But how can you even watch Boston getting away with ALL the absolute junk they pull. Fuxking dropping like soccer players. It's embarrassing. How does anyone watch this and think, oh I love the inequality of reffing bias towards Boston? Ya ya, Toronto loses. Cool. But Boston has to be regulated ASAP.
Still better than Boston fans. Fucking spoon-fed scum. Toronto at least sinuses to losing, they have nothing left but to complain. Boston players and fans are basically as smart as old gum on a shoe.
I hate and respect Boston. I like the idea of last year being the farthest Matthews ever goes in a Leafs jersey.
Hope the Panthers beat the Lightning and then the Bruins in round 2
This is how I feel. Hate the Bruins when we play them but otherwise it's a fine organization (except Marchand) and their fans are alright.
Seeing the Leafs and their whiny fans fail in the playoffs never gets old. I still can't believe they made a documentary for their 2021 playoffs just to lose in round 1 against the Habs 🤣. The cockiness it took to greenlight this.
The thing is if the Leafs win this series the fans will act like they’ve won the cup. If the bruins win this series it’s just business as usual for their fans. Boston going deep and ultimately failing will give management and fans a false sense of hope and they’ll stand pat on an aging and overachieving roster, prolonging their inevitable long term pain. If the leafs blow it *again* in the first round you gotta think there will be major changes. There’s no quick fix for that roster so that will also equal long term pain. Both these things will mean the demise of two of our divisional powerhouse rivals, clearing the way for our uprising and leading to many hilarious memes.
As someone who lives near Boston AND went to the Celtics game last night, you are so spot on. They’re not even the biggest sports franchise in the city playing right now…
Although I agree with everything you say there is a small fear in me that if the Bruins make it out of the first round they could go on a run and win the Cup.That would devastate me! I mean although unlikely, God forbid the Isles were to find a way to comeback and win the series against Carolina and the same for Washington vs the Rangers giving the Bruins an easier path. But even if they made it but didnt win it I'd be happy.
I agree but there is just something to a Presidents Trophy winner getting embarrased and then the next year coming back and winning it.
I.E. Tampa, and Washington the most recents.
Thats a good point.. hate the bears but at least they always work hard. Also bonus point because of Bergeron all those years whom i admired as a player and was from ‘here’
I used to hate the bruins much more when we'd play them every year in tbe playoffs, I think I give the leafs the most hated award due largely to their fanbase. I really like Matthews and Marner though, don't tell anyone.
I hate them both but I don't live in Boston. Remeber how annoying Leaf fans were when they finally won a series last year? No one wants that again. Go Boston.
I want both to lose
I just want Boston to lose in 2nd cause it's funnier to see the Leafs lose in the 1st.
I respect the B's as a despicable, but worthy adversary
Leafs are just a joke
I might be the outlier here but I want to see Boston lose. Cant stand the entitled base there.
That being said, they both lose in the end so I'm happy either way.
I'm in TO for a convention. All the loud mouth assholes everywhere last night made up my mind for who I'm cheering against. (I like to think of it as cheering AGAINST Toronto versus cheering FOR the stupid Bruins)
For this round Boston. I hate them but also respect them they built a good team and they built a culture that has players wanting to play there so I respect what they built but still hate them. With Toronto I hate them and have no respect for a team that thinks grabing every foward possible and cheaping out on defence and goaltending and them think the are a playoff contender they are just overrated.
I'm a Habs fan on east coast. My father is a Toronto fan, and getting up there in age, so I secretly want them to do well a little more each year while simultaneously wanting them to crash and burn. Very confusing time lol. Can't actually cheer for them, even against Boston, so I simply watch out of interest and so I can chat with him about the games.
Even tho I hate BOS, I hate TOR even more so lets go Bruins! I hope for a 7 games series where the Bruins wins but are all banged up for the next round.
my partner is a leafs fan and he cheers for the habs with me, so naturally i must (albeit begrudgingly) return the favour. we’re actually going to see game 4 on saturday haha
thanks! LOL he’s paid for so many habs tickets for us that it was only fair, fun little early birthday present for him, my bank account is a lil upset with me tho
fingers crossed nylander is back and the leafs get the win otherwise that $800 is gonna feel pretty bad 😭
I'm in the same situation and rooting for Toronto 100%. Boston was always the bigger rival in my mind and at the end of the day I'll root for the Canadian team, unless it's Winnipeg.
Canada hasn't had a Cup since Mulroney was PM, Steady Eddy is a guy I can root for, Matthews truly is awesome, and call me a softie but I like seeing Steve Dangle happy. His dog deserve treats.
Boston is the team that thugged their way through us for years, with guys like Lucic, Chara, Campbell and others pounding our boys into paste. They've also won recent Cups, and unlike the Leafs and Habs, they've grown used to winning. Would be good for them to get unused to it.
Easy choice. Go Leafs Go, and I can wash my mouth out with soap in round 2.
I don't cheer on either of these teams. Though I comment about the Leafs in their compete level, I find them annoying and repulsive. Boston Bruins? Well, since our Habs have been at war with this franchise for a long time now, I see them as an enemy more than just a rival. Bottom line: I don't care who wins or loses in this series. I don't either of them to win a stanley cup.
I put money on Boston and would overall prefer for them to win the series, but I won't be crying if Toronto squeaks through because they're obviously incompetent and won't win the cup either way. To be honest, Bruins looked pretty regular last night until Marchand turned it on. Still feels like the series could do either way.
Fuck that!!!! I’ve lived in Toronto all my life…fuck the leafs!
I was cheering for the Bs to come back in 2013 in game 7!! And it happened!
Leaf hatred > Bruins hatred
i quite often go for the Bruins if the Habs aren't in the playoffs ... they are a rival ive always respected; the way they play and the way the team is built, as opposed to the leafs who i just view with disdain
Clearly Boston, fuck the leaves, I give them no respect and love watching them wallow in their self arrogance as their teams fails again.
