mean shit, it wouldn't shock me if Shanahan fired Treliving for no apparent reason.
I think Shanny and Keefe are gone
We can afford lots after Marner is shipped out. I've seen enough evidence
If Marner is here next season, I've stayed up my last game until 6 AM to watch them last night.
Domi will stay at a bit of a discount. Marner needs to go to get the rest done.
Same. I was pumped when Willy scored but once Boston tied it up on a soft goal 60s later my emotions left my body. When pasta scored to OT winner I said "welp " and calmly went to bed... there is always next year I suppose.
There is always next year. We have that going for us. It's always next year. And that's probably what we'll be saying again next year. You see how it goes?
I’m really upset that I’m just kinda bummed. It’s on us at this point if we don’t expect it. There’s always gonna be next year. And I’ll be there
Meanwhile in 2067, there's always next year guys. It's only been 100 years of complete playoff failures.
I wasn’t even sad. It’s normal to me at this point. Leafs will win eventually in our lives but could be another 20 years.
Not in my lifetime, but maybe in yours
I’m mid 30s bud :(
Me too. I just don’t expect to live much longer.
Not sure why anyone gave that a thumbs up. Hope you’re good man. We all in this together.
Thanks I deal with severe depression and bad sleep apnea, so I’m always tired. I’m finding it harder to breathe and need to go get it checked.
Get it checked. I’ve dealt with severe health issues mental and physical but figuring out solutions will save you and you’ll wake up happy. Might take time but they day will come. DM me if you need anything
I’ve heard of people getting their tonsils removed because it can cause what you’re describing. I’d get it checked out because it can be a fairly simple fix potentially
Thanks. I’ve read that too, but am not sure if it will really help. Inspire surgery is unfortunately not approved here. I talked to my doctor, did three sleep tests, talked to two sleep doctors, and have a CPAP. But it made me feel more tired.
Ya I think this is the least upset about a Leafs series loss since 2017. Just kind of expected the loss. Don’t have much more room to be more upset
Same. That was my exact reaction last night. Pasta scores “well, at least I get my evenings back” tv off. Move on.
I'm 40. Watched sporadically as a kid and then religiously since the Kessel / Phaneuf era. When Nylander scored I really believed it was over and that they finally did it this time. They were playing well, they couldnt possibly throw it away. The thing is, I dont think they did. It was a good game, they played well and then lost to Samsonov being too passive on the bounce off the boards. Even though I truly believed they were going to win that game, when Pastrnak scored I just sort of stared at the screen for another minute or two then shut it off. They can fire and trade all the players and staff they want, this franchise is cursed and it won't make any difference. I've definitely been more upset than this before, and this seems to be the tipping point that leads me to just accepting that the Leafs are what they are.
Same. It’s much easier to be realistic now.
People are going to live and die without seeing this team win a cup and I just hope to fuck it's not me
If it happens in our lifetimes, we will be old and grey. Some of us may be completely immobile.
Speaking of immobility. I have a good friend who's in a wheelchair. I'm in a wheelchair, too. Sharing a disability is how we became friends. He comes to my place sometimes to watch the Leafs and was here tonight. He rolls in the front door. "I forgot my shoes at home," he says. He's only wearing socks. The Leafs lose and we're sitting in silence watching the handshakes when he says: "Not only did the Leafs lose, but now it's fucking freezing outside and I don't have shoes!" We bust out laughing. A few minutes after the taxi picks him up, he texts me: "My feet are fucking freezing."
Heart-warming, foot-freezing story. Thank you for sharing.
If it doesn’t happen with some of the players we have right now, I doubt it happens this century.
You know how up until recently, every living person, their parents, and grandparents remember Queen Elizabeth as having been Queen forever? It'd be like that with Leaf and disappointing playoffs.
