LEAFS - It's All in the Name

[Les_Habitants]

Rex Murphy - The 'Losing-est' Franchise Since The Invention Of The Puck

The 'Losing-est' Franchise Since The Invention Of The Puck :fear:

Transcript Of Rex Murphy Episode:

"What do you call a hockey team that issues apologies? IKEA.

And where does that happen? Why in Toronto of course, centre-ice for the 'losing-est' franchise since the invention of the puck.

It's said that Don Cherry sheds tears on his high-collared neck every time he walks past the Air Canada Centre when the Leafs are playing. We all know what he's feeling.

How long has it been since the Maple Leafs won a Stanley Cup? Or even made the playoffs?

It's been so long the time-scale is geologic: glaciers have melted, the earth's plates have shifted, dinosaurs (Harold Ballard) have vanished, since any Toronto newspaper could front-page a Leaf victory.

I've checked on Wikipedia. The earth was young when the Leafs had men on the team, understood that the purpose of the other team's net was to shoot pucks into it, when the thought of losing to some American team with Ducks in its name was an unspeakable impossibility.

Think. History buffs may remember these names, from the days before The Fall: Mahovlich, Keon, Armstrong, Horton, Bower. They were the kind of players that made up a team that earned them a word not heard so much in Toronto today: winners.

Winners. The last time that word bruised the lips of anyone around the Air Canada Centre, he was arrested on the double charge of reckless falsehood and criminal optimism.

Aware that Toronto Hockey has equal suspense and less esteem than the city's annual Duck Regatta, the club's owners - just back from the piling up the bullion in the counting house - this week decided that after yet another year of empty dreams, flattened hope, crushed expectations and broken hearts they should apologize to the team's despairing fans (it's not known if they sent flowers).

They are buying full-page ads of apology. Is this a hockey team, or a band of overpaid flagellants? Did The Rocket apologize? Howe? Hull? Lafleur? Orr? Lemieux? Of course they didn't. They could play hockey. They were too busy winning.

45 years out of the finals - longer than it took the trees to grow, that supplied them the wood, to make the hockey sticks, they don't score with. Whole forests have been felled for no real reason.

You apologize after 2 or 3 losses, or even 5 or 6. You do not apologize for a 45-year losing streak. You go into exile, or take up ping-pong, or selling vacuum cleaners. In other words you leave the scene of the country's worst sport's crime.

Playing in the country's biggest city, filling the arena for every losing game and losing season - you don't need to apologize - you've lost the right to apologize. "Sorry" is not something you get to say. "Sorry" is something you've become.

For The National, I'm Rex Murphy."

CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indep.../2012/04/12/thenational-rexmurphy-041212.html


Losers
Even
After
Forty-five
Seasons

Rebuilding Since 1967

 

[ahlungjai]

Lolllll

 

[Les_Habitants]

New Habs Player Will Earn $2 Million Next Season ... Half Paid By The Maple Laughs

New Habs Player Will Earn $2 Million Next Season ... Half Paid By The Maple Laughs And Half Paid By nos Habitants

What a sweet deal ... merci Maple Laughs for paying Colby Armstrong $1 Million to play for nos Habitants this upcoming season.

GM Marc Bergevin Turns Canada Day Into Busy Canadiens Day
CJAD-800 AM Radio: http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10399896


Losers
Even
After
Forty-five
Seasons

Rebuilding Since 1967

 

[calvin & hobbes]

New Habs Player Will Earn $2 Million Next Season ... Half Paid By The Maple Laughs And Half Paid By nos Habitants

What a sweet deal ... merci Maple Laughs for paying Colby Armstrong $1 Million to play for nos Habitants this upcoming season.

GM Marc Bergevin Turns Canada Day Into Busy Canadiens Day
CJAD-800 AM Radio: http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10399896


Losers
Even
After
Forty-five
Seasons

Rebuilding Since 1967

Typical loser Habs fan.

According to Montreal fans, Armstrong was a china doll who was prone to injuries and a waste of 3 million. Now that he is a Canadien he is regarded as a "tough ,gritty forward that the Habs so desparately need". Now he's the re-incarnation of the Rocket. All hail the new saviour!!! But can he speak French??? The only team in the whole world in any sport that is more concerned with language than wins. I feel bad for Cunneyworth.