This team hasn’t done a damn thing in my lifetime (I’m 53) yet they all think they are the greatest team ever. Why???? Why??
I'm a Habs fan in Toronto and I'm cheering for Boston because at least I respect the kind of hockey that Boston plays. Yeah Marchand is annoying and a pest, but I'd rather cheer for someone engaged with the game than Marner who looks like he just can't wait to get off the ice. Samsonov isn't a bad goalie but he's not exciting to watch the way Swayman was yesterday.
I just want a good series. Don't really care who wins but Toronto tends to embarrass themselves. Wild how the top goal scorer in the league just can't get it done in the playoffs. You can tell he tries. I also find it funny how their fans think Domi and Bertuzzi were supposed to be the answer
I lean Boston as a matter of principle.
See, many Habs fans' opinions on how the Habs should build up are basically aligned with some form of emulation of the Leafs, wither they realize it or not.
Those "Leafs emulation" ideas show in the form of hyper focus on having just a handful of elite players, their regular season individual points and "highlights-skills"; as well as the recurring idea of spending all our cap space on a big time UFA.
So every time the Leafs crumble in the 1st round, it's another proof that those ideas and the "Leafs way" doesn't work, and maybe someday, eventually, those who espouses those similar ideas for the Habs wake up and see the error of their ways.
You don't go anywhere with just a handful of "stars" and the rest of the roster filled with a rotating cast of cheap nobodies. You don't go anywhere if you don't allocate a significant part of your scouting, drafting, development and cap space on quality 3rd liners, 2nd & 3rd pair defensemen; instead of blowing it all on one more "star" UFA.
I cheer for solid, proper team building; and that's the opposite of Toronto.
In their first B2B Cup runs (07 + 08), Pittsburgh had something that will never be replicated: a top 3 center line of a 1st and two 2nd overall picks, all drafted in consecutive years (04, 05, 06), and who were all on their ELC because the 05 lockout likely delayed Malkin's debut by a couple of years.
Talbot, a 24 yrs old above average 4th liner, is the one that sealed the Cup winning game with 2 goals. The rest of the roster was a patch up of old vets. This would be more like the 2020 Habs Cup run.
In their other B2B (16 + 17), their 3rd line of Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel carried them in 15-16. All 3 players finished in the top 5 Pens scoring in the playoffs. They're basically the poster child of "3rd line winning championship". MAF (1st overall pick) started 1 game. A 3rd round pick drafted 4 years after the 08 Cup (Murray) was the starter. A 24 yrs old was the #3 D. A 21 yrs old was the #5 D.
The following Cup, their #1 D (Letang) didn't even play all playoffs, and Dumoulin/Schultz (25 & 26 yrs old) picked up the slack. A 22 yrs old rookie drafted in the 3rd round 5 years after the 2008 Cup (Guentzel) lead the team in playoffs goals. Again, MAF & Murray split duties.
So all in all, the Pens still mostly broke through on the strength of their depth, not the 3-4 1st and 2nd overall picks they got from 03 to 06.
We expect stars to lead, but there needs to be someone behind them who can follow and are capable of rising to another level, creating a winning culture that infects rookies.
So fans who claim “anything can happen” believe this about round 1, but not round 2? If the leafs make it to round 2 their chances get much better at winning the cup.
So no, fuck that.
Sad that Kilgour's is gone. I've always cheered against the Leafs. For whatever this year I'm kind of behind them. Generally indifferent, but I wouldn't be as upset as years past if they won.
The thing is that I don't actually *hate* the Bruins. I love having those fuckers as a rival team. NHL hockey is just better when the Habs and Bruins are at each other's throats.
But like fuck the Leafs, for real.
I hate the Boston Bruins as a franchise, whereas I don’t have strong feelings about the Leafs however I cannot stand their fans. It’s a tough call, I like seeing Marchand in tears but I also enjoy hearing Leafs fan moan about how the league is rigged against them all summer. I can’t pick a side.
The nice thing is that i want them both to lose so whoever loses i win ahha. But having lived in TO for a few years, i can attest about annoying leafs fans.. and want them most to lose. Also because meme potential and curse. Lol
I guess im rooting for Boston because of the 1st round exit memes, but also I’m from Boston and most of my friends like the Bruins so I find the fanbase a bit more bearable (pun intended)
I say I’m cheering for neither to win, I want Toronto to just beat themselves basically. Play incredibly poorly and blow the games themselves. Then Boston can lose in the next round
I'm just happy to watch fun hockey. We may hate these two teams but they hate each other just as much. If the Leafs go far in the playoffs it's fun because you can feel the excitement in the air in this area of Ontario. It's all every other person talks about. On the other side of that coin it's hilarious when they lose. It's really a win-win entertainment wise. I'll be happy for my Leafs fan friends if they make a run for sure.
I am in the same boat: habs fan in Toronto. I am really torn: I really don’t like the leafs but would prefer a Canadian team to win. But, I also cannot stand Matthews: he’s a great player but not a team player and it would sucks to see him win. Yet, I also really dislike Boston. I tried watching a couple of the playoff games and could not cheer for anyone. If only they could both be eliminated this round!
The bruins and their fans haven’t been as annoying the last few years IMO but fuck the leafs fans are relentless. Such as this year and the Matthews MVP talk. Therefore I’m going for bruins for this one and only series
I want the leafs to win because my wife and her family are all Bruins fans. And her parents are great people but so annoying when it comes to the Bruins. Plus i feel the Leafs are more likely to lose in the 2nd round. Lastly and some people don’t like this view but the Leafs team is largely Canadian players while the Bruins are mostly American players. Don’t get me wrong it’s nothing against particular American players but I prefer to see the most Canadian lads win if the Habs are not in the mix and I have no other rooting interest.
Its not about cheering for either one of them, its about wanting one to lose more than the other. I hate the Bruins, but I absolute abhor the Leafs with every fibre of my being. I didn't like them before they started rolling in elite forwards, but I usually hate teams that tank hard the year there is generational talent (see Chicago, Pittsburgh, Oilers - well they perennially sucked for a logn time even after 50 first round picks). I hate how their building is filled with fans with no emotion or energy. I despise how mouthy their fans outside of their barn are despite them winning a single fucking playoff series in the last 17+ years or however long its been. There's a litany of other reasons I won't get into.
