Stanley Cup Final Chicago (1) vs Boston (5)

[Peter D.]

I really don't get this.  Are people that affected by the first round loss that they have to take joy in Boston's loss?

I mean, did it suck we lost?  Yes.  Did it suck we lost the way we did? Yes.  Is Boston to blame for it?  No - the Leafs are to blame.  Why are people taking it out on Boston?

I agree with this. 

It's absolutely fine to hope Boston lost and are glad they did so.  And if people believe Boston losing in the Cup final helps lessen the sting of the Leafs' loss, by all means.

But I don't get people who think Boston losing in the final as opposed to simply losing in the first round as the Leafs did is some sort of moral victory.  There's really no reason for us to be gloating that Boston couldn't get it done.  Considering the city hasn't see a final game in 46 years, I'm sure we'd all wouldn't mind being able to say the team was two games away from winning the Cup.

Who's gloating?  It's surprising to you that Leafs fans are happy that Boston lost in heartbreaking fashion?  Reverse the situations and the fanbase reactions would be exactly the same.

Other message boards and media comment areas have fans saying that while the Leafs lost in the first round, at least they didn't lose in the final. That to me is senseless gloating.

Where did I say it was surprising? I'd expect nothing different. Does that mean we are able to undermine what Boston accomplished compared to what the Leafs did? I don't think so.

 

[KoHo]

I personally don't have a problem with dancing on Boston's grave. I was cheering for the Bruins but couldn't help but grin that they lost in that fashion. As a Leafs fan it makes me feel a litttttttle bit better. Let fans have some fun with it.

With that said, these folks may have taken it too far:

http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/53817537744/stanley-cup-finals-bring-out-best-in-hockey-fans-i

 

[Kin]

Other message boards and media comment areas have fans saying that while the Leafs lost in the first round, at least they didn't lose in the final. That to me is senseless gloating.

I think it depends on the context, really, in which something like that is said. I mean, to some extent, it's true. I've spent the last month or so telling people who asked me about the Leafs collapse that it didn't really crack my top 5 painful Leafs losses of all time because the ones that really hurt(Kerry effin' Fraser, the Canucks, not being able to beat Dwayne Roloson, the Hurricanes after Mats ties it up and Roenick's OT winner) were ones where the Leafs really looked to be on the verge of doing something special and while the Boston loss stunk it was a first round loss. If you asked me whether I'd rather the Leafs lose painfully in the first round or in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals I'd say first round. Is making it to the finals a greater accomplishment? Sure but to some extent it's all meaningless without that last win.

So when Leafs fans feel a sort of "Well, our loss is painful but yours is more so" I think there's plenty of sense to it. Whether or not you think that Boston fans deserve the animosity is another matter but if you're the kind of person who thinks they do then there's definitely some sense to it.

That said, I think that's a sort of Leafs-centric viewpoint. The reason tough losses stick with Leafs fans so badly is because we're so desperate to see the team win a championship. If I'm a Boston fan right now I'm probably pretty bummed about the loss but I can probably console myself with the cup the team won 2 years ago.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Other message boards and media comment areas have fans saying that while the Leafs lost in the first round, at least they didn't lose in the final. That to me is senseless gloating.

I think it depends on the context, really, in which something like that is said. I mean, to some extent, it's true. I've spent the last month or so telling people who asked me about the Leafs collapse that it didn't really crack my top 5 painful Leafs losses of all time because the ones that really hurt(Kerry effin' Fraser, the Canucks, not being able to beat Dwayne Roloson, the Hurricanes after Mats ties it up and Roenick's OT winner) were ones where the Leafs really looked to be on the verge of doing something special and while the Boston loss stunk it was a first round loss. If you asked me whether I'd rather the Leafs lose painfully in the first round or in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals I'd say first round. Is making it to the finals a greater accomplishment? Sure but to some extent it's all meaningless without that last win.

So when Leafs fans feel a sort of "Well, our loss is painful but yours is more so" I think there's plenty of sense to it. Whether or not you think that Boston fans deserve the animosity is another matter but if you're the kind of person who thinks they do then there's definitely some sense to it.

That said, I think that's a sort of Leafs-centric viewpoint. The reason tough losses stick with Leafs fans so badly is because we're so desperate to see the team win a championship. If I'm a Boston fan right now I'm probably pretty bummed about the loss but I can probably console myself with the cup the team won 2 years ago.

I agree with pretty much all of that.

The other thoughts I'd add:  I enjoyed seeing the team that humiliated the Leafs get humiliated, and I'm not embarrassed to say it.  Yes, there's a sense of vengeance against an adversary, even if it's delivered by another team.  But beyond that, it also makes it a little more okay that the Leafs lost the way they did.  It illustrates that even very good or elite teams can go down in a way like the Leafs did.  It illustrates to me how, in sports, so much can hinge on so little, whether it's measures of time or space.  Joy can turn to heartbreak in an instant, and it's devastating.  It might sound odd, but to see another team, particularly that team, go down like that is comforting in it's own way, because it reminds me that we're not alone in experiencing such misery.  There will be no "you guys choked!" from Boston fans to Leaf fans.  We've all been humbled in defeat.

