Reminiscing About The Old (Bad) Days

[Fanatic]

I am not sure if there would be enough interest in this to make it a worthwhile discussion, but I will give it a try and if it works out that is great and if not, then sorry about that and it will fall away to the bottom of the board soon enough. 

Today we are very fortunate to have fantastic management and players and a team that is on the right track in every category that anyone considers. Whether they win a cup in the next several years is unknow, but what is certain is that they are no longer the embarrassment that they used to be. I have been a Leafs fan since Grade 1 (45 years ago) when I would trade hockey cards at school and my only goal was to get the entire Leafs team and the team card. I did that every year for a long time.

I have some memories of being a Leafs fan, in the difficult days, that stand out more than others. The Ballard years, grocery bags over heads etc. all stand out. But my worst memory of those days was in January of 1987. I went to my first Leafs game when I was in college. We went with a group of about 8 guys and only 2 of us were Leafs fans. The rest of the guys were mostly Boston or Habs fans and only joined in for the night out. The team was below .500 but not as bad as the year before when they got off to a 1-12 start. Anyway, I went out with my Wendel Clark jersey and was quite pleased with the way the game was progressing. I think the Leafs went up as much as 5-1 by the second period. The problem that night, as it has been many times since then, is that the game was 60 minutes long and the Leafs forgot to show up in the 3rd period. They lost that night 6-5 in OT to Calgary. It was a particularly lousy night to be a Leafs fan. 

Thankfully, much better days are ahead.

I am wondering if anyone else has any standouts from over the harder years of being a fan.

 

[cabber24]

A quick list:

Gretzky high stick, loosing to CAR in 01-02 after Sundin had tied it with the goalie pulled, JR scoring in OT, Bos 3rd period collapse, blowing a 5-0 nothing lead to STL in the third period, Gilmour lasting 30 seconds in his return to TOR, trading for Kessel setting us back years, Domi knocking out Niedermayer with a cheap shot followed by a 7 shot game 7 against NJD, Cujo signing in DET, Kardi's selfish hissy fit in last years playoffs, Bryan Berard's eyeball injury, being stuck in purgatory finishing 9th or 10th forever.

I am sure I could go on but I won't. We are heavily invested... a win would be unreal.

 

[Can8899]

A quick list:

Gretzky high stick, loosing to CAR in 01-02 after Sundin had tied it with the goalie pulled, JR scoring in OT, Bos 3rd period collapse, blowing a 5-0 nothing lead to STL in the third period, Gilmour lasting 30 seconds in his return to TOR, trading for Kessel setting us back years, Domi knocking out Niedermayer with a cheap shot followed by a 7 shot game 7 against NJD, Cujo signing in DET, Kardi's selfish hissy fit in last years playoffs, Bryan Berard's eyeball injury, being stuck in purgatory finishing 9th or 10th forever.

I am sure I could go on but I won't. We are heavily invested... a win would be unreal.

All good (bad) ones, here are a few more:

-Losing Game 2 to Carolina in 01-02 in OT after tying the game with 7.2 seconds left (I was at this game)
-Losing Sundin for most of the 01-02 playoffs (fractured wrist if I recall correctly)
-John Ferguson Jr.
-The Andrew Raycroft Trade
-The Muskoka 5
-The Clarkson suspension which completely derailed his season
-The long winless streak against the habs that was finally ended this season

 

[Zee]

The entire 80s are like a bad nightmare for me.  The Habs fluking off a cup in 86 just added to the 80s misery as a Leafs fan, and to be in high school at the time and have to see all these idiot Habs fans celebrating...ugh.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'll add the 2004-05 lockout. We would have had such a solid team that year, and it especially made the Leetch and Nolan trades look significantly worse than I think they actually were. We would have definitely been among the favourites to win the Cup that season I think.

Hopefully we aren't robbed of another potential Cup contention season in the near future.

 

[Fanatic]

The Raycroft trade is certainly a huge recent screw up. Terrible.

And if it is true that it is darkest just before the dawn.... how is this for one of the truly embarrassing Leaf fan moments. Kessel Won't Do That

 

[Highlander]

Harold Ballard

 

[cabber24]

Being 36 my meaningful Leaf memories start in the early 90's so I can't speak to anything before that, which on paper looks awful.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

And if it is true that it is darkest just before the dawn.... how is this for one of the truly embarrassing Leaf fan moments. Kessel Won't Do That

The only embarrassing thing about that was how the media tried to make it into a huge controversy when it really wasn't.

 

[Fanatic]

And if it is true that it is darkest just before the dawn.... how is this for one of the truly embarrassing Leaf fan moments. Kessel Won't Do That

The only embarrassing thing about that was how the media tried to make it into a huge controversy when it really wasn't.

I do not think so. The guys on TSN radio were talking about this earlier this morning. Their point was that with solid management and coaching there is no controversy with the Leafs now - Nylander is not signed yet but no everyone is saying the right things and it looks well in hand. They contrasted that with the situation in Montreal right now with Max and the situation in Dallas with Seguin.

