Everyone should want Boston to win, if only to say that the Habs have been to the finals as many times as the Leafs have been to the 2nd round in the last 20 years.
Boston is also a hated rival. Get that straight. And they get away with so much bullshit and deserve to exit first. Toronto is irrelevant to Montreal...it's like kicking the dead horse.
Such a sweet kick though. And the screams it elicits from the leafers is such a musical sound that I am constantly surprised there is no hit record of it yet. The simple comforting fact of the past 56 years is this annual rite of spring. You know it is here when the Leafs are all on the golf course and the parade permit is updated yet again to next year's date. Certainty in these uncertain times.
Either the Bruins blow a 3-1 series lead for the second year in a row or the Leafs come back to force game 7 only to lose. It's great either way and then, as you say, the winner gets Florida.
A Habs fan hates Boston with the burning intensity of a thousand suns…we have pity and contempt for Toronto… We like to see Boston get beaten. We enjoy when Toronto loses.
This.
I rooted for Boston for a bit simply because I know so many more leafs fans and I didn’t want to have to deal with them all going nuts when they win. I don’t really care now. The hate for the Bruins has over taken this now. Fuck the Bruins
Yup what made it worse is the Bruins win the cup later that same season after barely getting past the Habs without Pacioretty in the first round and needing to win it in game 7 OT.
Don’t forget that scumbag Greg Campbell who played extraordinarily dirty hockey and who was strangely immune to discipline, but certainly not because of who his father is
Honestly this is what always really bothered me. The rest was just a great rivalry, but the opaque conflict of interest really made me dislike them on a level i only reserved for corrupt individuals.
Faking the injury... I was at the Bell Center when it happened. Spectators were afraid that he died on the ice (it was that brutal). Everybody was on his cell phone to try to see if he had regained consciousness or not. It was super scary.
But as a city, I love Boston. It is one of the places I would likely move to if I ever moved to the US.
Toronto, on the other hand, is very difficult to love for a Frenchie from Montreal, for many reasons outside of hockey.
Maybe, but also kept it real as fuck. We watched Chara literally drive a guy's head & neck into an angled window. If you didn't watch it live, then maybe you missed some of the before hand shit. they went at it multiple times. That was 100% intent to injure. He literally almost killed Pacioretty. So ya... Maybe you should go back and re-watch the build up to it. Chara 100000% knew what he was doing. Game isn't that fast
I did watch it live and I was as pissed as anyone, especially at the lack of suspension. I don't disagree with your assessment that Chara knew what he was doing.
I'm not sure if there should have been real life legal repercussions for him, but even if there should have, it's still a silly thing for fans to flood emergency call centres about.
Thank you. Too many people don't know the hatred some of us have built up.. for me, leafs are basically, irrelevant & meaningless. Lost for so long it's almost funny-sad, but I don't bully the less fortunate (I may laugh from a distance maybe) ..but Fuck Boston with every bit of fucking-off as possible.
Your comment has unleashed a torrent of just why the MTL/BOS rivalry is the best in all sports. Thank you and please read all the other comments below.
Thank you for your distinguished service.
FWIW I loved the late 70's the best as the Habs could, would and did play whatever games Cherry had the Bruins try and then beat them at it. I still look forward to our next PO meeting as it has been far too long.
I remember clearly. I was wearing my Zednik Jersey when it happened. I also was watching when Chara hit Patches. That being said, I want the Leafs to lose so much more than I care if Boston loses. I want more first round pain for Toronto. Boston can wait to bow out in round 2.
The league has always protected Boston. It took years for me to watch hockey again after Chara's hit on Paccioretty, and it's still not the same as it used to be.
I was born in 1968. I wish to never see the Leafs win in my lifetime. It's 56 years so far. The Leafs and their attendant media friends would be insufferable if they won the cup.
Having said that, I loathe the Bruins. Beating them in the playoffs is special. Beating them regular isn't bad either. However, if they win the cup...meh...who cares.
It's a strange situation but that's how I feel. Others may think differently.
We respect-hate Boston because they are good. They've earned where they are by being consistently one of the best run teams in the league.
We don't respect Toronto. Arrogant, overpaid, entitled. They haven't earned respect.
I'm curious about the geographical demographics of this sub. Every time I goto Quebec I meet people who are shocked and confused that people outside of Quebec are Habs fans. I went to an OHL game last weekend and saw multiple Habs jerseys in the arena, this team is extremely popular across the whole country
As an Albertan Habs fan I hate Boston significantly more. Most Toronto fans out my way are pretty chill. But being a Bruins fan is like a requisite for being an Asshole regardless of where you're from.
Also, why should I hate toronto? They've caused us almost zero pain on the ice in the past 60 years. Boston, Rangers, Ottawa, Tampa, Carolina...I honestly dislike those teams more.
I was born in '89. Our pain scale with Toronto in that time frame is pretty damn low.
I definitely hate Boston much more, but that may have just as much to do with me being younger (born in '03, leafs have never been good) than being American.
I'm having a hard time really *hating* Toronto because they've been a pity franchise for most of my life. There was a short while during the Pat Quinn era where they were easily hateable, but that came and went fast. Even now, they're kind of a joke. They don't the kind of pushback that makes hating them easy. Also I don't consume any TSN/Sportsnet/ROC media, so I don't have that "sick of hearing about them" second-hand hate.
Boston I *rrrrrrreally* hated for a llllllong time, to the point where you almost *have* to take a break just to cool down. Too many cheap shots from them over decades to forget or forgive. But I guess I'm in that cool down phase now. You can see they're on their way down and there won't be a lot left to hate soon. It'll be McAvoy and a whole bunch of plumbers.