That’s my fear I grew up when they dominated In the 60s I got to see them hoist a cup. My fear is that the younger generation won’t. I worry about a fan base that loses year after year. I’m desensitized completely but In my head I think about me being the only one in my family to see the leafs win a cup
Many already have
A cup? A whole lifetime without a win in the second round
Or a second round lmao
My Dads stage 4 and was really hoping (perhaps unfairly) for them to pull through this year for him. Might be the last game we got to talk about it. Although I still have hope.
I'm so sorry :(
All good OP. Hopefully we can make one more run 💪!
All the best to your dad bud.
Thank you! Much appreciated guys (or gals.)
I’m also stage 4, though I hope to have many years left. Part of me wants to wallow in pity that I deserve it before I go but that’s just not how sports work haha. I would like to see a team that I can at least get excited about though
I hope that you can see your team win once! Here’s to many years for you bud 🥂! It’s unfortunate we can’t play for them.. cause our team would be full of heart. I would love to plan a game with my Dad in person next year if he can get out of the house.
Fuck cancer. God bless you and your family.
Best wishes to your dad and prayers for your whole family, fuck cancer.
Thank you, it’s much appreciated.
When you hear stuff like this, it makes you especially angry at players not giving their all or not caring. They’ll still get paid all their money and go on their extravagant vacations, but they’re robbing people of the chance of last-in-a-lifetime experiences with their loved ones. Unfairly.
Although I get what you mean and really appreciate the sentiment, I’m sure there are so many people with Stage 4 that it kind of becomes mute at some point. They have to live their lives too ya know? That’s some extra pressure. I’m sure these players see it with sick kids hospital and that must kill them. Edmonton wanted to do it for Ben and couldn’t. (Rip my little hero.) I damn hope they get one for him at some point.
So sorry about your Dad ❤️
If there was ever a time for NEXT YEAR, I'd hope it for your dad's sake. Wishing him the very best.
Thank you.
You arent? Like, im not even mad right now. I was done being mad after Montreal
montreal truly broke me. that was the last time i truly raged about a playoff L. i was so pissed after that game 7, it was just beyond tonight i’m actually okay. mostly just feeling down/pessimistic. so i think i’m evolving. i hope soon i reach pure numbness and unflappability
I was dating a girl from mtl at the time and she broke up with me during game 5 while the leafs were winning the game when the series was 3-1, I am not exaggerating. I knew right then and there we would lose the series and I havent felt anything for hockey since
The fact they ran the core back after that abortion of a series was fucking baffling to me. The fact that it's still together after all these failed years is unbelievable. We'll see if anything changes this summer or if the brass thinks 9th times the charm.
It's Toronto the Good culture. Everyone is timid to take a risk and hurt people's feelings. The result is mediocrity. Most management/ownership that's there to win would have made massive changes after Columbus and if not Columbus then after Montreal. Except for Dubas (who pushed himself out)..... Shanahan and ownership have done shit.
Same buddy. I’ve never been more pissed off as a hockey fan, after that series. Since then, it’s been hard to care about this core. I won’t watch a single regular season game if the same core and Keefe is back.
I'm naive, I know.
That was the one that killed me.
I feel like a horrible parent because my 8yr is in tears right now. Guess he's getting desensitized early
Poor guy. I remember being in his shoes, now I just feel mad at myself for ever thinking it’ll be different. I miss the Sundin years, the Kessel years were fun even if they were bad
Wow I was that kid in the first Boston series. I’m 21 now completely numb to this shit
I was there at 8 too, and I still and shout and yell and after an elimination like 2013, 2017, 2019, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024 ---cry. I wish the youngins didn't have to go through this. I was looking forward to seeing some crying kids in Bruins jerseys. It's about time they shared our sorrow.
Me too. 40’s. I called this exact scenario. So not really upset. They need to change management team and get rid of 2 Core 5 players
Me too, I’m 59, it’s like, well this is normal, what do I have to do tomorrow.
55, right there with you. When Pasternak scored I turned to my wife and said "See, nothing ever changes with this team".