 

[hockeyfan1]

This was the "most watched" Stanley Cup Final and Stanley Cup playoffs since 1994 for the U.S. t.v. market.

Plenty of details:
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/blackhawks-vs-bruins-stanley-cup-final-most-watched-232902128.html

 

[hockeyfan1]

P.S.  Nice trophy!

 

[hockeyfan1]

Hockey Night in Canada's closing montsge...and congrats on it's 60th season!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_93FLfgKz-E&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Jalili]

Great series with one amazing twist ending.

I'm glad someone other than the goalie won Conn Smythe (personal preference: didn't think Quick should of won either), but I felt it should have been Keith's as I did in 2010.

Now it'll be interesting to see who the cap casualties are on Chicago and Boston, which is what usually happens to the Cup finalists.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Two Toronto-area boys who played together in the GTHL, one named Bolland and the other named Bickell...plus nice story of the Bolland family...

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/52518-Dave-Bollands-Stanley-Cupwinning-goal-emotional-for-his-family.html

 

[mc]

Andrew Ference shaves his beard in style:

https://vine.co/v/hzJX1UKP7nq

 

[TheMightyOdin]

For me personally I was glad that Boston lost but not because of the way we lost to them in the first round. I was glad because had they won the cup we would be subjected to seeing replays of that final 10 minutes against us in the first round for years and years to come.

Imagine years down the road... "And the 2013 Champion Bruins were all but eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs but then this happened"....  Video Rolls and leaf fans relive the heartbreak again.

 

[hockeyfan1]

For me personally I was glad that Boston lost but not because of the way we lost to them in the first round. I was glad because had they won the cup we would be subjected to seeing replays of that final 10 minutes against us in the first round for years and years to come.

Imagine years down the road... "And the 2013 Champion Bruins were all but eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs but then this happened"....  Video Rolls and leaf fans relive the heartbreak again.

Exactly, Odin.  I, too, had the same trepidation if Boston had won that Cup.  Now, the LeafsNation can rest easy with the knowledge that that didn't transpire.  Hooray! 

 

[hockeyfan1]

Classy...

Emily Kaplan @emilymkaplan
This is so cool. The Blackhawks took out a full page ad in today's @BostonGlobe. pic.twitter.com/snkfdkYwda

 

[Redleaf]

Kane brings Stanley to a Jimmy Buffet concert. I love this story....

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/stanley-cups-summer-scrapbook-follow-the-chicago-blackhawks-party/

 

[maplesyrup]

I can't confirm the accuracy of this but if true, I think it's interesting;

 

[Stickytape]

I can't confirm the accuracy of this but if true, I think it's interesting;

It's not completely accurate, but it's not that far off from the truth.  In Toews' press conference he doesn't really say "I" outside of saying "I think" a few times; he's clearly very humble and relates to just about everything through the team.  When he isn't saying "we" it's "ours" or "theirs".

In Lebron's press conference he also talks about the team as a whole at first, but otherwise it's mostly about himself.  In his defense, the questions he's asked are more directed to him as an individual; however, he still comes across to me as a turd.

 

[maplesyrup]

Ah. Thanks.

 

[Zee]

I can't confirm the accuracy of this but if true, I think it's interesting;

It's not completely accurate, but it's not that far off from the truth.  In Toews' press conference he doesn't really say "I" outside of saying "I think" a few times; he's clearly very humble and relates to just about everything through the team.  When he isn't saying "we" it's "ours" or "theirs".

In Lebron's press conference he also talks about the team as a whole at first, but otherwise it's mostly about himself.  In his defense, the questions he's asked are more directed to him as an individual; however, he still comes across to me as a turd.

I think this is more of a culture clash between NHL players and NBA players though.  There are exceptions to every rule and you'll find great sports in the NBA as well as idiots in the NHL, but on the whole I think NHL players are more like Toews and NBA players more like Lebron.  To be fair, the NBA is far more geared towards the "stars" and there are only 5 guys on the court at any one time as opposed to hockey and constant line changes.

I hate basketball by the way.   

 

[Kin]

I can't confirm the accuracy of this but if true, I think it's interesting;

It's not true at all. It was brought up in the NBA thread and I responded to it there:

The very first question he gets asked is "Two things how does it feel to be a multiple champion and how does this compare to last year?"

This is his answer.

It feels great. This team is amazing and the vision that I had when I decided to come here is all coming true. Through adversity, through everything we've been through, we've been able to perservere and win back to back championships. It's an unbelievable feeling and I'm happy to be a part of such a world class organization.

Seriously, in what way is that not acknowledging his teammates or failing to use the super important collective we? Why, if someone were "counting the wes" would they not pick up on the two in the very first answer?

I'm sorry but the people spreading this have a really ugly agenda if they couldn't even bother to do the most basic fact checking on it. Whatever bizarre point they seem to want to make about NBA players doesn't even stand up to the most basic scrutiny.

 

[maplesyrup]

Well, it's a double-sided thing (at least for me anyway.) I'm as much impressed by the Toews 'wes' as anything else. That said, the whole thing seems to be overblown though anyway so movin' on...