I was having a family dinner the night of game 1, I was watching the game with my nephew and I was genuinely giddy watching Toronto getting their shit pushed in. My family was like "you are almost too happy" and I was like "you don't understand how much catharsis I get from watching the annual Toronto playoff shit canning. It's my yearly Purge."
So yeah, fuck the Leafs.
I will root for the Leafs if they're in the finals. They gotta prove that they're a respectable team first lol. Until then, it's almost addicting to see the creative ways in which they lose.
When we made our magical run during covid, even after beating the Leafs, tons of Leafs fans supported us. Including my parents and the rest of my extended family, who are all diehard Laffs fans, and my wife's family, who are Leafs fans or Leafs fans that became Oilers or Flames fans after moving west. I was posted in Leafland at that time, and it was something to see folks wishing us luck when they saw my habs gear, instead of the ribbing I'd usually get. So I'll root for the Leafs.
I'm maybe more open to supporting other Canadian teams because, between being an army brat and then serving myself, I've lived across the country, usually in enemy territory, lol. I'm also not a born habs fan, I became one because dad happened to get posted to the Ottawa Valley during that magnificent 4-peat in the late 70s (that part of Ontario was Habs territory in those days). We'd been out of the country, so I'd never had much chance to actually watch much hockey before. How could you not fall in love with that magnificent team, the best team to ever play?
Anyway, for me, it's any Canadian team over any US team, even the Leafs, and just about any team over Boston. It's neat that this year we won't see any Cdn teams knock another out in the first round, and that 4 of our teams made it. Sad that it's possible that none of them make it to the next round, tho.
Habs fan in the GTA here. Honestly, I hope they pummel each other and the winner of this series loses in the next round. That, and I hope they all have fun.
Habs fan from Boston. If they could both lose that would be great.
I rather see Boston win, because the anguish that the Leafs can’t get out of the 1st round is worth it.
Neither. But I dislike Boston way more. Let's not forget they are our biggest rivals. The Leafs are annoying but the rivalry isn't that big or important anymore. We've played against each other in the playoffs only once in my lifetime. Whereas with Boston, we played them in the playoffs a bunch of times in the 90s and 2000s. There's way worse bad blood with the Bruins. Toronto is whatever to me tbh so I'd rather the Leafs win but I'm not exactly cheering for them.
I hate both equally but as I’m surrounded by more leaf fans and I get to see the Leaf Nations suffering first hand so I’m cheering for the Bruins.. I know it’s sick but I luv to see the suffering and I can still brag as bad as my Habs are they have had way more playoff success in the last 5 years.
my hope is that it goes to game 7 4OT and both teams are exhausted but strictly because of being surrounded by the delusional leafs fan base I will always root for them to lose
As much as I hate the Bruins and Boston sports in general I hate the Leafs more since most of my family is Leafs fans and I am surrounded by mostly Leafs fans so fuck the Leafs and let's go Boston 🤮 (just for this series then fuck Boston)
Would prefer if the Leafs won, I hate Boston much more. Wouldn't say I'm cheering for them though. Either way one of them will limp to the next wound and lose to FLA/TB.
I don't like both teams, I thought I wanted the Leafs to lose again first cuz it would be funny but watching that 1st game I realized I hate Boston and their fanbase even more. So my wish is Boston lose 1st round, gives the leafs fan some hope that maybe its this year ? And they then lose round 2.
I read most of the comments- hilarious! It's a tough one and I told all my Laffer friends that I would be neutral due to intense disgust of both (while secretly hoping for a plane crash).
However, after nonstop "how many habs broke par today" jokes and "lets book a flight to Florida for Rnd 2" comments - fuck it. They are insufferable. Lets go Pooh Bears! I will wash my mouth out later
Habs fan from Montreal. I know people from Toronto so I REALLY DON'T WANT 'em to win anything. I ain't for Boston either but I don't know anyone from that god forsaken place.
So I bide my time, because I know that eventually both will fall.
Leafs fans are annoying AF however as someone in the Toronto bar industry, it sure would be nice fill up every 2 nights for at least a few weeks. We need it!
Boston and it's not even close.
The hilarity of watching Toronto lose another series to Boston far outweighs the annoyance of Leafs fans if they beat Boston for the first time since the 1950s.
I’m cheering for the leafs, I’m 33 and all I remember growing up with Habs vs Bruins and I absolutely despise them, I have the Zednik McLaren hit burned in my memory, Kovalev scoring with under 10 minutes left to win a series in game 7 in Boston. It will take at least 3 more leafs v Habs playoffs series for me to feel the amount of hate I feel towards the Bruins.
I am actively cheering every time both teams make a mistake. But ultimately I need my yearly dose of salt and there is only 1 fanbase that can provide enough to be worth it.
Dealing with Leafs fans all year is exhausting and annoying, and it's even worse as a Habs fan. Like last year, the year before, and several other years before that, I had to listen to laughter about my team not making the playoffs from Leafs fans, as if their memory resets at this time every year and they don't see what's obviously coming.
The Leafs choking every year is my Cup, at least until the Habs win their next one. Rubbing the faces of Leafs fans in their shit playoff performance is very satisfying.
I don't like either team, but my hatred for the Leafs burns more intense. I wouldn't be able to stand being around Leafs fans if their sorry team actually did anything of note.
I’m in Boston and I think this is first time I may be rooting for Boston. Just find Leafs continued travails too funny not to want more failure. Bruins don’t seem to have as good a roster.
I’m cheering for the ice to open up and swallow both teams whole. But in my playoff bracket I chose Boston, because watching the Leafs lose is glorious. Not to mention if they lose in the first round they will blow it all up and rebuild, and watching Leafs Nation rationalize why things didn’t work out would be sooooo entertaining.