66 here, yep, went to Costco today, meetings tomorrow, my Leaf ball cap is retired, Titleist taking its place. No pun intended. Desensitized is about right
I'm early 40s and already the same way. Completely fucking jaded. Didn't expect the Leafs to win at any point. Wanted it the whole way but 🤷♂️. In 2013, my brain was devastated. Tonight I shrugged, turned off the TV, and didn't miss a beat.
After decades you just get numb to it. I've simply stopped caring about teams and just watch hockey. Maybe I'll cheer for players individually but that's as far as I go now with every sport. A Toronto team does well, great but I stopped spending money and caring about Toronto sports like I used to.
My grandpa was a die hard Leafs fan too. He died in 2012 and we've carried on the tradition rooting on his beloved team. He never got to see them win another cup. At the rate the Leafs are going I'll never get to see them win the Stanley Cup.....like ever.
I'm 40 and I feel the same way. I don't get excited about the Leafs anymore since Boston 2013, I've learned that sports in general is as just not worth getting into a lather over. At the end of the game they go home to their millionaire lifestyles and I gotta still be a middle class guy trying to get by, I get stressed about things in my life, not about a bunch of millionaires having the time if their lives win or lose.
Me too. 11 years ago to THE DAY I walked home in the rain after the 4-1 loss. I sat here the last 3 games completely numb. I am devoid of emotion for this team. I cant cheer for them. I cant believe in them. I want nothing to do with them. Unfortunately there is no other team I would eve cheer for. I'm not disappointed, I'm fucking worn out, beat down and completely cooked.
i just said fuck it turned off the TV and went and had a shower, I don’t even know why i’m on here right now
I hate how I knew it was coming as soon as Nylander scored too. I had a brief moment of hope but quickly remembered the Leafs usually give up a quick goal after scoring a big one all season long and Boston will have all the momentum and that's exactly what happened.. At least I can watch the east of the playoffs stress free wheb I do have them on.
I’m 35 and scarred for life
Yeah, the Leafs are like a beautiful woman who is a stone cold bitch. Gives you hope before tearing it all away in one fell swoop.
I'm desensitized from getting excited when we get a lead.
Called it from game 5. Not even mad anymore, the Montreal series broke my fandom to always expect the worst.
I'm 34 (Been a fan since 2002) I've been desensitized since the back to back Boston series losses in 18-19. Then the losses to Columbus and Montreal did it for me where I stopped watching full games. I've been mainly scoreboard watching, catching highlights and maybe a period or two of a game for the last 3 years
Exactly the same for me. This year I watched the last 2 regular season games to see if Matthews could hit 70. Didn’t watch game 1, 2, 3 and 4. Decided to watch 5-6-7 and well. Yeah. Next year, not watching unless we pass round 3. No more leaf games until game 1 of the finals and that will only happen in my dreams.
36 here and the exact same.
Yep same, use to love watching every game and following, I just can’t bring myself to care anymore until they do something in the playoffs. At this point it I’ve accepted it may just never happen
I’m desensitized too. I’m disappointed but not filled with the anger I was. Ever since the Montreal series, I don’t really care about this Maple Leaf’s core.
I’m 29 and after Willy scored I told my girlfriend they’d cough it back up within a couple minutes and they’d go to overtime Shocker Boston scored within 2 minutes and we went to OT. I even left her place during the intermission to drive to my dad’s place so I could watch them lose with him I mean I had hope they’d pull through — I watched every game this season and even bought a Woll jersey today (RIP) — but I saw it coming from so far away I was deciding whether I could get to my dad’s within the 15 minute intermission I’ll always root for them but I’ve been past the soul-crushing phase for a good while now. Over a decade of browsing r/hockey with a Leafs flair probably helped speed things up, we must be the only team in professional sports with a 50+ year drought that everyone seems to universally hate haha
I'm 31... Boston scored and I just stood up and walked away. Losing game 7 means nothing to me now and I'm numb to the pain
My dad left his home country with nothing but the shirt on his back in the 80s, started a family, bought a house, put us kids through post secondary, nearly lost his job several times, had to deal with diabetes for the last decade, now he's too old to work at the age of 65 and ready to retire. And still, the hardest thing and his biggest regret was to become a Leafs fan. He used to be full of passion watching the games, yelling, cheering, screaming, swearing. Today he just turned off the tv and went to bed without saying a word.