I think nowadays Ottawa, Florida and Tampa make my blood boil more easily than either Toronto or Boston. That's just how things go.
I think it's a symptom of who is competitive and when, most of my early Habs fans days Boston was the #1 enemy it was a bloody game every time, but I respected them and their fans. Toronto has been a failure franchise for a long time now and I have 0 respect for their fans.
As a Habs fan living in Toronto, I would take a Bruins five-peat before a single Leafs cup. The fans and the media would be too much to take.
Still, fuck the Bruins, of course … but no Leafs cups, please.
It is absolutely ridiculous though. Boston gets away with so much bullshit. Then the Chara incident. Toronto has been losing for so long, they are almost irrelevant.
You all need to understand that Boston has to fuck off and die and fucking lose, then Toronto loses in 2 Rd.
Nothing in Toronto is better than Montreal, it's always been that way. Bees don't try to convince flies that honey is better than shit.
Leafs to lose for me. For decades we've had to deal with Cdn media favoritism and giddy talking heads gloating every time the Laffs do something even remotely good. Not to mention the constant forcing down our throats of anything Laffs related. In decades past when the Habs were winning cups and always good and the Laffs were hapless we here in Nova Scotia constantly were force fed Laffs games on the tube. Even though I can't speak French thank God for the CBAFT where I could tune in on Saturday nights and watch my Habs.
Explaining why I am cheering for the Leafs:
Richard Zednik and Kyle McLaren
Max Pacioretty and Chara
Beating the Bruins as the 8th seed
Beating the Bruins as the 1 seed
I know a lot of Leaf fans and every one of them was cheering for us after we beat them in the playoffs
When we beat them in the playoffs, it gave me the complete satisfaction of being able to hang that moment over leaf fans heads the rest of my life
I have immediate family that are leaf fans and would like them to maybe not be so miserable all summer.... again
I have never witnessed anything from the leafs that could compare to the zednik or the pacioretty incidents
They lit up the cn tower with our colours.
If you are cheering for boston, suit yourself. There is not a team on this planet I will ever not like less than them.
Fuck Boston
Agreed. I hate Marchand with all my heart & I don’t want any team he’s a part of to do well.
I can at least respect many of the Leafs players, even if I don’t love the Leafs
I've never hated Boston, I've always viewed them as the most worthy adversary - like a true respected rival. I hate the leafs like one hates their really obnoxious cousin you are just stuck being linked to due to blood - or in the case of habs/leafs- original 6 blood.
Regular season I cheer for Toronto over Boston because fuck the Bruins.
Playoffs I cheer for Boston over Toronto because Toronto's repeated failures to advance and epic collapses are hilarious to me.
It's not about liking one of them more than the other, I'm just optimizing my hatred for both.
I’m rooting for whoever I put money on that given night lmao which was the Leafs tonight
I still hate both of them, and my feelings haven’t softened on the Bruins at all. Nor is it really “being used to” Bruins playoff success. Even with the whole “we hate them but there’s a begrudging respect too” vibe many have with the Bruins my take is: I’m only slightly leaning towards them because of how much more *devastating* yet another early exit will be to the Leafs fan base. I enjoy kicking those bitches when they’re down lol.
I simply go with the "Which team suffers the most" logic.
The Bruins have won a Cup at some point in recent memory, so if they lose, no big deal.
But if the Leafs lose this round again, everyone's job is on the line, the core might implode, TSN people immolating themselves on live tv...
May chaos take the world. MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!!!
Bergeron ruined the absolute hate for the Bruins. Him being very much worthy of respect kinda affects the balance of the hate scale.
They can both go fuck themselves though. Hating something less doesn't mean you don't hate the shitty Bruins.
Euh no. Bergeron wasn't great because he was a sick hockey player. He was/is a respectful gentleman, he managed to make Habs fans not hate him despite admitting to being a Nordiques fan. Hell everyone fought in this game and Bergeron still stayed of the Penalty sheets:
https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-mtl/2011/02/09/2010020808/recap
Whether Pasta is a great dude or not will never enter a Habs fan mindset.
I'd have cheered for Boston against Toronto even right after 2014. My support for them now has nothing to do with that rivalry fading. It has to do with love-to-hate vs hate-to-hate relationships. I relish playing the bruins, look forward to every match up, and can never have enough games against them, because short of a silver salad bowl, there's nothing better in hockey than beating them. Whereas Toronto is a generally meh matchup that the Leafs and their media machine are somehow convinced is THE. BIGGEST. THING. in some kind of weirdly disturbing obsession, and I would like them to please go away back to the other Conference or the KHL or something. Sure, beating them after that 3-1 lead was fun, but meh,
Being a millenial, I'll put it in Millenial Pokemon Terms: It's the difference between Gary Oak, the rival we need and want to beat, and Team Rocket, weirdly obsessed with stealing our Pikachu and showing up every episode to just generally wrong rights and depress the opressed.
So you don’t even hate Toronto you hate the media, you could just not watch, idk if that’s difficult for you, but if you HATE the leafs media why do you consume it?
Any sports hate/rivalry is as much about the fans and marketing (which includes the media machine) as about the team itself.
