The Rite of Spring: 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[IceCap]

16 hours ago, tp49 said:

For me it was never that he left, I actually expected it, it's how he left that upset the large majority of the fan base.

I mean...he signed with the team he grew up rooting for. 

 

Frankly it felt good at the time and still does. Southern Ontario produces some of the best hockey players in the world but as soon as the possibility to actually play for the team they grew up imagining they played for comes up they shrink away like a vampire in sunlight (looking at you, Stamkos). 

 

So having a guy of considerable skill from here who actually wants to play here is a huge step up from the usual "local Toronto-born player lists Leafs on his 'no trade' list." 

 

That all of these schmucks then go on to talk about how much it means to play for Canada internationally just adds to the dumbness. 

 

So Tavares grew up rooting for the Leafs, had a chance to play for the Leafs, and took the chance. 

 

I get Islanders fans being upset, but I also think it's unfair to make him a villain in the whole thing. 

[Jer15]

20 hours ago, JerseyJimmy said:

 

am I the only Islanders fan who doesn't care about Tavares leaving? I think they got as far as they could revolving the entire franchise around him.

Well, now there are plenty of people I know who wish he stayed. If I have to hear "We paid 11 million for this?" one more time.....
(also "we" did not, MLSE did, stop acting like it was your money fictional person I'm using for this example.)

[habsfan1]

@IceCap  Your Leafs are 20 minutes away from ending their long 1st round drought. I'm fine with TBL taking an early exit, after what happened in last year's Cup final.

[tp49]

6 hours ago, IceCap said:

I mean...he signed with the team he grew up rooting for. 

 

Frankly it felt good at the time and still does. Southern Ontario produces some of the best hockey players in the world but as soon as the possibility to actually play for the team they grew up imagining they played for comes up they shrink away like a vampire in sunlight (looking at you, Stamkos). 

 

So having a guy of considerable skill from here who actually wants to play here is a huge step up from the usual "local Toronto-born player lists Leafs on his 'no trade' list." 

 

That all of these schmucks then go on to talk about how much it means to play for Canada internationally just adds to the dumbness. 

 

So Tavares grew up rooting for the Leafs, had a chance to play for the Leafs, and took the chance. 

 

I get Islanders fans being upset, but I also think it's unfair to make him a villain in the whole thing. 

He's also the guy who kept going on and on about how he wanted to stay on the Island for his whole career, which  given the state of the team while he was here and that a lot of athletes say that to be diplomatic would be forgivable. 

 

What angered the Islander fan base was that supposedly he was approached prior to the trade deadline about being traded and he refused so not only did the Islanders lose him (which we were honestly expecting anyway) but they weren't even able to trade him for assets then he dragged the whole process out knowing he wasn't going to come back.  More or less gave the organization and fans the middle finger walking out the door.  Now in fairness I don't remember whether he refused based on an NTC/NMC or just personal assurances to Garth Snow that he would re-sign and didn't want to be traded but that irritated the fanbase to no end.  

 

Had Tavares handled it better on the way out the door the majority of us would have a different feeling towards him and  is why I hope the only way he ever gets to see the cup is if he goes to the HHOF and buys a ticket.

[Kevin W.]

The fact that Leafs fans act like they're entitled to Ontario-born players is a big part of why I took the Islanders' side in the dispute.

 

That and I revel in the Leafs :censored:ting the bed in the playoffs every single year.

[ninersdd]

Maple Leafs were the better team in OT, but it doesn't matter.  Huge game 7 on Saturday.

[Kevin W.]

WOMP WOMP WOMP

 

That is such a Toronto thing for them to do. Oh man, that's beautiful.

 

Game 7 is going to be such a good game.

[habsfan1]

Death.

Taxes.

Leafs 1st round exit, after blowing a series lead.

[See Red]

Bummer we don't go straight to a salty Bisonnette in-studio.

 

Point is so clutch!

[tp49]

Tampa Bay hasn't been able to win two in a row all series.  We'll see if they take any momentum into Saturday night or if the pattern continues.

[DoctorWhom]

That's such a Leafs way to lose that game. 

 

Oh well, time to lay an egg at home in Game 7, Toronto.  

[habsfan1]

[chcarlson23]

Well the Wild had their best season in franchise history, and got bounced in 6. And not because the Blues were that much better than the Wild, but because the Wild really just couldn’t play hockey the same way that had all year. 
 

