Is there any team that hockey fans love to hate the way they love to hate the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Honestly, probably not.
Their haters love to hate them with the same undying passion that their fans long for their success, and you can’t argue that it’s one of the most stressful teams in the world to play for. While the team’s popularity and their players’ subsequent celebrity status is definitely a perk in some regards (Instagram ads, anyone?), it also comes with the heavy burden of playing with the pressure of endless media and fan critique.
The Leafs are still a maturing team, but no one’s faced more criticism than they have for their playoff woes over the past few seasons. While they’re now consistently a playoff team, they just can’t seem to solve the first round, and we imagine that has a lot to do with the pressure that piles on with every error they make. It’s nearly impossible to thrive with and play loose with the added pressure of a million angry fans out for your neck if you turn the puck over once, and it’s easy to let the pressure get to your head.
Since the rise of social media, where players can see and stew on every nasty thing you tweet at them, the phenomenon has never been more of an obstacle.
The Leafs had one of the busiest off-seasons in hockey, and though he’s a legend nearing the end of his career, Joe Thornton is definitely one of their more valuable gets.
Though the 41 year old seems to be getting along just great with the team, who’s average player age is now around 27, he definitely brings a different perspective to the table. One of those things? Joe Thornton brings a stress-free, play loose approach to the game, and it’s probably a welcome refresher for the Buds.
Where does Jumbo Joe get his impeccable attitude despite the ‘must-win’ feeling the Maple Leafs always feel the pressure of?
Though we imagine he’s probably just wired that way, it probably also has a lot to do with not having social media, as pointed out by Mitch Marner this morning.
So you’re telling us Joe Thornton didn’t see Leafs Twitter spontaneously combust when he signed?!
Mitch is referring to Auston Matthews as ‘Tony’ here (another nickname to add to his running list), so we imagine these two will be trying out this new philosophy, and we’ll see how the new take on things works out for two of the Leafs’ most highly visible players.