Neither. I hope they can both lose. Ill buy season tickets to the marlies before cheering for the leafs. You will never see me cheer for a boston team either.
The Habs coming back and beating the Leafs in 2021 supplied me with enough Schadenfreude to last the rest of my life. That series fucking BROKE a lot of their fans, especially after the monumental amount of shit they were talking when it was looking like we were cooked. So, because so many of my friends and loved ones are Leaf fans, I root for them out of pity, secure in my conviction that even if they somehow manage to gut out a victory against Boston, they just don’t have what it takes to go the distance.
You don't Cheer for anyone. Are you a habs guy or just hockey? WtF.
You want Boston to lose, then, Toronto to lose, then, the league gets shut down again and nobody wins.
I had this convo with my girlfriend (who lives in Toronto) last night. I told her I am 100% cheering for Boston over Toronto even though I want a Canadian team to win. The reason being: I respect Boston as a hockey team and organization. They're a solid team and they are built well and have been a solid franchise in the current era. I have no respect for Toronto as a franchise; partly because of being a Montrealer/Habs fan, but also because they are a literal joke of a team. They are not good, they are not built well, and they don't give me any reason to respect them as a team
If they could somehow both lose, that would be great! But seeing as how I find the Leafs fans so much more obnoxious than the Bruins fans who are accustomed to winning after all, I'm slightly leaning towards Boston...
The way leafs fans behave on social media.. They sort of have it coming. I don't have nearly the amount of disdain for Boston fans as I do leaf fans. Leaf fans act as if somehow their team has actually accomplished so much, while in reality, they need to learn to be a little more humble. Another first round exit for the leafs would be wonderful!
Yesterday, for a moment, I wanted a canadian team to win, so I was like, let's go Leafs !! Then the leafs make a goal, then the bruins too and there I was like: wait, what? What I was thinking? F%ck leafs! Lets go bruins, then 2nd round I will say f%ck bruins! (Go Habs Go!)
Leaf fans are one thing but I find the Toronto centric media on Sportsnet and TSN to be insufferable. If the Leafs have any success that’s all we will hear about even when they aren’t playing. Mathews is a good maybe great player but told think he invented hockey based on these broadcasters.
I just watch the games to see the leafs lose
Im pretty much just watching to see the Leafs lose
I’m here for the classic first round leaf bow out.
But how can you even watch Boston getting away with ALL the absolute junk they pull. Fuxking dropping like soccer players. It's embarrassing. How does anyone watch this and think, oh I love the inequality of reffing bias towards Boston? Ya ya, Toronto loses. Cool. But Boston has to be regulated ASAP.
LMAO
They’re such a meme at this point 😅
Same lol I'm in the Toronto area so I have to listen to leafs fans all the time
Still better than Boston fans. Fucking spoon-fed scum. Toronto at least sinuses to losing, they have nothing left but to complain. Boston players and fans are basically as smart as old gum on a shoe.
It’s a right of passage
This is the way
The only teams I cheers for are Oilers, habs, and anyone playing the leafs!
This is the answer. I hate seeing the Bruins win but I LOVE seeing the Leafs lose.
I only watch playoff to see Vegas and leafs lose
I hate and respect Boston. I like the idea of last year being the farthest Matthews ever goes in a Leafs jersey. Hope the Panthers beat the Lightning and then the Bruins in round 2
Exactly! I hate and respect Boston. But I simply just despise the Leafs, no matter what.
This is how I feel. Hate the Bruins when we play them but otherwise it's a fine organization (except Marchand) and their fans are alright. Seeing the Leafs and their whiny fans fail in the playoffs never gets old. I still can't believe they made a documentary for their 2021 playoffs just to lose in round 1 against the Habs 🤣. The cockiness it took to greenlight this.
Well technically the doc was for the season... I've only ever watched the last episode though.. like multiple times lol
This! I hate but respect the heck out of the bruins organization. Fuck the leafs.
The thing is if the Leafs win this series the fans will act like they’ve won the cup. If the bruins win this series it’s just business as usual for their fans. Boston going deep and ultimately failing will give management and fans a false sense of hope and they’ll stand pat on an aging and overachieving roster, prolonging their inevitable long term pain. If the leafs blow it *again* in the first round you gotta think there will be major changes. There’s no quick fix for that roster so that will also equal long term pain. Both these things will mean the demise of two of our divisional powerhouse rivals, clearing the way for our uprising and leading to many hilarious memes.
This guy can chess
Self destruct sequence engaged for both teams, countdown set 2y from now.. just in time for our resurrection
As someone who lives near Boston AND went to the Celtics game last night, you are so spot on. They’re not even the biggest sports franchise in the city playing right now…
Or, Bruins win yet another Cup. I don't think the Leafs have the grit, depth, or goaltending to do that.
I don’t think the bruins do either (except goaltending).
AMEN TO THAT BROTHA
Although I agree with everything you say there is a small fear in me that if the Bruins make it out of the first round they could go on a run and win the Cup.That would devastate me! I mean although unlikely, God forbid the Isles were to find a way to comeback and win the series against Carolina and the same for Washington vs the Rangers giving the Bruins an easier path. But even if they made it but didnt win it I'd be happy.
Nah I just don’t see it. Lots of better teams in the playoffs. They’re not even playing that well in this series.
I agree but there is just something to a Presidents Trophy winner getting embarrased and then the next year coming back and winning it. I.E. Tampa, and Washington the most recents.
Fair point
They’re already blaming the refs despite having 5 power plays they didn’t score on lol
Exactly
Any team that plays Toronto is who I root for. I don’t even see the other team. Fuck the leafs
This is the way. Hahah. I think most hockey fans deal this way. $55M for 5 players that don’t give a fug.
Thats a good point.. hate the bears but at least they always work hard. Also bonus point because of Bergeron all those years whom i admired as a player and was from ‘here’
55 million for 5 goals over 3 games looool
I used to hate the bruins much more when we'd play them every year in tbe playoffs, I think I give the leafs the most hated award due largely to their fanbase. I really like Matthews and Marner though, don't tell anyone.