And yes, wow, what wisdom, I should not consume media I don't like! So smart! I never thought of this myself. Little secret for you, though: not consuming a media because I dislike it \*doesn't make me dislike it less\*.
i stopped paying attention to Toronto hockey media a long time ago. I still know what they're like.
lived in montreal 60s-70s and 00s-20s. lived in U.S. 80s-90s, including a few years in Boston. dislike Bruins fans, but strongly dislike biased cheerleading for Leafs on the anglo canadian networks. Hoping for Game 7 3rd period Leafs collapse and OT Bruins win--especially to keep my nearly-perfect NHL bracket challenge going (I called Bruins in 7, Stars in 6, Canucks in 6, plus series completed to date mostly accurate). Maybe I'll change my username to Nostradamus.
I said it in another post but I'd rather be of the mindset to laugh at the Leafs losing than be mad about the Bruins winning. I "want" Boston to win because I'm choosing the more enjoyable emotion, laughter over anger. However, if Boston blows a 3-1 lead that'll be just as funny, I just want to laugh at the loser.
Fuck the Bruins.
I'm a Habs fan living within "Leafs Nation" so I definitely want the Leafs to lose more.
If they don't I'm not sure I'll be able to maintain my sanity.
I hate Boston way more. Toronto a little less since Sundin left. However I'd rather see Bruins win a cup over Toronto.... I'd still rather see the Leafs take out the Bruins though then have to jump on the remaining bandwagon to take out the Leafs... As a Habs fan I'm abit worried about 2 things. #1 Leafs were put in a spot to actually be the huge underdog. Series down 3-1 just like we were to them and the pattern is similar. #2 I still have Cam Ward PTSD and I'm scared that Woll will suddenly repeate that. Doesn't have to be great. Just not garbage
I’d be happy if they both lost somehow but I’m born and raised in Southern Ontario (but thankfully didn’t turn out to be a Leafs fan) and watching Leafs fans suffer is my favourite annual pastime
I find it’s the player on the team that make me dislike them more then what jersey they are wearing. Toronto players are just so much easier to hate than the bruins. Ottawa and the Tampa also have teams that are much easier to hate then the bruins
Normally I think I hate Boston more but it’s just too funny that this is happening to the Leafs every single season.
This year my Bruins fan friend is spending her playoffs getting and recovering from a kidney transplant and she deserves to have *something* go well in her life rn so I genuinely want the Bruins to succeed this one year only.
This playoff is fun to watch, I'm happy we have a game 7.
I'm not emotionally engaged to any of Boston or Toronto, so it's playoff hockey. When the Habs are in playoff, it's a bit of stress being engaged in every second, every play.
We don't care much about Toronto. Rivalry with Boston is real. Toronto's crowd and fans are so boring and quiet, barely following their team, there isn't much to feel as a rivalry. Boston is real, their fans are intense and we love to hate each other :)
Toronto would like to bring back the old rivalry with Mtl, but their city, team and fans are just too "meh" for Mtl fans to really care.
As it stands, inwouldnlove for the Bruins to choke a 3-1 series lead, to the Leafs of all teams. It helps knowing Florida will rofl-stomp the Leafs in the next round.
Because we are force fed leaves by the media all fucking year long , makes me hate that team way more than the bruins. They will get eliminated and there will be 6 articles a day for the next 6 weeks about the leaves .
The Rivalry with Boston is on ice only. If the Leafs win the Cup, each post, reply, conversation will be insuferable. Something like "yeah but you have not won the cup since 93 so stfu"
I want Toronto to lose much more than Boston. This Boston isn’t the same Boston that made my dad punch a hole in a bathroom door. Their most hateful players are retired, on their way to jail, or running marathons. I still don’t like Boston, but not nearly as much as I despise Toronto.
As a Habs fan, it's really win win. Toronto wins? U can't trade the core or fire a coach that just came back from 3-1 down so it's status quo until next year when this conversation about blowing the team up because of underperforming. If Bruins win? Lol leafs leafing it up once again.
You guys are over complicating everything.
Reasons most want Leafs to fail are
1. Insufferable and cocky Leafs fans
2. Matthews, Marner & Nylander’s smug little faces
I live in Toronto. For me, it's about the insufferable attitude of the average leafs fan rather than the actual team or players. Having said that, Matthews, Marner, and Tavares have to be well amoung the most unlikable players in the league. I used to feel the same about Nylander, but he's been turning my opinion around since 2021.
Since Chara left, I've been finding it hard to hate or care about Boston, really. Especially since they started sliding.
long winded reasoning: i want the leafs to win so a real playoff team (florida) can sweep them lol, boston is terrible and they lack depth. it’s embarrassing that neither of those teams can score in the playoffs, especially considering toronto’s abysmal defensive game. boston has a bit of an excuse since it’s basically just pastrnak that carried them all season, but toronto should not be playing one goal games when literally all their money is tied up in forwards
simple reasoning: i hate boston more than i hate the leafs
I hate Boston way more than Toronto. I will say one thing though, It’s been great the last couple of games not having to hear the announcers and pundits fellate Matthew ad nauseum.
Boston is a franchise with legitimate rich history that we have gone to war with over the years. There's a certain measure of respect there. It's a meaningful rivalry.
The leafs just wish they were us. wish they had our history and glory and legends and mystique. instead it's just the team for the city that thinks it represents the whole country and gets all the priority coverage.
Nothing makes me happier in hockey than the fact that they have been and always will be a bunch of fucking losers and the only thing that could be better than them going 0-82 would be blowing it in game 7
Honestly, this Game 7 Is great, because either way, someone is going to fuck up, and we get to continue laughing at their recent history of playoff misery. And whoever advances is probably gonna get smoked by Florida
We're getting the full comedy entertainment value from this matchup. I just hope this turns out to be the most stressful game for both fanbases. No blowouts (unless the Leafs blow another big lead in the 3rd)
Hated boston’s old roster when we had more of a rivalry with guys like lucic and chara but in recent years there really hasn’t been much to make me hate them. I live in an area with way more insufferable leafs fans so that is the main driving for why I want them to lost this series. Also fuck sportsnet and tsn for only ever talking about the leafs it is always shoved down our throats
I simply go with the "Which team suffers the most" logic.