35 for me, I gave up getting stressed out watching them after Montreal. Always be a doomer, never expect anything and it’s never led me down the wrong path.
It's the hope that gets you. Nylander scored and it made us think, maybe.
I am 20 years younger...and I am approaching your dad's state of mind for the first time this year. I don't think it's apathy. I think once you get wounded so deeply by something in the past, it becomes almost impossible to be hurt by the same thing again. Nothing was gonna surprise me tonight...I'm disappointed but already in the bounceback phase (that usually takes a minimum of 1-2 months). The team wasn't good enough. They found a way to play solid defense the last 3 games...but they don't have a complete team...not even close.
I’m in my 30s and I’m already desensitized. We got a speed run in failure the last ten years
After they lost of Montreal I truely stopped “caring”
I’m pretty much desensitized at this point I was disappointed, but it wasn’t unexpected
Dude I'm 25 and I'm desensitized. What else can anyone expect lmao this organization is a fucking joke
I'm well into my 50s now, been a solid fan since 1982. Been feeling desensitized for a few years now. I cheered in this game when Willy scored, but the two Boston goals didn't garner much of a reaction. Similar to your dad, I just shrugged when they lost and said, "Well, that's that for another year."
Expect disappointment and you will never be disappointed.
Fucking sick game. But god damnnnnnnnnn. Go leafs
this year I'm the same as your Dad except I bailed after Game 4. I only watched the 3rd periods of the games thereafter. Allowing a tying goal 75 seconds after taking the lead is so Leafy. It's Groundhog Day for 50 plus years.
He is right. He knows the Leafs just cannot win and they have been proving this since 1967. I am not sure what the winning formula is for them, but they don’t have it.
I became a Leafs fan in 2007 but started to become desensitized after the 2013 loss; Reimer on the ground after Bergeron scored is burned in my memory and I was speechless. Then we lose to the Bruins in 2018 and 2019. I wasn't surprised we lost to Montreal in 2021 unlike some people; they even went to the finals. However when we beat Tampa last year I was estatic. In hindsight I shouldn't have but I really want to see the Leafs win in my lifetime.
Im 39 and completely desensitized. I expect the loss. I have 0 confidence in this team. They are a pathetic franchise that cares more about making money than winning. They dont care. The arena is always full, why would they care? The fans keep coming back year after year of mediocrity. Last night when Pasta scored, i calmy got up and walked to bed. Watched youtube for a bit and slept. No reaction. Not worth it.
I’m going to be 44 this year can you ask him when it stops hurting, because I woke up heartbroken and angry yet again
If they really do run it back with Marner and co, they should make each and every one of the core 4 + Rielly read this thread. Maybe it'll get it through their thick skulls a little bit about what their apathy on the ice is doing to the people that not only pay for their salaries, but put their own time and energy in to cheer for **THEM.** Fuck it, maybe even read it to them at their exit interviews anyways. Show them how they fucked up playing for the greatest fanbase in the world.
I was playing dnd with the game on my phone in the background lmao. I've come a long way since being in shock and tears from 2013, numbness and disbelief in 2021 and all the madness between and afterwards. Your father is actually exhibiting a healthy relationship with hockey. No sense getting upset over the fact that a random assortment of men in different coloured costumes always seem to come out on top. It's just silly entertainment.