The reason the kessel thing turned into the fiasco it did was not because of media. It was because of mismanagement.

 

[Redleaf]

It?s funny how this has been forgotten with the team we have now, but Sundin refusing to leave to help give the club a jump start on the future left a pretty bad taste in a lot of fans mouths. Sundin was forgiven , as he should have been, but it was still a moment (that should have been handled better) a lot of people believed set the organization back a few years.

 

[Fanatic]

It?s funny how this has been forgotten with the team we have now, but Sundin refusing to leave to help give the club a jump start on the future left a pretty bad taste in a lot of fans mouths. Sundin was forgiven , as he should have been, but it was still a moment (that should have been handled better) a lot of people believed set the organization back a few years.

There was already lots of debate back then about this. I have to disagree with you. Sundin had a contract and he honored it. If the Leafs wanted to break that contract to better themselves at his expense and he would not go for it, the fault is not with him. How was this ever allowed to be a story anyway? The answer to that is more mismanagement.

Frankly, if you are happy with Tavares then you better check to be sure you do not have a double standard on this issue.  ;D

 

[cabber24]

It?s funny how this has been forgotten with the team we have now, but Sundin refusing to leave to help give the club a jump start on the future left a pretty bad taste in a lot of fans mouths. Sundin was forgiven , as he should have been, but it was still a moment (that should have been handled better) a lot of people believed set the organization back a few years.

There was already lots of debate back then about this. I have to disagree with you. Sundin had a contract and he honored it. If the Leafs wanted to break that contract to better themselves at his expense and he would not go for it, the fault is not with him. How was this ever allowed to be a story anyway? The answer to that is more mismanagement.

Frankly, if you are happy with Tavares then you better check to be sure you do not have a double standard on this issue.  ;D

Muskoka 5 were given NTC by JFJ. Management alone is to blame.

 

[cabber24]

Hopefully we aren't robbed of another potential Cup contention season in the near future.

A terrifying thought I have not considered. Our young players will be in their prime years at the expiration of the current CBA. Bettman is unable to settle anything without a work stoppage.

Seems like a very Toronto Maple Leaf thing to happen. Let's pray that it doesn't.

 

[Deebo]

I could see another lockout, but not another completely cancelled season.

 

[dappleganger]

Been a Leafs fan since ?85-?86. The 2008-2009 was the low point for me. The bad trades, the unending parade of two-on-one?s against. Leaving Pogge out to dry, gotta feel bad for that kid coming into that situation. No more Sundin, and his unceremonious exit. He should have been able to call his shots.

No bright spots on the roster to speak of, besides Grabovski.

Those two-on-ones...

 

[Redleaf]

It?s funny how this has been forgotten with the team we have now, but Sundin refusing to leave to help give the club a jump start on the future left a pretty bad taste in a lot of fans mouths. Sundin was forgiven , as he should have been, but it was still a moment (that should have been handled better) a lot of people believed set the organization back a few years.

There was already lots of debate back then about this. I have to disagree with you. Sundin had a contract and he honored it. If the Leafs wanted to break that contract to better themselves at his expense and he would not go for it, the fault is not with him. How was this ever allowed to be a story anyway? The answer to that is more mismanagement.

Frankly, if you are happy with Tavares then you better check to be sure you do not have a double standard on this issue.  ;D

I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with me about exactly?

 

[Frank E]

It?s funny how this has been forgotten with the team we have now, but Sundin refusing to leave to help give the club a jump start on the future left a pretty bad taste in a lot of fans mouths. Sundin was forgiven , as he should have been, but it was still a moment (that should have been handled better) a lot of people believed set the organization back a few years.

There was already lots of debate back then about this. I have to disagree with you. Sundin had a contract and he honored it. If the Leafs wanted to break that contract to better themselves at his expense and he would not go for it, the fault is not with him. How was this ever allowed to be a story anyway? The answer to that is more mismanagement.

Frankly, if you are happy with Tavares then you better check to be sure you do not have a double standard on this issue.  ;D

At the time it was reported, most didn't really have a problem with it because, well, he's Mats Sundin, and everybody loves Mats Sundin.

When he signed with the Canucks the following December, that's when people started to question things.

 

[Frank E]

I could see another lockout, but not another completely cancelled season.

I think it's a definite possibility, given how nicely it worked out for the league the last time around.

They just need to float the idea of non-guaranteed contracts again, and that'll scare the players that are influencers. 

The players will always have a problem with these negotiations given how many players can't easily afford a lost season.  Given the elevation in asset value of the franchises if the owners get a favourable deal done, they can afford to hold out a lot longer.

 

[Bullfrog]

At the time it was reported, most didn't really have a problem with it because, well, he's Mats Sundin, and everybody loves Mats Sundin.

When he signed with the Canucks the following December, that's when people started to question things.

I remember it differently. People were up-in-arms in general because of the lack of return for all the expiring contracts, but there was definitely backlash against Sundin after he refused to be traded.