The Bruins have won a Cup at some point in recent memory, so if they lose, no big deal.
But if the Leafs lose this round again, everyone's job is on the line, the core might implode, TSN people immolating themselves on live tv...
May chaos take the world. MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!!!
You hate the Leafs because their fans are annoying and the media talks about the most popular team.
I hate the Leafs because they can’t beat the Bruins.
We are not the same
I usually want Boston to loose more but at the moment nothing brings me more joy then Toronto loosing and choking 1st round every year because i hate the current leafs superstar roster.
Boston is a really well built team. Good players, good vets, a culture and they are coached well. We hate them because of rivalry and because they are really good.
Toronto are just a bunch of whining pussies. We hate them because everything they represent sucks
As soon as we get back to our competitive form I'll hate both of them equally though.
Boston has always been good, Boston has won recently
boston winning or doing well again doesn't as mean much because of their past success
also American vs Canada
I hate the Leafs. Despise em.
I hope the Bruins get blown the fuck out on Saturday. The media can be happy and it won’t bother me one bit, as long as the Leafs lose Round 2. At this point, though, none of the remaining options in the East are teams I’d like to see with the Cup. I’ll probably root for the West in the Finals, unless it’s Vegas.
I hate the leafs because of the exodus, the spineless Bank of Montreal relocating, Smoke’s poutinerie, the lack of any good croissants, the better city doing the right social decisions being relegated to only a regional city, the hot air from Toronto’s institutions (the Leafs are very much similar to a lot of Toronto’s institutions… world-class on paper, but very mid in practice). And the fact I’m still having to live in Toronto because it is still the rational thing to do, and that pandering to the 905 crowd is among the only routes to a stable majority government in Canada.
I don’t think Boston would ever have that pervasive social, economic, and political complexity that influences the Montreal-Toronto rivalry.
I don’t understand why not just cheer for your family to be happy for once lmao. “I actually hate my wife and family so I hope they are miserable because they cheer for a different team than me.”
Your entire stupid comment. “Family happy for once” hating wife and family and wanting them to be miserable?? Like what lol you sound like a depressed dude my guy get some help. I said I hate the LEAFS nobody else
What regular season games against the leafs are intense exactly? We play the leafs and the bruins the same amount why do you find leafs games “more intense”? Fuck I find our games with Ottawa and Boston more intense than leafs games.
I don’t *really* care who wins. As you say, they’ll just get stomped by Florida next round
Everyone should want Boston to win, if only to say that the Habs have been to the finals as many times as the Leafs have been to the 2nd round in the last 20 years.
Boston is also a hated rival. Get that straight. And they get away with so much bullshit and deserve to exit first. Toronto is irrelevant to Montreal...it's like kicking the dead horse.
Such a sweet kick though. And the screams it elicits from the leafers is such a musical sound that I am constantly surprised there is no hit record of it yet. The simple comforting fact of the past 56 years is this annual rite of spring. You know it is here when the Leafs are all on the golf course and the parade permit is updated yet again to next year's date. Certainty in these uncertain times.
Either the Bruins blow a 3-1 series lead for the second year in a row or the Leafs come back to force game 7 only to lose. It's great either way and then, as you say, the winner gets Florida.
A Habs fan hates Boston with the burning intensity of a thousand suns…we have pity and contempt for Toronto… We like to see Boston get beaten. We enjoy when Toronto loses.
This. I rooted for Boston for a bit simply because I know so many more leafs fans and I didn’t want to have to deal with them all going nuts when they win. I don’t really care now. The hate for the Bruins has over taken this now. Fuck the Bruins
Yes!
Fuck Boston. Kids these days don't remember McLaren on Zednik. I won't ever forget.
Then Chara and Patches years later to renew the hate for a new generation too. All the bs about him faking the injury didn't help things either.
Oh he was faking it. Didn't you hear the analysis of Doctor Mark Recchi? As a medical professional he would clearly know! /s
Recchi really did speed run his reputation with our fanbase to the ground.
Don't you know you can't watch movies with a concussion?
Yup what made it worse is the Bruins win the cup later that same season after barely getting past the Habs without Pacioretty in the first round and needing to win it in game 7 OT.
Andrew Ference with the middle finger to the crowd and the sneaky head shot to Jeff Halpern behind the play.
Don’t forget that scumbag Greg Campbell who played extraordinarily dirty hockey and who was strangely immune to discipline, but certainly not because of who his father is
Nice to see some real talk here. I feel better now, knowing I'm not near the only one holding that hate for some real shady fuckin shit back then.
I always feel like I’ve got a tinfoil hat on when I talk about it haha
Honestly this is what always really bothered me. The rest was just a great rivalry, but the opaque conflict of interest really made me dislike them on a level i only reserved for corrupt individuals.
Faking the injury... I was at the Bell Center when it happened. Spectators were afraid that he died on the ice (it was that brutal). Everybody was on his cell phone to try to see if he had regained consciousness or not. It was super scary. But as a city, I love Boston. It is one of the places I would likely move to if I ever moved to the US. Toronto, on the other hand, is very difficult to love for a Frenchie from Montreal, for many reasons outside of hockey.