“It’s all about winning”

 

What a shame, and welcome to Cap hell

[Kevin W.]

The Leafs and the Kings lost.

 

I'd say that was a good night of hockey.

[wildwing64]

I've been following the Leafs-Lightning series more closely than the rest, the back-and-forth between them has been great.

 

Kind of pulling for the Leafs to break their curse and get past the first round already, but also it'd be neat to see Perry win one more Cup. So I'll be bandwagoning with whoever wins this one.

[Jer15]

10 hours ago, Kevin W. said:

The fact that Leafs fans act like they're entitled to Ontario-born players is a big part of why I took the Islanders' side in the dispute.

I want to preface this by saying I live in the GTA but I'm not a Leafs fan. I don't hate them (I wish them well for all my friends who are Leafs fans) I just am not a fan of the team. 

 

That said, I don't feel like most Leaf fans are entitled to Ontario-born hockey players at all (sure, there's exceptions to the rule see: Don Cherry types but that's not the majority). They love when an Ontario born player joins the team, yes. There's no doubt about that. 

In fact, I think the sentiment is more "these Ontario guys don't want to play here because the media is on their ass constantly". If that is true or not is another topic of discussion but I feel like that is the prevailing sentiment. 

 

Also (this is more of a general comment not a reply to you Kevin), I don't really care what any fans feel about the Tavares situation. He had a contract, he fulfilled it and when he was a free agent he exercised his right to sign where he wanted. That's the bottom line. 

 

As for the game last night: "That's soooo Toronto". What else can you say? 

[Sport]

Suspect call and Hedman sold it, but Kerfoot has to know to be careful with his stick on that penalty kill. Keeping yourself out of the box is more important than the puck at that point. I would've been astonished if Tampa didn't tie the game on that 5-on-3 because of their personnel, but also because giving up a goal like that is just so Leafs. 

 

I don't make a habit out of gambling on hockey, but the Leafs losing that game last night was such a clear call that I dropped a few bucks on Tampa. I don't feel great about their chances of ending this drought in Game 7 because it's going to be puckered bhole city up in there. 

[spartacat_12]

20 hours ago, IceCap said:

Frankly it felt good at the time and still does. Southern Ontario produces some of the best hockey players in the world but as soon as the possibility to actually play for the team they grew up imagining they played for comes up they shrink away like a vampire in sunlight (looking at you, Stamkos).

 

I mean Stamkos had played in a Cup Final the year before his deal expired, and the decision to stay has worked out real well for him. Tough to fault a guy who wanted to stay in a Florida mansion where he gets the best tax rates in the league, and gets to play for a consistent contender.

 

20 hours ago, Jer15 said:

Well, now there are plenty of people I know who wish he stayed. If I have to hear "We paid 11 million for this?" one more time.....
(also "we" did not, MLSE did, stop acting like it was your money fictional person I'm using for this example.)

 

Well in a hard-cap league I think it's fine for fans to complain about how much money a guy is being paid. 

 

Most of my friends are Leafs fans, and I was with them when the signing was announced. They were cheering & dancing around to the news, but part of me felt like it could hurt them in the long run. If he isn't on their payroll at $11 mil, maybe they can convince Matthews & Marner to sign for a little less than they got. They already had Kadri, so Tavares showing up pretty much forced them to trade him. If they wanted to make a big splash in free agency they would've been better off waiting for Pietrangelo. 

 

[Kramerica Industries]

20 minutes ago, spartacat_12 said:

I mean Stamkos had played in a Cup Final the year before his deal expired, and the decision to stay has worked out real well for him. Tough to fault a guy who wanted to stay in a Florida mansion where he gets the best tax rates in the league, and gets to play for a consistent contender.

 

 

He's also battled injuries constantly since signing that deal and he's also never had a reputation, before 2016 or since, of being a marquee playoff performer. The Lightning won a Stanley Cup in a postseason where Stamkos literally played all of two minutes and 47 seconds during it. Given that it was either Stamkos or Tavares, I'd say the Leafs came out much better on that. 

[Kevin W.]

1 hour ago, Kramerica Industries said:

Given that it was either Stamkos or Tavares, I'd say the Leafs came out much better on that. 

I mean, the engraving on the Cup says otherwise…