Ice hockey is a very serious business in Canada, and each team is supported by a band of loyal hockey fans. The Toronto Maple Leafs may not have the best track record, but they do have some of the most committed supporters you will ever see. For many, it is a way of life to support their favourite ice hockey team, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are popular for many reasons so here are five of the best reasons for you to love them.
1. They lose – A lot!
Okay, this might not sound like a reason to love them but trust us it really is. They may not be the best team, but they are so loyally supported that every single time they play the seats are sold out. They used to play at Maple Leaf Gardens from 1946 until 1999, and every single team match was sold out by committed fans who never wanted to miss a moment. Fifty-three years of full capacity from their fans. They moved to the Air Canada centre and now call this home and even there every game since they took residence in October 2002 has also sold out and not only that, but there are over 2 1/2 thousand people who are sitting patiently on the waiting list hoping to get their hands on a season ticket. As you may imagine, the season tickets do not come up very often because the fans are so committed to their team. They actually enjoyed their most significant successes from 1946 to 1970 but despite not now being one of the best the fans still love them.
2. The Toronto experience
The team also has the most expensive tickets so it may surprise you that they are still so popular. The Toronto Maple Leafs have not qualified for the playoffs since 2004, and yet they have the most expensive tickets at $123.00 per person. So that means that if you were to take two adults and two children to watch a game to purchase tickets, eat and take away a souvenir at the end, you are looking at the cost of over $600 for the evening’s entertainment. While this again might seem like a strange reason to support them, it certainly offers proof of their popularity, and enjoyment factor as so many people keep coming back for more.
3. Fans are super chilled
Well, that is to say, they don’t get as angry as some of the other teams. They are actually passionate, but when they get upset and don’t think the team are doing what they should be, they have a novel way of dealing with it. They pitch waffles onto the ice, yep waffles perhaps they think a small snack will get the team back on track who knows. At one game several waffles and an Eggo box was sent flying towards the players who were sitting in 13th place. Ironically after this play improved and the team was able to win their next two outings. In an unusual move, they also ended up fighting for a playoff spot right until the end when they typically knocked out much earlier. I mean we know that waffles are delicious, but maybe that’s taking it a bit far!
4. Simply the best
One of the problems about supporting the highest-ranking teams that always win is that one day their luck will run out. These tend to be the games that get quite violent, and the fans tend to cause a lot of problems commiserating and taking their frustrations out. The Toronto Maple Leafs are consistently average and mediocre. They were actually 120th out of 122 teams in 2011 so basically rubbish! Yet as already mentioned, the fans keep supporting their team, fighting for season tickets, and showing support no matter what happens. That’s actually kind of a club we want to be in as it sounds like everyone gets along famously even if they mess up which let’s face it we all do from time to time.
5. A friendly bunch
Finally, the fans are not the only friendly component of the team. The players themselves are pretty awesome too. Anyone coming to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs is well aware of their statistics, and yet they will still give it a go and see if they can be the one that changes the team sporting for the better. A night at Toronto’s game is like going out with a massive group of extended family. Everyone is happy and Smiley, and if you position yourself right, you might just get a free waffle as they fly past your head to the ice.
Not all about the win
We think that this is the perfect testament to exactly how you should support sports teams. While they might not be the best, the fans have picked their team and stuck by them through thick and thin. It certainly makes a lot more sense to support a team that has a connection to your hometown or personal reasons rather than just going with whoever happens to be winning the Premier League at the time which is something we see a lot in football. Ice hockey is the national game of Canada, and you will always find many rivalries that are a lot of fun. Who knows, in the coming years, maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs will be able to turn around their fortunes and start getting into the playoffs.
Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca
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