I am a Flyers fan living in Philly and I was pretending to clean my bar last night before erupting in an unacceptably loud “YEAH WILLY!” When he scored. I smiled and apologized to everyone at the bar and gleefully went back to pretending to clean so I could watch your boys finally beat the Bruins. (I hate Boston more than I like the Leafs but I really love you guys and you deserve a winner) No reaction when they tied it or scored in overtime. Sammy was screened but his positioning on that shot was disgraceful. It’s like he made his body a mold of all the places that the puck would’ve gone if it hadn’t been blocked (as it wasn’t) by Rielly. I don’t even know what I’m saying here now. I sympathize. I’m not “coming in peace” I’m distressed over it myself. Hopefully this leads to meaningful changes made. You deserve a winner. The fans do. Not MLSE. My team is also owned by a piece of shit corporation.
I had just turned 8 years old, and can still remember watching the leafs win the Stanley Cup on our black and white round Admirable television in 1967. It was huge, as an 8 year old I knew something big had happened, Toronto won the Stanley Cup. The biggest event to happen in Toronto. My dad remembers the parade at the the new city hall, with the Leafs and players parading the cup in the square. I read these posts and yes for sure I am desensitized to the Leafs loosing as this is the norm and has been since then. No matter how much money they pay, how many great players they get, it won’t happened. It won’t happened unless you assemble a group of players which play amazingly as team because they hunger and thirst to win the Stantely Cup at any cost. That’s what the team in 1967 was about the drive to win. But believe me, the biggest disappointment for me, is that my sons now 29 years the other 27, have not seen the jubilation of the Toronto Maple Leafs win a cup, not even just once. Good luck next year, hopefully the Leafs can get past the first round.
I first experienced watching playoff hockey with Canucks again Bruins in 2010, that’s my first time watching hockey. I been desensitized since the loss to Habs during covid being up 3-1 and loss to Zamboni driver. No coming back from that unless we actually win the cup.
Watching the Leafs over the years has really helped me grow as an adult and realize that it's just entertainment. On my drive home today I just stopped thinking about Leafs and instead started planning chores for Sunday.
At this point, I wear my loser badge proudly. No matter how much they suck… No matter how many times they fall apart and choke in the playoffs… They are only hockey team that matters and the only one that I’ll ever care about.
I was the same…. However … I can say I didn’t like they pushed it to a game 7…… I didn’t think they would ….. but ya know …
I thought this year would be different. I was cheering the Leafs on extra hard this year. Heartbroken again but tell him to keep his head held high and there’s always next season. #LeafsForever #GoLeafsGo
Anyone who's a real fan has been numb for years.
I really feel for you Canadians out there. I love the Leafs and am a huge fan but when the next Thunder game starts, I won't even remember tonight.
Been a Leafs fan 30 years, similar reaction. Just a sigh and change the channel.
Hey at least they won one in his lifetime! For real though, my dad is the same. It’s rough.
I'm 54 and also numb
:(
The Leafs are my team in the East. I pretty much had the same reaction as your dad when I saw the goal. Turned off the game and went back to work.
Me too. 56 years
I didnt realize a fanbase could coalese into a person like that,
Exact same way I was.
I'm the same. 49 years old and been following the Leafs since I can remember. Probably around 5 years old. My pops would sit me down at the foot of his lazyboy and we'd watch the game. Up until 5 or 6 years ago I would get extremely nervous during the playoffs. My heart would race, I would be yelling and screaming. I decided to just stop getting so worked up. I've seen it all with these guys over the years and nothing I can do will change the way they play or the results of the game. Since then I'm just very casual in attitude. Not to be confused as a casual fan. I still haven't missed watching a game in over 20 years. Tonight right after Boston scored I switched back to my media server calmly, went to tv shows and hit shuffle. I put the remote down and all I said was one single "fuck" with barely any emotion. Sun will rise tomorrow.