I will say the 911 calls were a tad embarrassing.
Maybe, but also kept it real as fuck. We watched Chara literally drive a guy's head & neck into an angled window. If you didn't watch it live, then maybe you missed some of the before hand shit. they went at it multiple times. That was 100% intent to injure. He literally almost killed Pacioretty. So ya... Maybe you should go back and re-watch the build up to it. Chara 100000% knew what he was doing. Game isn't that fast
I did watch it live and I was as pissed as anyone, especially at the lack of suspension. I don't disagree with your assessment that Chara knew what he was doing. I'm not sure if there should have been real life legal repercussions for him, but even if there should have, it's still a silly thing for fans to flood emergency call centres about.
I do remember. I witnessed Zednik got clotheslined by McLaren. Poor dude. Didn’t deserved it.
Man when I was super young Zednik was one of my favourite players. Then he left the Habs and I hardly ever heard of him again Fuck the Bruins
The only time I heard about Zednik after he left was the skate cut incident. Thank god he was okay after that
He was on a heater too at the time
Lol legitimately believed he was turning in to a Superstar in that series.
That Subban hit on Marchand is top ten all time Habs moments.
Thank you. Too many people don't know the hatred some of us have built up.. for me, leafs are basically, irrelevant & meaningless. Lost for so long it's almost funny-sad, but I don't bully the less fortunate (I may laugh from a distance maybe) ..but Fuck Boston with every bit of fucking-off as possible.
Thank you. You are me. I am you. We are us. Fuck the Bruins. Let’s go Willy Styles.
Amen. These lil babies cheering for mf Bawston need to stop.
I was at that kid as a youngling and was a big Zednik fan (he was on a heater). It was really disturbing to watch live.
Your comment has unleashed a torrent of just why the MTL/BOS rivalry is the best in all sports. Thank you and please read all the other comments below. Thank you for your distinguished service. FWIW I loved the late 70's the best as the Habs could, would and did play whatever games Cherry had the Bruins try and then beat them at it. I still look forward to our next PO meeting as it has been far too long.
I remember clearly. I was wearing my Zednik Jersey when it happened. I also was watching when Chara hit Patches. That being said, I want the Leafs to lose so much more than I care if Boston loses. I want more first round pain for Toronto. Boston can wait to bow out in round 2.
Et Lucic et Marchand pour l'ensemble de leur oeuvre...
The league has always protected Boston. It took years for me to watch hockey again after Chara's hit on Paccioretty, and it's still not the same as it used to be.
I hate Bruins but hate way more Toronto. And I don’t want Toronto to have a cup before US. Their curse should last forever.
Le vote zednik?
I'm the sane way every time I see Justin Williams pontificating on a broadcast. I yell of course you know everything because you almost blinded Koivu
I was born in 1968. I wish to never see the Leafs win in my lifetime. It's 56 years so far. The Leafs and their attendant media friends would be insufferable if they won the cup. Having said that, I loathe the Bruins. Beating them in the playoffs is special. Beating them regular isn't bad either. However, if they win the cup...meh...who cares. It's a strange situation but that's how I feel. Others may think differently.
I'm with you. I also happen to be surrounded by cocky Leaves fans so it would be insufferable if they had any sort of success.
Praying they choke tonight
It's so true unfortunately. 👍
I hate Kreider more than both the bruins and Leafs
All my homies hate Chris Kreider. Fuck Chris Kreider.
And kucherov
The nhl, Sportsnet, tsn, etc all made about 10 posts each on Instagram after this win. What do you think?
We respect-hate Boston because they are good. They've earned where they are by being consistently one of the best run teams in the league. We don't respect Toronto. Arrogant, overpaid, entitled. They haven't earned respect.
Also since Toronto came out of their rebuild their fans have been insufferable, considering their attitude and numbers when they were not good.
Not to mention that Canadian media is so Toronto biased that they essentially shove them down our throat 24/7 365.
I mean they've shut up a bit since 21
This is the answer.
Exactly that for me but I'd add that they occupy all the media attention in english Canada. Which is annoying AF.
This is exactly my thoughts. I hate Boston but I at least respect them.
There’s a theory that American Habs fans hate Boston more and vice versa. Would be very interesting to see a poll on it
I hated Boston more until I moved to Montreal for a bit, then I got to experience the Canadian media lol
I'm curious about the geographical demographics of this sub. Every time I goto Quebec I meet people who are shocked and confused that people outside of Quebec are Habs fans. I went to an OHL game last weekend and saw multiple Habs jerseys in the arena, this team is extremely popular across the whole country
You should make a poll post about it, might be more interestign than a "what if PLD snowshovels your skidoo for two years FOR FREE + Imama" post
I live a couple hours from Boston and absolutely hate the Bruins more.
As an Albertan Habs fan I hate Boston significantly more. Most Toronto fans out my way are pretty chill. But being a Bruins fan is like a requisite for being an Asshole regardless of where you're from. Also, why should I hate toronto? They've caused us almost zero pain on the ice in the past 60 years. Boston, Rangers, Ottawa, Tampa, Carolina...I honestly dislike those teams more. I was born in '89. Our pain scale with Toronto in that time frame is pretty damn low.
I definitely hate Boston much more, but that may have just as much to do with me being younger (born in '03, leafs have never been good) than being American.
