The 2014-15 season hasn’t exactly been kind to the Toronto Maple Leafs. While currently sitting in 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-8-2, there have already been some hiccups just 20 games in. After a mediocre performance that ended in a 6-2 loss against the NHL’s worst team, the Buffalo Sabres, the Leafs bested their own poor play by dropping a 9-2 decision to the Nashville Predators, in their own arena no less. The game wasn’t the only thing that dropped, as a fan in the Air Canada Center felt cheated by his team’s performance and decided to show action by ditching his jersey and tossing it onto the ice. Sadly, this wasn’t a first-time occurrence.
Jerseys aren’t the only object that have been launched onto the ice in Toronto. Back in 2010, a fan tossed waffles while the game was in progress, forcing the officials to temporarily stop play in order for the pastries to be removed from the ice. Later in the year, an entire box of waffles was thrown. This season, patience wore thin rather quickly when a Dion Phaneuf jersey had to be scooped up off the ice in game two.
It hasn’t been all bad for the Blue and White this season. While remaining two games over .500, and battling to keep their position inside the playoff bubble, Phil Kessel is off to a tremendous start with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 20 games. Cody Franson, who was rumored in the Josh Gorges trade to Toronto, which was later put to bed by Gorges himself, has 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) and is a plus-5 after playing in 18 contests. Despite a 6-5 record this season, goaltender Jonathan Bernier has posted a respectable 2.66 goals against and a .916 save percentage. Even David Clarkson is enjoying a nice start, already surpassing his goal total from last season after just 20 games. Sure, James Reimer and his .898 save percentage looks rough, but he has stolen a few points for the Leafs when the team was nowhere to be found.
On Thursday night, after a convincing 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs took their celebration to Bernier by his goal crease. It was the status-quo affair; congratulate your goalie, give everyone a tap, and then skate to center ice to raise your sticks and salute the crowd. Only, the Leafs forgot one little portion of the winning formality… the salute to the crowd. Instead of doing so, the Leafs skated to the exit by the boards and headed back to the dressing room, much to the surprise of everyone in the arena, even Franson, who was seen skating to the middle of the rink before realizing he was the only one, and quickly made his way back to the team.
We don’t know if this was a “planned snub”, although video has surfaced of the post-game celebration non-celebration, where Kessel and Phaneuf are seen chatting about something quite intensely before the team opted not to salute their fans. It’s pure speculation at this point, but it is possible that this stunt was orchestrated by the team as a way to get back at their fans. After all, it was just two nights prior to their win against the third best team in the league that they felt the heat of their hometown and watched yet another jersey laying on the ice. Yet, things changed in a hurry when they regained their winning ways, and all was well once again.
If this was a decision made by the team, it is one that was done in poor taste. Bob McKenzie of TSN joined TSN690 radio this morning, and even he expressed his distaste with the snubbing. “If this was indeed done intentionally as a way to get back at their fans, it was ill-advised and stupid,” McKenzie stated. Every single player on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is a professional, paid to play the game of hockey and do their best to win. When they win, great. When they lose, they deal with the scrutiny of the Toronto brass and media. Constantly reminded by the demons of 1967, the Maple Leafs have the unfortunate situation of dealing with a severely passionate fanbase, arguably the biggest one in the entire league. Sticking your tongue out to your own audience and taking a jab back at them will only make matters worse. You’re pouring gasoline onto an already scorching fire. You’re forgetting the age-old rule; two wrongs don’t make a right.
Yes, it is absolutely shameful to throw anything onto the ice, be it merchandise, waffles, or the kitchen sink. It’s disgusting to attack the wives of players on Twitter. Those are all instances performed by individuals who have nothing better to do with their lives and will find any cheap thrill to entertain themselves, however brief of a moment that will be. However, those individuals do not make up an entire fanbase, let alone the biggest and loudest one in the NHL. By walking out on your own people, you are generalizing every one of those fans in attendance into the same group as those few egg-heads. You’ve now told tens of thousands of proud Leafs faithful that they are on the same level as the waffle-throwing dingus and the Twitter ignoramuses.
So here’s to you, Toronto Maple Leafs. Even in victory, you’ve come out as losers.
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