Living in such delusion for so many years I don’t know what to say
2013 desensitized me I actually don’t watch as much hockey as I used to ever since then
My dad is 59 and is a huge Leafs fan and I do make fun of the Leafs a lot but its kinda getting sad seeing him not even be bothered and just accepting a loss.He made sure I picked my team when I was younger and not just make me a Leafs fan knowing the heartbreak this team has put him through.I feel for the longtime fans
I mean I can't blame the guy for not getting too wrapped up, it's like watching the same movie over and over
Yeah its sad to say but my father probably will never see them win in his lifetime
Let's be real. You will probably not see them win in your life time.
I dumped my emotional investment in this team decades ago. I’m 60. My 9 year old grandson is just now becoming a leafs fan. I told him it’s not easy to cheer for the leafs unless you enjoy disappointment…then the leafs deliver that year after year.
Last year is what did it for me. I have been emotionally detached from the team all year. I didn't have much of a reaction at all to them losing. Can only see the same rerun so many times until you're bored.
I’m 52, and yep.
im 30 and the same way as him. you arent?
Oof, that's rough. Caps fan here, we were the same exact way as Leafs - losing year after year in spectacular fashion in the playoffs, breaking hearts every year. Just when we thought it would never happen, it did. Hang in there, from an outsiders perspective- this is the grittiest best Leafs teams i've seen in the playoffs.
I sat and watched. They scored… I drank in the moment for what seemed like an eternity, (it was maybe 10 seconds) closed the laptop lid calmly…. Brought the laptop inside and went to bed. My dog jumped up to cuddle next to me and I petted her until I fell asleep. Your dad must be my twin.
Going into the series I was telling a friend “the only thing that SHOULD make any reasonable human feel anything at all about this pending loss of a series is if it happens in OT of game seven”…. I shouldn’t be shocked that they found a way to make that happen
Am 46. Just walked in the house and said "they lost". Wife laughed, good times
My dads the same, after the Montreal series i was devastated and he looks at me and says "its may and the leafs are out of the playoffs, get used to it"
I’m stuck with the team for life, don’t feel like cheering for another team. Damn I barely watch regular season anymore. Unless another team came to Ontario. I find it hard to watch other teams mostly due to announcers. As soon as Pasta scored, TV went off and went to bed. I wasn’t mad or angry, just yep knew it was gonna happen. “Part of our Heritage”
Decades of Leafs failure is making me care less about hockey altogether. Last nights loss meant nothing to me anymore, I’ve chosen to not let a team that can’t win affect my mood anymore. I’m in my 40’s and they have affected too much of my life. I still want the leafs to win and if they do I’ll be excited but I expect failure and don’t get upset when I get what I expect.
His genes will pass onto you…
I’m 39 and in the same spot. Been a fan since 1991. The feelings are gone. Team hardly gives a shit, so why should I?
Your father and I should watch next year's first round exit together....
Such sad. . .
Yup. 54 and my reaction was one of, “Yup, there it is.” For a brief moment I allowed myself to believe it could be otherwise and then, like clockwork, reality reared its ugly head.
I'm with him! it happens all too often.
Me as well, it’s eerie.
Son ????
I'm in my 40s and thisnis my first year being desensitized. It was far less painful than previous years.
I stopped being a crazy fan after 93 finals.
Dude I’m 29 and numb. I’ll probably be emotionless by 60. Or a Utah fan
as a colleague of mine recently said - dead inside lol
I did the exact same thing, calmly shut the tv off and then went to sleep. Same old heartbreak every year lol
I share his "meh"
In my 40s and I'm the same as your father.
Been fan since I was a kid growing up in the 90s and early 2000s. It gets easier with time. Now I have the joy of bringing my kids into the fandom and they’re getting an early lesson.
