The 2024-25 Season is a Win-Win Situation for the Toronto Maple Leafs Fans
By James Tanner
Finally, some good news for Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
Despite cheering on possibly the worst possible professional sports franchise in history (sorry Chicago Cubs) Toronto Maple Leafs somehow stay positive. It's almost as if we like to lose. Certainly we expect it, and certainly no one is stopping us from changing our allegiances.
But we don't do it. The fun of being a Leafs fan is that for every ridiculous over-the-top unlikely event that occurs and goes against our favorite team, the joy of our eventual championship only increases.
And while I can't say the Leafs will for sure win the Stanley Cup this season, there's a chance. Well, there's always a chance, so what makes this year different? It's the no-lose proposition.
Allow me to explain. No, that will take too long - let me sum up.
The 2024-25 Season is a Win-Win Situation for the Toronto Maple Leafs Fans
Last year stunk if you were a Leafs fan. Not only did the team fail to improve their roster before the season started, but Ilya Samsonov had a horrendous season and for reasons that are still not clear, Brad Treliving made zero effort to upgrade his team before the playoffs.
The Leafs then lost by one single goal, in the seventh game, playing their hearts out and nearly defeating a superior opponent. If only Brad had done his job, this team would have at least played four more games, likely more.
There was some hope that incoming TMLSE President Keith Pelley would clean house, but he chose to just watch silently from the background while giving a fair chance to the people already working here.
Sound familiar? It should. That is because Brendan Shanhan employed the same strategy when he was first given the reins to run the TMLSE hockey team. Shanahan came aboard, watched Dave Nonis and his minions bumble around for a year, then fired everyone.
After a year, it was pretty much Nylander, Rielly and Shanahan with everyone else jettisoned. I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. And you can bet your Mom's favorite shoulder padded blazer that Keith Pelley is aware that his team's management just got ranked 30th out of 32 from the preeminent hockey publication in terms of fan confidence.
So it's win-win for Leafs fans: Either the Toronto Maple Leafs finally go on a deep playoff run and at the very least come close to winning the Stanley Cup, or Brendan and Brad get fired.
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See, can't lose. Enjoy the season.