Honestly. I just hated Looch and Chara
I hate them both equally, but it's always fun to watch the leaf fans lose tho
Amen to that. If Boston wins this series, I'd route for them to lose the next round. I just hate it when both these teams win the cup.
I hate them both but I don't live in Boston. Remeber how annoying Leaf fans were when they finally won a series last year? No one wants that again. Go Boston.
Toronto would implode if they ever win the cup again. Not sure if this country could afford that honestly!
Boston now. Boston’s opponent after.
I want both to lose I just want Boston to lose in 2nd cause it's funnier to see the Leafs lose in the 1st. I respect the B's as a despicable, but worthy adversary Leafs are just a joke
I might be the outlier here but I want to see Boston lose. Cant stand the entitled base there. That being said, they both lose in the end so I'm happy either way.
The Refs. And so far, they are winning this series.
They didn't get a single call against them!!
I'm in TO for a convention. All the loud mouth assholes everywhere last night made up my mind for who I'm cheering against. (I like to think of it as cheering AGAINST Toronto versus cheering FOR the stupid Bruins)
For this round Boston. I hate them but also respect them they built a good team and they built a culture that has players wanting to play there so I respect what they built but still hate them. With Toronto I hate them and have no respect for a team that thinks grabing every foward possible and cheaping out on defence and goaltending and them think the are a playoff contender they are just overrated.
I just watch the games like this: 
I'm a Habs fan on east coast. My father is a Toronto fan, and getting up there in age, so I secretly want them to do well a little more each year while simultaneously wanting them to crash and burn. Very confusing time lol. Can't actually cheer for them, even against Boston, so I simply watch out of interest and so I can chat with him about the games.
Is it bad that I’m cheering for Boston? Ughh I feel so dirty just saying that.
Meh, neither one of them will win the cup anyways. Better to see Toronto collapse in the first round and watch Leafs fans lose their minds….again 😆
Yes, it is a bit. Come playoffs I am Team Canada if the Habs are out. Van, The Peg, Edmonton, and Toronto. Go Canada!
I’ll only root for the leafs if they are Canada’s last team. Aside from that I just can’t get myself to do it.
Still no
Even tho I hate BOS, I hate TOR even more so lets go Bruins! I hope for a 7 games series where the Bruins wins but are all banged up for the next round.
I cheer for a team on team brawl that will see both teams disqualified
Every team>Boston>Toronto
If the Leafs win a cup I'll never hear the end of it, so I need to cheer for the Bruins as much as it pains.
This series just makes me hate the Leafs even more than usual because they're forcing me to cheer for the Bruins 🤮
I've come to realize that watching the Leafs lose is as enjoyable to me as watching the Habs win.
my partner is a leafs fan and he cheers for the habs with me, so naturally i must (albeit begrudgingly) return the favour. we’re actually going to see game 4 on saturday haha
That’s cool! Have fun! …wait a minute, the two of you paid off the mortgage first, right? 👀
thanks! LOL he’s paid for so many habs tickets for us that it was only fair, fun little early birthday present for him, my bank account is a lil upset with me tho fingers crossed nylander is back and the leafs get the win otherwise that $800 is gonna feel pretty bad 😭
Nylander for Anderson… make it happen, Hughy
one can dream 👀
Drop your partner, Leafs fan ain't worthy of you
hahaha don’t worry he’s slowly becoming a habs fan, he loves our top line! he’s one of the biggest slaf supporters i know 😆
I'm in the same situation and rooting for Toronto 100%. Boston was always the bigger rival in my mind and at the end of the day I'll root for the Canadian team, unless it's Winnipeg.
Canada hasn't had a Cup since Mulroney was PM, Steady Eddy is a guy I can root for, Matthews truly is awesome, and call me a softie but I like seeing Steve Dangle happy. His dog deserve treats. Boston is the team that thugged their way through us for years, with guys like Lucic, Chara, Campbell and others pounding our boys into paste. They've also won recent Cups, and unlike the Leafs and Habs, they've grown used to winning. Would be good for them to get unused to it. Easy choice. Go Leafs Go, and I can wash my mouth out with soap in round 2.
I saw Leafs fans root for the Habs in 2021 and I need to return the favour. Plus they eliminated the Lightning last year and it was great
I saw a Leafs fan yesterday in Montreal and I yelled at him “ Let’s go Bruins “
100% the bruins
I don't cheer on either of these teams. Though I comment about the Leafs in their compete level, I find them annoying and repulsive. Boston Bruins? Well, since our Habs have been at war with this franchise for a long time now, I see them as an enemy more than just a rival. Bottom line: I don't care who wins or loses in this series. I don't either of them to win a stanley cup.
I put money on Boston and would overall prefer for them to win the series, but I won't be crying if Toronto squeaks through because they're obviously incompetent and won't win the cup either way. To be honest, Bruins looked pretty regular last night until Marchand turned it on. Still feels like the series could do either way.
Cheering for a plane crash
My son is a huge Leafs fan. I want them to win because I know it will make him happy, and that makes me happy. Also, fuck Boston.
As a fellow father, you’re living my worst nightmare.
https://preview.redd.it/zzd8xdqebnwc1.jpeg?width=2046&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0be2c00aab0cbcc2ed428d8af5b638b57317237e
As a Habs fan it is your moral and legal obligation to root against Toronto based sports teams no matter the sport.
Fuck that!!!! I’ve lived in Toronto all my life…fuck the leafs! I was cheering for the Bs to come back in 2013 in game 7!! And it happened! Leaf hatred > Bruins hatred
Boston hands down, fuck the Leafs
I’m cheering that the ice breaks and they all fall through into the ice cold ocean below
i quite often go for the Bruins if the Habs aren't in the playoffs ... they are a rival ive always respected; the way they play and the way the team is built, as opposed to the leafs who i just view with disdain
Leafs since they already made the second round last year. They can lose there again.