Me and my brother stared at the TV for a solid 5 minutes after the goal. Neither of us said a word. Finally I grabbed the remote, turned it off and just went to bed, he did the same, neither of his have mentioned anything about the game or hockey itself since. My father was 2 years old when the leafs won their last cup, he was alive for it, but has no memory of it. He’s turning 59 this year. He didn’t watch last night, just went to the cabin, where cell service is spotty and there’s no internet.
This sounds exactly like my son posting this. I’m 68 and actually remember them winning the cup, I was 12! Yep I was the same way. I had my son keep the remote in his hands in case the Bruins scored, so I didn’t have to watch their celebration. And my reaction was, I just quietly went to bed. Fucking Leafs!😤
At this point I’m not sure what the fans expect. As someone who watches from the outside and was born and raised in Toronto, I watched them for a few years trying to get into the team during the years of Domi, Sundin and Cujo, but they never won anything. After a while I just stopped expecting anything from them. Even after all this time, nothing has changed and yet there is still some huge buzz around this team as if they will win. They never show up in playoffs and I doubt they will for the next thirty years.
I wasn't upset as I didn't think they had a player rooster fit for the style of hockey required in the playoffs from the get go. I was expecting them to lose. They were purely built for the ease of the regular season. When they can build a team with balanced skill, grit and heart I will start to believe again. Way to too top heavy with the core 4 hogging the money.
I’m imagining a Cubs like situation where we wait over 100 years for a Championship, meaning we likely win around 2080ish or so. I’ll be in my late 70s/early 80s by then and can still potentially witness it.
You can only be hurt so many times.
I cried myself to sleep when we lost in 2002 as an idealistic 16-year-old boy. Last night, I sat silently eating soup and just turned off the TV. My wife thought I needed comfort, but the desensitization is real.
Yep. 55 here, hoped they would pull it off, but didn't expect it
Also life long Leaf fan in my 60’s. My new strategy is to only watch second round Leaf playoff games (the jokes have been told already). I did not watch after game 3 this year mostly because I tried avoiding in game anxiety. BTW, watch other playoff games because I like hockey and can really enjoy it because I’m not emotionally attached. There it is. I’m sure a therapist would have a field day! Enjoy the rest of the playoffs!
He's probably well aware of the NHL algorythym. He expects to be disappointed and is well prepared to be so. The favorite teams in the Eastern division are Boston and Pittsburgh, and Garry Bettman ensures that one of them takes the cup every second year or so. The rest is just entertainment.
I'm 41 and straight up barely feel anything most days anyway.
Ive been watching this forever now. My birthday is in May and the leafs are normally eliminated by then. This will be my 50th and I have not seen a cup or even close to it. This organization is doomed. I just don’t see a path by hiring former players that were not even leafs to begin with. They hire mediocre management with no history of winning or commitment to the organization. Hard to choose former leafs talent because we never win so they hire others who don’t have skin in our game.
theres 32 teams and your/our/we what ever finished 9-10th overall and expected to be cup contenders...its called swindled by the media...
I'm picturing a delayed angry reaction like the um, 1940s German chancellor's reaction in the movie Downfall
I felt nothing all game. There was a bit of excitement when Nylander scored, but not enough to make me believe this had a chance to get far this postseason. Been way too hard to get really excited the last few years when you keep seeing the same mistakes during games, the same mentality, the same type of depth, and the same deployment. I refuse to have an excitement or will to watch this team until there are real changes. This is serious bullshit at this point.
Man, I'm "only" 35 (a fan since the Pat Quinn days) and I've been desensitized for a decade, lol.
I was hoping they'd lose honestly. Only way they will hopefully make major changes. Another 2nd round and they would just make more excuses to run it back. I can't wait until Tavares and Marner are gone. Overpriced and underperformed. We need playoff players.
lol same and I’m 30
Same.....woke the GF and just said....'time for bed' as i turned off the TV...called this after Game 5....
