On Tuesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Jeff Paterson to discuss the fallout from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ latest playoff disappointment – and the wave of ‘sympathy’ the team is getting for how hard it is to play in a market like Toronto.
Quads didn’t hold back.
“This conversation dominating every online circle I’m finding is about the poor, poor Leafs who have to play in a market that cares about the team,” Quads said. “First of all, that shows people care about your sport and team, which is something you want. The idea of going down and playing in the States somewhere, having a great time- sure, you can- but it’s only because people don’t care down there. You’re not going to become a legend playing hockey in Florida. You might win a Cup or two, but you’re not going to become a great. What happened to wanting the pressure? This pity party coming from the Leafs and having to deal with market pressure- just stop.”
Harm weighed in, saying: “The Leafs should feel patronized that other teams are talking about them that way. This isn’t a young core anymore. These are grown men who have failed time after time in the playoffs. They don’t need to be coddled. The pressure of playing in Toronto is greater than playing in American markets, certainly, when things go against you. There’s added weight and anxiety. But it pales in comparison to other sports.”
Harm pointed to guys like LeBron James and Jayson Tatum: “The pressure on LeBron, or the Celtics before their recent chip? European soccer stars, the Yankees, Dodgers- these guys face way more heat than the Leafs.”
And that circus the Leafs are always accused of being surrounded by?
“People talk about the media and fanbase being a circus, but the reason for that is the on-ice product is constantly a circus,” Harm said. “It’s embarrassing to make the playoffs that many times and still have fewer playoff series wins than the Vancouver Canucks over the last nine years. The frenzy and negativity can be a little much, but it’s a product of the failures. It’s not the Leafs are failing because of the media pressure, it’s that there’s media pressure because the Leafs keep failing.”
Jeff Paterson echoed the sentiment.
“Everybody’s looking for an excuse for the Toronto Maple Leafs,” JPat said. “We’re told repeatedly that you learn from mistakes and hardship — that it builds character. Those guys should have character coming out of their ears by now.”
“What struck me Sunday night was they looked totally spooked and completely unready to play. Florida had the first 25 shot attempts in that game. How is that possible? You absolutely crapped the bed in game five, you fight to get it back home for game seven, and that was the response?”
On the idea of the Leafs’ pressure being unique, JPat added: “Boston is one of the great sports towns in the U.S. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were able to rise above. Think about the coverage a team like the Dallas Cowboys gets in the state of Texas, playing that sport. They’ve dealt with pressure and found success. It goes on and on.”
“Running it back again doesn’t seem like it would be a terribly productive plan,” he finished. “You won’t find any sympathy from me here.”
You can watch the full episode below!
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