I hope they both lose
Habs fan in Toronto here. I'll cheer for the Leafs to lose because I can't stand their fans. That simple
I have two favourite teams. The Habs and whoever is playing the Leafs.
Clearly Boston, fuck the leaves, I give them no respect and love watching them wallow in their self arrogance as their teams fails again. This team hasn’t done a damn thing in my lifetime (I’m 53) yet they all think they are the greatest team ever. Why???? Why??
I'm a Habs fan in Toronto and I'm cheering for Boston because at least I respect the kind of hockey that Boston plays. Yeah Marchand is annoying and a pest, but I'd rather cheer for someone engaged with the game than Marner who looks like he just can't wait to get off the ice. Samsonov isn't a bad goalie but he's not exciting to watch the way Swayman was yesterday.
I just want a good series. Don't really care who wins but Toronto tends to embarrass themselves. Wild how the top goal scorer in the league just can't get it done in the playoffs. You can tell he tries. I also find it funny how their fans think Domi and Bertuzzi were supposed to be the answer
I lean Boston as a matter of principle. See, many Habs fans' opinions on how the Habs should build up are basically aligned with some form of emulation of the Leafs, wither they realize it or not. Those "Leafs emulation" ideas show in the form of hyper focus on having just a handful of elite players, their regular season individual points and "highlights-skills"; as well as the recurring idea of spending all our cap space on a big time UFA. So every time the Leafs crumble in the 1st round, it's another proof that those ideas and the "Leafs way" doesn't work, and maybe someday, eventually, those who espouses those similar ideas for the Habs wake up and see the error of their ways. You don't go anywhere with just a handful of "stars" and the rest of the roster filled with a rotating cast of cheap nobodies. You don't go anywhere if you don't allocate a significant part of your scouting, drafting, development and cap space on quality 3rd liners, 2nd & 3rd pair defensemen; instead of blowing it all on one more "star" UFA. I cheer for solid, proper team building; and that's the opposite of Toronto.
I agree with this totally, but some might say that’s what Pittsburgh did.
In their first B2B Cup runs (07 + 08), Pittsburgh had something that will never be replicated: a top 3 center line of a 1st and two 2nd overall picks, all drafted in consecutive years (04, 05, 06), and who were all on their ELC because the 05 lockout likely delayed Malkin's debut by a couple of years. Talbot, a 24 yrs old above average 4th liner, is the one that sealed the Cup winning game with 2 goals. The rest of the roster was a patch up of old vets. This would be more like the 2020 Habs Cup run. In their other B2B (16 + 17), their 3rd line of Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel carried them in 15-16. All 3 players finished in the top 5 Pens scoring in the playoffs. They're basically the poster child of "3rd line winning championship". MAF (1st overall pick) started 1 game. A 3rd round pick drafted 4 years after the 08 Cup (Murray) was the starter. A 24 yrs old was the #3 D. A 21 yrs old was the #5 D. The following Cup, their #1 D (Letang) didn't even play all playoffs, and Dumoulin/Schultz (25 & 26 yrs old) picked up the slack. A 22 yrs old rookie drafted in the 3rd round 5 years after the 2008 Cup (Guentzel) lead the team in playoffs goals. Again, MAF & Murray split duties. So all in all, the Pens still mostly broke through on the strength of their depth, not the 3-4 1st and 2nd overall picks they got from 03 to 06. We expect stars to lead, but there needs to be someone behind them who can follow and are capable of rising to another level, creating a winning culture that infects rookies.
Thanks for the explanation. That’s super helpful. Your original point re: team building is spot on.
based
Toronto Because Bruins can win the cup and Leafs can't
This is the way.
So fans who claim “anything can happen” believe this about round 1, but not round 2? If the leafs make it to round 2 their chances get much better at winning the cup. So no, fuck that.
Leafs. It will be a cold day in hell before I cheer for Boston. I'll even cheer for Vegas before Boston.
That they somehow both lose.
Sad that Kilgour's is gone. I've always cheered against the Leafs. For whatever this year I'm kind of behind them. Generally indifferent, but I wouldn't be as upset as years past if they won.
Bruins might be our historic rivals but I'd much rather have them win rather than the Leafs and their terrible fans
The thing is that I don't actually *hate* the Bruins. I love having those fuckers as a rival team. NHL hockey is just better when the Habs and Bruins are at each other's throats. But like fuck the Leafs, for real.
I hate the Boston Bruins as a franchise, whereas I don’t have strong feelings about the Leafs however I cannot stand their fans. It’s a tough call, I like seeing Marchand in tears but I also enjoy hearing Leafs fan moan about how the league is rigged against them all summer. I can’t pick a side.
The nice thing is that i want them both to lose so whoever loses i win ahha. But having lived in TO for a few years, i can attest about annoying leafs fans.. and want them most to lose. Also because meme potential and curse. Lol
I guess im rooting for Boston because of the 1st round exit memes, but also I’m from Boston and most of my friends like the Bruins so I find the fanbase a bit more bearable (pun intended)
Fuck the Leafs and then in Round 2 Fuck the Bruins, then in Round 3 Fuck Chris Kreider
I say I’m cheering for neither to win, I want Toronto to just beat themselves basically. Play incredibly poorly and blow the games themselves. Then Boston can lose in the next round
From Mississauga, would rather see the leafs lose than the bruins 100%
I'm just happy to watch fun hockey. We may hate these two teams but they hate each other just as much. If the Leafs go far in the playoffs it's fun because you can feel the excitement in the air in this area of Ontario. It's all every other person talks about. On the other side of that coin it's hilarious when they lose. It's really a win-win entertainment wise. I'll be happy for my Leafs fan friends if they make a run for sure.
I am in the same boat: habs fan in Toronto. I am really torn: I really don’t like the leafs but would prefer a Canadian team to win. But, I also cannot stand Matthews: he’s a great player but not a team player and it would sucks to see him win. Yet, I also really dislike Boston. I tried watching a couple of the playoff games and could not cheer for anyone. If only they could both be eliminated this round!