Same. Wasn't the least bit surprised
My dad is 83, I know what you are experiencing. Take comfort in knowing your dad may develop dementia. I can tell my dad that Marner scored a hat trick, or played with some degree of intensity during the 4th game of the sweep against Boston.
https://preview.redd.it/5vw893h75nyc1.jpeg?width=1631&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f27e36859c03230cd77bdba3590d2717afae0fd Desensitized is completely accurate.
My father is the same way. Die hard Leaf fan. Still has all the old newspaper clippings from the 60s when they last won the cup. He loves the team, but he’s honestly so used to the disappointment now. He says he won’t let them ruin a good nights sleep anymore lol. I’ll be honest, I’m in my 30s and have been a lifelong fan and I’m slowly starting to feel the same way. I was crushed last night, but I think less so than I have been years prior.
I was exactly 30 when I became desensitized. That was 11 years ago. You know the story.
At least a cup was won during his lifetime. Not sure if he remembers it. In the next 10 to 15 years we are in danger of going through a generation of fans so weren’t even born when the leafs last won the cup.
After the loss, I saw a guy try to pull out a presto machine while yelling “I’ve given them SO MANY HOURS of my life”. Honestly, same, but I’m a lot more jaded to show it. Most of us knew they would lose, but there’s always a bit of hope.
I was in the bathroom at a bar in Vancouver when OT started and I heard the cheers. I wasn’t sure which team scored as there seemed to be a 50:50 fan base there, but I kind of knew it was going to be a Bruins goal. I’m that desensitized.
I just cleaned my kitchen lol at least that’s a victory i will remember
54 years old, lifetime Leafs fan here. I feel exactly like your father in regards to Leafdom. It's a defense mechanism built up over time. It works for me, and the beauty part is that I'm now free to watch the remainder of the playoffs without stress and anxiety.
Been a fan for 30+ years. The last time I was emotional about it was 2013. Obviously still sucks, but I’m mostly desensitized to it now. I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll probably never see it happen and I’m at peace with it.
Yeah I'll be 39 this summer, I'm VERY much over having strong reactions to the Leafs choking in the playoffs. Under the best of circumstances, the cup is insanely difficult to win. It's next to impossible in the idiotic pressure cooker that is Toronto. Guys like me and your pops are just the ones left. The weak ones went to other teams years ago. Trust me, if you can't handle moments like last night, you can't be a long-term Maple Leafs fan.
At least we still have the Canucks to cheer for!
Yup. Right there with him.
Me too - after 60 years of this enough already
I’m 68 and feel the same way. Too many heartbreaks over the years especially against the Bruins. I didn’t expect them to beat the Bruins in a game 7 in Boston. It was great to see them toughen up both physically and mentally and to come back in the series but at the end of the day their star players don’t rise to the occasion. We’ve seen it happen over and over again so I’m no longer surprised or as upset I guess. It’s just a numbness that never goes away.
The last time the Leafs won a playoff series against the Bruins, Eisenhower was president.
I was too young for that sweet moment but I’ve seen all the series since then including the thrashing by Bobby Orr and the Big Bad Bruins in 1969 when the Leafs lost the first two games in the playoff series in Boston 10-0 and 7-0 and got swept four straight. The curse started there.
This is exactly why I'll still cherish the 2019 Raptors run decades from now.
I'm 22 and have been that since 2022. It is what it is at this point - the only way I can ever be happy is when they win. Gotta get rid off Marner, Keefe, Shanahan, and Sammy.
the goddamned hope. it gets us all.
I presume you weren't born during the Harold Ballard era. Your dad has suffered through decades of disappointment ever since 1967. It's no wonder why he has accepted the inevitable. My internet went out about 5 minutes into the 3rd period, so I missed the two goals, only being able to follow it on the Score mobile app. The internet came back during the 3rd intermission. Right there and then, I saw the writing on the wall. Another year, another letdown. Same shit, different year.
My dad was the same way. Back in 2019 I didn’t get it. Now I do.
Late 40's here. My reaction was similar. I put it on SNL.