Plan the parade, plan the parade!!!

What a joke you loser Habs fans are!!!!

Yep, Leafs paid Colby Armstrong 6 million for 1 goal and 2 assists last year and 8 goals and 15 assists the year before and are now paying him 1 million to shoot blanks for Montreal. Works out to 6 mil for 9 goals.

Hmmmm.............

Habs paid Scott Gomez 15.5 million for 2 goals and 9 assists last year and 7 goals and 31 assists the year before and will pay him another 5.5 million this year. Works out to 15.5 mil for ..... oh look....... 9 goals. How's that workin' out for ya? hahahaha

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!!!

Good luck Colby, you'll need it. Better take some FSL courses and some Advil.

Habs Fans .......... A Joke Since 1909

 

[Mr.420]

Typical loser Habs fan.

According to Montreal fans, Armstrong was a china doll who was prone to injuries and a waste of 3 million. Now that he is a Canadien he is regarded as a "tough ,gritty forward that the Habs so desparately need". Now he's the re-incarnation of the Rocket. All hail the new saviour!!! But can he speak French??? The only team in the whole world in any sport that is more concerned with language than wins. I feel bad for Cunneyworth.

Plan the parade, plan the parade!!!

What a joke you loser Habs fans are!!!!

Yep, Leafs paid Colby Armstrong 6 million for 1 goal and 2 assists last year and 8 goals and 15 assists the year before and are now paying him 1 million to shoot blanks for Montreal. Works out to 6 mil for 9 goals.

Hmmmm.............

Habs paid Scott Gomez 15.5 million for 2 goals and 9 assists last year and 7 goals and 31 assists the year before and will pay him another 5.5 million this year. Works out to 15.5 mil for ..... oh look....... 9 goals. How's that workin' out for ya? hahahaha

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!!!

Good luck Colby, you'll need it. Better take some FSL courses and some Advil.

Habs Fans .......... A Joke Since 1909

LMAO. The worst signing of all UFA's since the UFA system was introduced. Imagine being one of the other Habs players, and looking at Gomez, while he's making quadruple the amount your making and your out their breaking your backs, going hard to the next in the corners and blocking shots while this joke is floating around. Surprised he didnt get into fight with the other Hab teammates.

But yea, this is one of the most brutal signings since I can remember.

 

[legmann]

Rebuilding Since 1967

Gotta admit, this is funny.

 

[Les_Habitants]

ESPN the Magazine - Ultimate Standings 2012

ESPN the Magazine - Ultimate Standings 2012

A NEW LOW for the Toronto Maple Laughs!!!

The Toronto Maple Laughs finished # 122 overall (last place) in ESPN the Magazine's annual ranking of North American professional sports franchises.

EXTRACTED FROM "ESPN THE MAGAZINE":

This year's rank: 122
Last year's rank: 120
Title track: 121
Ownership: 120
Coaching: 112
Players: 121
Fan relations: 119
Affordability: 122
Stadium experience: 104
Bang for the buck: 122

"Is it possible to be No. 122 with a bullet? After finishing 120th or 121st in the standings every year from 2008 to 2011, Toronto hiked prices 7.2 percent, cratered to 13th place in the NHL's Eastern Conference (GM Brian Burke said last season was "akin to an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff") and finally bottomed out in our rankings. The Leafs are like the Yankees -- an internationally famous franchise with a glorious history, devoted followers and staggeringly high prices -- except they play like the Royals. Even worse, they regularly blow off fans: In our surveys, the Leafs finished dead last among all teams in the categories of player accessibility, staging promotions and giveaways, and engaging fans through social media -- a hideous trifecta. And even though the team apologized for its performance in full-page newspaper ads in April, and Bell Canada and Rogers Communications, two of Canada's biggest media companies, just closed a deal to buy the club, there's little reason to expect change. The Leafs are by far the most valuable franchise in hockey and last year generated an enormous $81.8 million in profits. Now that's Loonie."

ESPN the Magazine - Ultimate Standings 2012: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/teamrankings#table

No. 122: Toronto Maple Laughs: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=UltimateStandingsMapleLeafs2012


Losers
Even
After
Forty-five
Seasons

Rebuilding Since 1967

 

[gcostanza]

The Hab-Nots were ranked 111th in this same poll.

Not exactly a position to be bragging from.