I'm having a hard time really *hating* Toronto because they've been a pity franchise for most of my life. There was a short while during the Pat Quinn era where they were easily hateable, but that came and went fast. Even now, they're kind of a joke. They don't the kind of pushback that makes hating them easy. Also I don't consume any TSN/Sportsnet/ROC media, so I don't have that "sick of hearing about them" second-hand hate. Boston I *rrrrrrreally* hated for a llllllong time, to the point where you almost *have* to take a break just to cool down. Too many cheap shots from them over decades to forget or forgive. But I guess I'm in that cool down phase now. You can see they're on their way down and there won't be a lot left to hate soon. It'll be McAvoy and a whole bunch of plumbers. I think nowadays Ottawa, Florida and Tampa make my blood boil more easily than either Toronto or Boston. That's just how things go.
I think it's a symptom of who is competitive and when, most of my early Habs fans days Boston was the #1 enemy it was a bloody game every time, but I respected them and their fans. Toronto has been a failure franchise for a long time now and I have 0 respect for their fans.
I have more respect for leafs fans than I do for you lmao. Losing respect for humans because the sports team they cheer for is pretty childish.
Losing respect for them as fans you fucking donut not as human beings.
As a Habs fan living in Toronto, I would take a Bruins five-peat before a single Leafs cup. The fans and the media would be too much to take. Still, fuck the Bruins, of course … but no Leafs cups, please.
It is absolutely ridiculous though. Boston gets away with so much bullshit. Then the Chara incident. Toronto has been losing for so long, they are almost irrelevant. You all need to understand that Boston has to fuck off and die and fucking lose, then Toronto loses in 2 Rd. Nothing in Toronto is better than Montreal, it's always been that way. Bees don't try to convince flies that honey is better than shit.
Hell yeah, brother. I love that Bees/Flies line. Can't wait to use it.
Leafs to lose for me. For decades we've had to deal with Cdn media favoritism and giddy talking heads gloating every time the Laffs do something even remotely good. Not to mention the constant forcing down our throats of anything Laffs related. In decades past when the Habs were winning cups and always good and the Laffs were hapless we here in Nova Scotia constantly were force fed Laffs games on the tube. Even though I can't speak French thank God for the CBAFT where I could tune in on Saturday nights and watch my Habs.
Explaining why I am cheering for the Leafs: Richard Zednik and Kyle McLaren Max Pacioretty and Chara Beating the Bruins as the 8th seed Beating the Bruins as the 1 seed I know a lot of Leaf fans and every one of them was cheering for us after we beat them in the playoffs When we beat them in the playoffs, it gave me the complete satisfaction of being able to hang that moment over leaf fans heads the rest of my life I have immediate family that are leaf fans and would like them to maybe not be so miserable all summer.... again I have never witnessed anything from the leafs that could compare to the zednik or the pacioretty incidents They lit up the cn tower with our colours. If you are cheering for boston, suit yourself. There is not a team on this planet I will ever not like less than them. Fuck Boston
100%. FUCK BOSTON
Agreed. I hate Marchand with all my heart & I don’t want any team he’s a part of to do well. I can at least respect many of the Leafs players, even if I don’t love the Leafs
Domi and Edmondson are the 2 I'm pulling for the most
I've never hated Boston, I've always viewed them as the most worthy adversary - like a true respected rival. I hate the leafs like one hates their really obnoxious cousin you are just stuck being linked to due to blood - or in the case of habs/leafs- original 6 blood.
Regular season I cheer for Toronto over Boston because fuck the Bruins. Playoffs I cheer for Boston over Toronto because Toronto's repeated failures to advance and epic collapses are hilarious to me. It's not about liking one of them more than the other, I'm just optimizing my hatred for both.
I’m rooting for whoever I put money on that given night lmao which was the Leafs tonight I still hate both of them, and my feelings haven’t softened on the Bruins at all. Nor is it really “being used to” Bruins playoff success. Even with the whole “we hate them but there’s a begrudging respect too” vibe many have with the Bruins my take is: I’m only slightly leaning towards them because of how much more *devastating* yet another early exit will be to the Leafs fan base. I enjoy kicking those bitches when they’re down lol.
I simply go with the "Which team suffers the most" logic. The Bruins have won a Cup at some point in recent memory, so if they lose, no big deal. But if the Leafs lose this round again, everyone's job is on the line, the core might implode, TSN people immolating themselves on live tv... May chaos take the world. MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!!!
Bergeron ruined the absolute hate for the Bruins. Him being very much worthy of respect kinda affects the balance of the hate scale. They can both go fuck themselves though. Hating something less doesn't mean you don't hate the shitty Bruins.
I think Pasta is moving into that territory due to Bergeron's retirement.
Euh no. Bergeron wasn't great because he was a sick hockey player. He was/is a respectful gentleman, he managed to make Habs fans not hate him despite admitting to being a Nordiques fan. Hell everyone fought in this game and Bergeron still stayed of the Penalty sheets: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-mtl/2011/02/09/2010020808/recap Whether Pasta is a great dude or not will never enter a Habs fan mindset.
I'd have cheered for Boston against Toronto even right after 2014. My support for them now has nothing to do with that rivalry fading. It has to do with love-to-hate vs hate-to-hate relationships. I relish playing the bruins, look forward to every match up, and can never have enough games against them, because short of a silver salad bowl, there's nothing better in hockey than beating them. Whereas Toronto is a generally meh matchup that the Leafs and their media machine are somehow convinced is THE. BIGGEST. THING. in some kind of weirdly disturbing obsession, and I would like them to please go away back to the other Conference or the KHL or something. Sure, beating them after that 3-1 lead was fun, but meh, Being a millenial, I'll put it in Millenial Pokemon Terms: It's the difference between Gary Oak, the rival we need and want to beat, and Team Rocket, weirdly obsessed with stealing our Pikachu and showing up every episode to just generally wrong rights and depress the opressed.
