People Behaving Badly #13

Most relationships come with a little extra baggage, a little quirk in the other person that you have to decide whether or not you want to embrace, or sweep under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist.  For some, this baggage comes in the form of children from a previous relationship.  For others, it could be an irrational phobia; others may find themselves with a partner who insists on holding onto some stupid old trinket given by an ex in the eighth grade.  Me?  I found myself with a man who bleeds the Blue and White.  I found myself a Leafs fan.

Now, he's not one of those hockey fans where everything in his life revolves around his team.  I could have stayed true to my Vancouver Canucks, and life would have continued.  Our relationship would not have faltered.  But in the interest of compromise, I converted.  Just as a foster parent embraces her neglected, orphaned child, I adopted this beleaguered team, and I have come to love it as my own.

In the early stages of my transition from Canucks fan to Leafs fan, I operated on the logic that I am a Leafs fan, as long as they're not playing Vancouver.  And for a while, this worked beautifully.  I had two teams to cheer for.  Double the love, double the fun.  But the more the seasons went on, the more I watched games by both the Leafs and the Canucks, the more I found myself enjoying my Boys in Blue.  Or, perhaps more fittingly, the more I found myself bothered by my Vancouver team.  And by "bothered by my Vancouver team", I mean, bothered by the Canucks' fans.

I went to the Vancouver vs. Toronto game Tuesday night, here in Vancouver.  My transition to Leafs fan complete, I passed over my Canucks sweater in favour of my Toronto jersey.  It felt good pulling on the blue and white, and marching into GM Place, ready for a fight. 

We weren't even inside the stadium, and already we were being told, in not so nice terms, to "Go the fuck back to Toronto, you assholes!"  (Just a side note here:  I am a BC girl, born and raised.  I've spent a total of about 16 hours in Toronto.  I will NOT be going "back" to Toronto.  And if you must call me derogatory names, I would be a bitch, not an asshole.  But I digress.)  We relaxed a little as we entered the stadium with about eight thousand other Leafs fans.  We relaxed even more when we took our seats and found that, gloriously, we were seated with a slew other Toronto fans. 

And then the game began.

Not even a minute into the game, the chanting began.  Songs of LEAFS SUCK resonated throughout the arena.  We fought back with our most valiant cries of GO LEAFS GO.  Five minutes after the puck drop, Toronto scored -- shorthanded, no less -- and the crowed booed Kilger as though he'd just drowned a puppy.  Halfway through the third, when Vancouver crosschecked a Leaf into the boards, the crowd went crazy, cheering wildly.  Those cheers turned to a chorus of boos thirty seconds later when the ref called the penalty.  You can't cheer for an obvious penalty, and then cry foul when the referee calls you on it.  Over the course of three periods, the only chants I heard coming from the stands were either, "Go Leafs Go!", or, in retaliation, "Leafs Suck!".  Not once did I hear a chant of, "Go Canucks, Go!", nor did I once hear the Toronto fans stoop to the level of screaming, "Canucks Suck!", despite the obvious, rhyming ring it has to it.

Toronto lost the game, 4-3.  I would really, really hate to see what would have happened had Toronto won.  As we were leaving the stadium, the crowd was angry.  I don't know if they were pissed off that it was such a close game, or if they were generally pissed that the Leaf Nation had invaded their building at all.  Whatever the reason, they were not happy.  Again, numerous times, I was told to return to Toronto.  I was reminded that Toronto sucks so hard, they haven't won a cup since 1968.  The headline in the paper the day of the game read, "Love to Hate -- 12 Reasons Why The Leafs Suck".  The headline the day after the game read, "Told You they Suck".

I'd like to go back to that pesky little statistic that Leafs-haters always spew:  The Leafs haven't won a cup in forty years.  I always find it amusing that people use this statistic as a reason to hate the Leafs.  Shall I remind the Canucks' fans that the last time Vancouver saw the Stanley Cup, the year was 1915 (!!!), and the team was then known as the Vancouver Millionaires?  I know, I know... at least Vancouver has made it to the finals -- TWICE! -- in the last 25 years.  Big whup.  Second place finish only means first place loser.  Let's look at the facts -- the unslanted facts, that is:

• The Vancouver Canucks have been an NHL team since 1970.  In their first 35 years, they have played in the Stanley Cup finals twice -- in 1982, and again in 1994.  They have yet to win a cup.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the league since 1927.  In their first 35 years, up until 1963, they played in the finals a total of 15 times, taking Lord Stanley home with them seven times.
• The Leafs have won the cup 19 times in their 78 year existence.  Statistically, that's an average of a championship win once every four years.  The Canucks, on the other hand, have won the cup zero times in their 35 year existence.  That's an average of, let me do the math... oh, right.  Never.

Who sucks now?

I appreciate a good sports rivalry as much as the next gal.  Hell, Gary Bettman even screwed with the schedule to encourage it.  But when your hatred of another team surpasses your love for your own.... I think you need to relax, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that it's just a game!!  A game that, I'm sorry, Vancouver, your team sucks at.