 

[MyHobbyist]

ONLY team since the last lock out to not make the playoffs ONCE... UNREAL!

 

[Ironhead]

lol

No matter how you try to distract, Montreal still sucks.

 

[gladheateher]

The Habs are even worse Mr. "Les Habitants" See you next season on Terb!

I think Mr. "Les Habitants" and poutine nation have gone into hiding

 

[dirkd101]

What happened to your beloved Habs last night?

Go Leafs!


Habs suck

 

[kirmit129]

Here we go again...


Last year, Leafs fans SELECTIVELY posted scores and taunted ONLY when Mtl lose AND Toronto either won or did not play. End result, Toronto finished with only 2 more points and these same fans went into hiding when Toronto went into a downward spiral.

This is ONE game people!!!! 2-1 is nothing to be proud or upset about. Especially after a lockout where one team has players more game ready than the other.

 

[Mervyn]

Leaf fans are quite aware it was only a 2-1 win, and the first game of the season so it's likely to have little consequence in the long run ( although in a shortened year it does have a bit more importance) what non Leaf fans seem so incredibly obtuse about is this is all done in fun, the only ones taking these celebrations seriously are non Leaf fans who over-react each and every year.

 

[ahlungjai]

we may be better defensively still don't know where the offense will come from...Kadri will not produce consistently even in a shorten season.

 

[Ironhead]

Here we go again...


Last year, Leafs fans SELECTIVELY posted scores and taunted ONLY when Mtl lose AND Toronto either won or did not play. End result, Toronto finished with only 2 more points and these same fans went into hiding when Toronto went into a downward spiral.

You are likely thinking about Montreal fans. Win and you think every game was a Cup win, lose and it must be the summer off season. One particular Montreal fan comes to mind.

This is ONE game people!!!! 2-1 is nothing to be proud or upset about. Especially after a lockout where one team has players more game ready than the other.

Thanks for pointing out the incredibly obvious(it is only one game), the mere obvious will do from here forward.




I kind of remember posting regardless of a Leaf win or loss. If we Leaf fans only posted, as you claim, when the Leafs win we would rarely post ... yes we realize the Leafs are not a good team .... yet.


WOO HOO ! Leafs beat Montreal ! 1-0

I think this is the year.

Go Blue !


ha ha another crap year for Montreal ... I wonder how long before the owner throws this GM and or coach under the bus.

 

[kirmit129]

I kind of remember posting regardless of a Leaf win or loss. If we Leaf fans only posted, as you claim, when the Leafs win we would rarely post ... yes we realize the Leafs are not a good team .... yet.

Not reading and twisting words yet again. I said, when Montreal loses AND Toronto either wins or did not play. As I recall, last year, Toronto had a good first half and faded away in the second half doing much worse than Montreal in the second half.

Anyway, these people know who they are. Why do you always have to feel pointed at?

 

[Rockslinger]

Kadri is on pace to score 48 regular season goals.

 

[Ironhead]

Why did I feel pointed at ? ....

Here we go again...


Last year, Leafs fans SELECTIVELY posted scores and taunted ONLY when Mtl lose AND Toronto either won or did not play. End result, Toronto finished with only 2 more points and these same fans went into hiding when Toronto went into a downward spiral.

This is ONE game people!!!! 2-1 is nothing to be proud or upset about. Especially after a lockout where one team has players more game ready than the other.

Leafs fans.

Of which I am one.

SELECTIVELY posted scores and taunted ONLY when Mtl lose AND Toronto either won or did not play.

I posted always. I went on and on about the owner throwing the head coach under the bus .... remember ?
And I recall doing so whether the Leafs won, lost or even played.

This is ONE game people!!!!

Hey thanks for point out the obvious.

nothing to be proud or upset about.

See answer directly above.






..... Why did you feel the need to point ?

 

[elmo]

I'm a Habs fan. Do I expect a good season for Montreal? Nope. But really Leafs fans...people in glass houses and all. Realistically, Toronto has one decent line and poor second, third and fourth lines (3 goals in 2 games), little or no D and second rate goaltending. Not that the Habs are in much better shape, but if we're only going to discuss Toronto and Montreal, it's going to be a crappy conversation. Maybe we should discuss winning teams that actually have a shot...neither Montreal or Toronto do this year.