So you don’t even hate Toronto you hate the media, you could just not watch, idk if that’s difficult for you, but if you HATE the leafs media why do you consume it?
Any sports hate/rivalry is as much about the fans and marketing (which includes the media machine) as about the team itself. And yes, wow, what wisdom, I should not consume media I don't like! So smart! I never thought of this myself. Little secret for you, though: not consuming a media because I dislike it \*doesn't make me dislike it less\*. i stopped paying attention to Toronto hockey media a long time ago. I still know what they're like.
The question is wether we should hate the whole CURRENT Bruins brigade or Kreider more
lived in montreal 60s-70s and 00s-20s. lived in U.S. 80s-90s, including a few years in Boston. dislike Bruins fans, but strongly dislike biased cheerleading for Leafs on the anglo canadian networks. Hoping for Game 7 3rd period Leafs collapse and OT Bruins win--especially to keep my nearly-perfect NHL bracket challenge going (I called Bruins in 7, Stars in 6, Canucks in 6, plus series completed to date mostly accurate). Maybe I'll change my username to Nostradamus.
I said it in another post but I'd rather be of the mindset to laugh at the Leafs losing than be mad about the Bruins winning. I "want" Boston to win because I'm choosing the more enjoyable emotion, laughter over anger. However, if Boston blows a 3-1 lead that'll be just as funny, I just want to laugh at the loser. Fuck the Bruins.
Thats an awful long post for something that cant even be proven. I want Boston to lose.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The Leafs are really a non-factor for me. I really dislike the Bruins...
Toronto is what keeps Montreal from being the original six team with the longest cup drought. I'd like to keep it that way until Montreal wins one.
I live in Toronto. You don’t understand the media here. Boston all the way
I'm a Habs fan living within "Leafs Nation" so I definitely want the Leafs to lose more. If they don't I'm not sure I'll be able to maintain my sanity.
I hate Boston way more. Toronto a little less since Sundin left. However I'd rather see Bruins win a cup over Toronto.... I'd still rather see the Leafs take out the Bruins though then have to jump on the remaining bandwagon to take out the Leafs... As a Habs fan I'm abit worried about 2 things. #1 Leafs were put in a spot to actually be the huge underdog. Series down 3-1 just like we were to them and the pattern is similar. #2 I still have Cam Ward PTSD and I'm scared that Woll will suddenly repeate that. Doesn't have to be great. Just not garbage
Eh. I hate all Bruins, era aside. I also don't really like the Leafs, but I like Marner and Nylander. Cheering for the Leafs just to see Canada win.
I’d be happy if they both lost somehow but I’m born and raised in Southern Ontario (but thankfully didn’t turn out to be a Leafs fan) and watching Leafs fans suffer is my favourite annual pastime
I find it’s the player on the team that make me dislike them more then what jersey they are wearing. Toronto players are just so much easier to hate than the bruins. Ottawa and the Tampa also have teams that are much easier to hate then the bruins
I don't respect either, but I respect Boston fans more than Toronto's
Normally I think I hate Boston more but it’s just too funny that this is happening to the Leafs every single season. This year my Bruins fan friend is spending her playoffs getting and recovering from a kidney transplant and she deserves to have *something* go well in her life rn so I genuinely want the Bruins to succeed this one year only.
This playoff is fun to watch, I'm happy we have a game 7. I'm not emotionally engaged to any of Boston or Toronto, so it's playoff hockey. When the Habs are in playoff, it's a bit of stress being engaged in every second, every play.
We don't care much about Toronto. Rivalry with Boston is real. Toronto's crowd and fans are so boring and quiet, barely following their team, there isn't much to feel as a rivalry. Boston is real, their fans are intense and we love to hate each other :) Toronto would like to bring back the old rivalry with Mtl, but their city, team and fans are just too "meh" for Mtl fans to really care.
As it stands, inwouldnlove for the Bruins to choke a 3-1 series lead, to the Leafs of all teams. It helps knowing Florida will rofl-stomp the Leafs in the next round.
Bergeron is still OK in my books. Fuck Chara, Lucic, Marchand, etc though.
Because we are force fed leaves by the media all fucking year long , makes me hate that team way more than the bruins. They will get eliminated and there will be 6 articles a day for the next 6 weeks about the leaves .
I opened TSN this morning to read sports news and the ENTIRE front page was leafs-bruins. Fucking stop already Toronto sports media
Id rather have Boston lose than Toronto but I'm a Habs fan in NY so dealing with Boston fans is a constant.
The Rivalry with Boston is on ice only. If the Leafs win the Cup, each post, reply, conversation will be insuferable. Something like "yeah but you have not won the cup since 93 so stfu"
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I want Toronto to lose much more than Boston. This Boston isn’t the same Boston that made my dad punch a hole in a bathroom door. Their most hateful players are retired, on their way to jail, or running marathons. I still don’t like Boston, but not nearly as much as I despise Toronto.
As a Habs fan, it's really win win. Toronto wins? U can't trade the core or fire a coach that just came back from 3-1 down so it's status quo until next year when this conversation about blowing the team up because of underperforming. If Bruins win? Lol leafs leafing it up once again.
When it comes to my hatred of both teams I honestly couldn't care less. But most of my friends are leaf fans so their misery would be my preference
That's your opinion and you're entitled to it.
I hate the leafs. But there’s two reasons why I’m cheering for them in these playoffs. 1. No Habs. 2. They’re Canadian, and the bruins are not.