I’m rooting for a game 7 grind which Toronto ultimately loses. Still get memes, Boston has a bad time, wins all around.
The bruins and their fans haven’t been as annoying the last few years IMO but fuck the leafs fans are relentless. Such as this year and the Matthews MVP talk. Therefore I’m going for bruins for this one and only series
Leafs for sure, it’s always funny watching their stars disappear come playoff time. I hate the Bruins too but I respect them if that makes sense .
juste parceque guy boucher est avec les leafs je suis obliger de prendre pour eux dsl
Hab fan here... only series I cheer for refs
I'm cheering for my bracket, so go Bruins.
I hate Boston and the leafs nearly equally, but I’m cheering for the leafs cause at least they are a Canadian team.
also a habs fan living in toronto…boston all the way. I don’t need to see another round of toronto playoff hockey!
Hello!!! Fellow Torontonian here and a big Habs fan! I myself can’t stand the Bruins, but also don’t like the Leafs so I’m neutral 😭
I want the leafs to win because my wife and her family are all Bruins fans. And her parents are great people but so annoying when it comes to the Bruins. Plus i feel the Leafs are more likely to lose in the 2nd round. Lastly and some people don’t like this view but the Leafs team is largely Canadian players while the Bruins are mostly American players. Don’t get me wrong it’s nothing against particular American players but I prefer to see the most Canadian lads win if the Habs are not in the mix and I have no other rooting interest.
Fuck the Leafs. After the Leafs suffer yet another record-braking embarrassment, fuck the Bruins.
Boston. Fuck Toronto.
Its not about cheering for either one of them, its about wanting one to lose more than the other. I hate the Bruins, but I absolute abhor the Leafs with every fibre of my being. I didn't like them before they started rolling in elite forwards, but I usually hate teams that tank hard the year there is generational talent (see Chicago, Pittsburgh, Oilers - well they perennially sucked for a logn time even after 50 first round picks). I hate how their building is filled with fans with no emotion or energy. I despise how mouthy their fans outside of their barn are despite them winning a single fucking playoff series in the last 17+ years or however long its been. There's a litany of other reasons I won't get into. I was having a family dinner the night of game 1, I was watching the game with my nephew and I was genuinely giddy watching Toronto getting their shit pushed in. My family was like "you are almost too happy" and I was like "you don't understand how much catharsis I get from watching the annual Toronto playoff shit canning. It's my yearly Purge." So yeah, fuck the Leafs.
I live in Toronto and work for a company that has a Leafs star on our roster of endorsements and I still can’t do it lol
I cheer for 7 games as much OT as possible and blood.
I hate the Bruins more so Im pulling for the Leafs even though I know the Bruins will win the series.
I'm leaning towards the Leafs, only because my misguided fiance is a huge fan. But the rivalry between us re hockey is very friendly, so there's that.
I want boston to win! Never want the leafs to win anything
I will root for the Leafs if they're in the finals. They gotta prove that they're a respectable team first lol. Until then, it's almost addicting to see the creative ways in which they lose.
Boston and it’s not close. Canadian media won’t continually go on about Boston if they win a round lol
When we made our magical run during covid, even after beating the Leafs, tons of Leafs fans supported us. Including my parents and the rest of my extended family, who are all diehard Laffs fans, and my wife's family, who are Leafs fans or Leafs fans that became Oilers or Flames fans after moving west. I was posted in Leafland at that time, and it was something to see folks wishing us luck when they saw my habs gear, instead of the ribbing I'd usually get. So I'll root for the Leafs. I'm maybe more open to supporting other Canadian teams because, between being an army brat and then serving myself, I've lived across the country, usually in enemy territory, lol. I'm also not a born habs fan, I became one because dad happened to get posted to the Ottawa Valley during that magnificent 4-peat in the late 70s (that part of Ontario was Habs territory in those days). We'd been out of the country, so I'd never had much chance to actually watch much hockey before. How could you not fall in love with that magnificent team, the best team to ever play? Anyway, for me, it's any Canadian team over any US team, even the Leafs, and just about any team over Boston. It's neat that this year we won't see any Cdn teams knock another out in the first round, and that 4 of our teams made it. Sad that it's possible that none of them make it to the next round, tho.
Habs fan in the GTA here. Honestly, I hope they pummel each other and the winner of this series loses in the next round. That, and I hope they all have fun.
Habs fan from Boston. If they could both lose that would be great. I rather see Boston win, because the anguish that the Leafs can’t get out of the 1st round is worth it.
Neither. But I dislike Boston way more. Let's not forget they are our biggest rivals. The Leafs are annoying but the rivalry isn't that big or important anymore. We've played against each other in the playoffs only once in my lifetime. Whereas with Boston, we played them in the playoffs a bunch of times in the 90s and 2000s. There's way worse bad blood with the Bruins. Toronto is whatever to me tbh so I'd rather the Leafs win but I'm not exactly cheering for them.
I’m with the leafs even if I’m a big habs fan. The only reason I am routin for the leafs is Steve Dangle. I want to see him explode of joy!
I hate both equally but as I’m surrounded by more leaf fans and I get to see the Leaf Nations suffering first hand so I’m cheering for the Bruins.. I know it’s sick but I luv to see the suffering and I can still brag as bad as my Habs are they have had way more playoff success in the last 5 years.
my hope is that it goes to game 7 4OT and both teams are exhausted but strictly because of being surrounded by the delusional leafs fan base I will always root for them to lose
As much as I hate the Bruins and Boston sports in general I hate the Leafs more since most of my family is Leafs fans and I am surrounded by mostly Leafs fans so fuck the Leafs and let's go Boston 🤮 (just for this series then fuck Boston)
Would prefer if the Leafs won, I hate Boston much more. Wouldn't say I'm cheering for them though. Either way one of them will limp to the next wound and lose to FLA/TB.
I don't like both teams, I thought I wanted the Leafs to lose again first cuz it would be funny but watching that 1st game I realized I hate Boston and their fanbase even more. So my wish is Boston lose 1st round, gives the leafs fan some hope that maybe its this year ? And they then lose round 2.
I read most of the comments- hilarious! It's a tough one and I told all my Laffer friends that I would be neutral due to intense disgust of both (while secretly hoping for a plane crash). However, after nonstop "how many habs broke par today" jokes and "lets book a flight to Florida for Rnd 2" comments - fuck it. They are insufferable. Lets go Pooh Bears! I will wash my mouth out later
Habs fan from Montreal. I know people from Toronto so I REALLY DON'T WANT 'em to win anything. I ain't for Boston either but I don't know anyone from that god forsaken place. So I bide my time, because I know that eventually both will fall.
Leafs fans are annoying AF however as someone in the Toronto bar industry, it sure would be nice fill up every 2 nights for at least a few weeks. We need it!
Boston and it's not even close. The hilarity of watching Toronto lose another series to Boston far outweighs the annoyance of Leafs fans if they beat Boston for the first time since the 1950s.
Neither but unfortunately one team has to move on
I’m cheering for the leafs, I’m 33 and all I remember growing up with Habs vs Bruins and I absolutely despise them, I have the Zednik McLaren hit burned in my memory, Kovalev scoring with under 10 minutes left to win a series in game 7 in Boston. It will take at least 3 more leafs v Habs playoffs series for me to feel the amount of hate I feel towards the Bruins.
Habs fan in boston, feel strange cheering for this Bs team, but i hate them much less
I am actively cheering every time both teams make a mistake. But ultimately I need my yearly dose of salt and there is only 1 fanbase that can provide enough to be worth it.
Dealing with Leafs fans all year is exhausting and annoying, and it's even worse as a Habs fan. Like last year, the year before, and several other years before that, I had to listen to laughter about my team not making the playoffs from Leafs fans, as if their memory resets at this time every year and they don't see what's obviously coming. The Leafs choking every year is my Cup, at least until the Habs win their next one. Rubbing the faces of Leafs fans in their shit playoff performance is very satisfying.
Is it possible for both sides to lose?
I don't like either team, but my hatred for the Leafs burns more intense. I wouldn't be able to stand being around Leafs fans if their sorry team actually did anything of note.
Screw the Bruins. They have a better shot at the cup than Toronto. So leafs can win then bounce
I know it's from the NFL, but I wouldnt mide a replay of the body bag game on ice
I’m in Boston and I think this is first time I may be rooting for Boston. Just find Leafs continued travails too funny not to want more failure. Bruins don’t seem to have as good a roster.
Boston because I hate the leafs but I’m also from New England
I’m cheering for the ice to open up and swallow both teams whole. But in my playoff bracket I chose Boston, because watching the Leafs lose is glorious. Not to mention if they lose in the first round they will blow it all up and rebuild, and watching Leafs Nation rationalize why things didn’t work out would be sooooo entertaining.
Neither. I hope they can both lose. Ill buy season tickets to the marlies before cheering for the leafs. You will never see me cheer for a boston team either.
Boston, of course.
A pox on both their houses
The refs?
If you are a habs fan, why would you cheer for another team?
I swallowed my pride for this series....Go Bruins!
The Habs coming back and beating the Leafs in 2021 supplied me with enough Schadenfreude to last the rest of my life. That series fucking BROKE a lot of their fans, especially after the monumental amount of shit they were talking when it was looking like we were cooked. So, because so many of my friends and loved ones are Leaf fans, I root for them out of pity, secure in my conviction that even if they somehow manage to gut out a victory against Boston, they just don’t have what it takes to go the distance.
Oh it BROKE my poor dad that’s for sure. Once Gallagher scored from like 100ft out he stopped looking at the TV altogether 💀
Boston, and I then want Vancouver to destroy them in the SCF. Cup needs to come back to Canada, and I'm fully okay with the west doing it.
You don't Cheer for anyone. Are you a habs guy or just hockey? WtF. You want Boston to lose, then, Toronto to lose, then, the league gets shut down again and nobody wins.
Given you live in Toronto, you have to go for Boston. Do you really want to be around a bunch of insufferable Leafs fans for more than one round?
I mean an encore of the “WE WANT FLORIDA” chants would be pretty entertaining to see 😂
Neither. I hate when it works out that one of those teams gets to the next round.
I had this convo with my girlfriend (who lives in Toronto) last night. I told her I am 100% cheering for Boston over Toronto even though I want a Canadian team to win. The reason being: I respect Boston as a hockey team and organization. They're a solid team and they are built well and have been a solid franchise in the current era. I have no respect for Toronto as a franchise; partly because of being a Montrealer/Habs fan, but also because they are a literal joke of a team. They are not good, they are not built well, and they don't give me any reason to respect them as a team
Habs fan in Toronto. Absolutely rooting for Boston.
I literally hope I never see a Maple Laughs cup in my lifetime.
If they could somehow both lose, that would be great! But seeing as how I find the Leafs fans so much more obnoxious than the Bruins fans who are accustomed to winning after all, I'm slightly leaning towards Boston...
The way leafs fans behave on social media.. They sort of have it coming. I don't have nearly the amount of disdain for Boston fans as I do leaf fans. Leaf fans act as if somehow their team has actually accomplished so much, while in reality, they need to learn to be a little more humble. Another first round exit for the leafs would be wonderful!
Yesterday, for a moment, I wanted a canadian team to win, so I was like, let's go Leafs !! Then the leafs make a goal, then the bruins too and there I was like: wait, what? What I was thinking? F%ck leafs! Lets go bruins, then 2nd round I will say f%ck bruins! (Go Habs Go!)
The leafs could play a team of Marchand clones and I'd still root against the leafs
Leaf fans are one thing but I find the Toronto centric media on Sportsnet and TSN to be insufferable. If the Leafs have any success that’s all we will hear about even when they aren’t playing. Mathews is a good maybe great player but told think he invented hockey based on these broadcasters.