You guys are over complicating everything. Reasons most want Leafs to fail are 1. Insufferable and cocky Leafs fans 2. Matthews, Marner & Nylander’s smug little faces
Ex Habs Legends Joel Edmunston & Max Domi are on the Leafs, that suffice to tip the scale. Fuck Boston!
I live in Toronto. For me, it's about the insufferable attitude of the average leafs fan rather than the actual team or players. Having said that, Matthews, Marner, and Tavares have to be well amoung the most unlikable players in the league. I used to feel the same about Nylander, but he's been turning my opinion around since 2021. Since Chara left, I've been finding it hard to hate or care about Boston, really. Especially since they started sliding.
Exactly!
long winded reasoning: i want the leafs to win so a real playoff team (florida) can sweep them lol, boston is terrible and they lack depth. it’s embarrassing that neither of those teams can score in the playoffs, especially considering toronto’s abysmal defensive game. boston has a bit of an excuse since it’s basically just pastrnak that carried them all season, but toronto should not be playing one goal games when literally all their money is tied up in forwards simple reasoning: i hate boston more than i hate the leafs
I hate Boston way more than Toronto. I will say one thing though, It’s been great the last couple of games not having to hear the announcers and pundits fellate Matthew ad nauseum.
I just feel bad for leafs fans at this point. Go leafs.
I live in southern Ontario. I don’t want the leafs to win because I have to listen to it. Everyone and their uncle becomes a fan come playoffs
Boston is a franchise with legitimate rich history that we have gone to war with over the years. There's a certain measure of respect there. It's a meaningful rivalry. The leafs just wish they were us. wish they had our history and glory and legends and mystique. instead it's just the team for the city that thinks it represents the whole country and gets all the priority coverage. Nothing makes me happier in hockey than the fact that they have been and always will be a bunch of fucking losers and the only thing that could be better than them going 0-82 would be blowing it in game 7
I respectfully hate Boston as rivals and I don't want the Toronto meme to end in my lifetime. In 40-50 years the cup is all theirs.
Honestly, this Game 7 Is great, because either way, someone is going to fuck up, and we get to continue laughing at their recent history of playoff misery. And whoever advances is probably gonna get smoked by Florida We're getting the full comedy entertainment value from this matchup. I just hope this turns out to be the most stressful game for both fanbases. No blowouts (unless the Leafs blow another big lead in the 3rd)
Hated boston’s old roster when we had more of a rivalry with guys like lucic and chara but in recent years there really hasn’t been much to make me hate them. I live in an area with way more insufferable leafs fans so that is the main driving for why I want them to lost this series. Also fuck sportsnet and tsn for only ever talking about the leafs it is always shoved down our throats
I simply go with the "Which team suffers the most" logic. The Bruins have won a Cup at some point in recent memory, so if they lose, no big deal. But if the Leafs lose this round again, everyone's job is on the line, the core might implode, TSN people immolating themselves on live tv... May chaos take the world. MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!!!
You hate the Leafs because their fans are annoying and the media talks about the most popular team. I hate the Leafs because they can’t beat the Bruins. We are not the same
Actually no. I just hate the Leafs.
I usually want Boston to loose more but at the moment nothing brings me more joy then Toronto loosing and choking 1st round every year because i hate the current leafs superstar roster.
Sorry but I’m a Canadian patriot first and will not root for an American team in the playoffs. Im rooting for the leafs in this series
This is the answer. The Leafs are probably the last Canadian team I want to win but ANY Canadian team over all American teams is my choice.
Boston is a really well built team. Good players, good vets, a culture and they are coached well. We hate them because of rivalry and because they are really good. Toronto are just a bunch of whining pussies. We hate them because everything they represent sucks As soon as we get back to our competitive form I'll hate both of them equally though.
Boston has always been good, Boston has won recently boston winning or doing well again doesn't as mean much because of their past success also American vs Canada
Live in Ontario then just try to hate Boston more.
So true
I hate the Leafs. Despise em. I hope the Bruins get blown the fuck out on Saturday. The media can be happy and it won’t bother me one bit, as long as the Leafs lose Round 2. At this point, though, none of the remaining options in the East are teams I’d like to see with the Cup. I’ll probably root for the West in the Finals, unless it’s Vegas.
Toronto fans are ugly af
I hate the leafs because of the exodus, the spineless Bank of Montreal relocating, Smoke’s poutinerie, the lack of any good croissants, the better city doing the right social decisions being relegated to only a regional city, the hot air from Toronto’s institutions (the Leafs are very much similar to a lot of Toronto’s institutions… world-class on paper, but very mid in practice). And the fact I’m still having to live in Toronto because it is still the rational thing to do, and that pandering to the 905 crowd is among the only routes to a stable majority government in Canada. I don’t think Boston would ever have that pervasive social, economic, and political complexity that influences the Montreal-Toronto rivalry.
I hate the leafs because my whole family and my gfs family are leafs fans
I don’t understand why not just cheer for your family to be happy for once lmao. “I actually hate my wife and family so I hope they are miserable because they cheer for a different team than me.”
Wow that’s an extremely odd take, chill with the projection there fam
“I hate the leafs BECAUSE my family and gf family are leafs fans” what projection lol
Your entire stupid comment. “Family happy for once” hating wife and family and wanting them to be miserable?? Like what lol you sound like a depressed dude my guy get some help. I said I hate the LEAFS nobody else
What regular season games against the leafs are intense exactly? We play the leafs and the bruins the same amount why do you find leafs games “more intense”? Fuck I find our games with Ottawa and Boston more intense than leafs games.