What unites Maple Leafs fans despite decades of losing?
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Whether suffering from blue-and-white disease or not, the Maple Leafs fan base is undeniably among the most passionate and loyal in the National Hockey League.
Whether the Buds win or lose in their playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs Nation will likely forever remain intact.
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What unites Maple Leafs fans despite decades of losing? Back to video
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Why, after decades of heartbreak, do the fans continue to come back for more?
The longevity of the storied franchise, which has won 13 Stanley Cup championships but precisely zero since 1967, can’t hurt for starters.
So says Craig Hyatt, associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines.
“The Leafs have been around for over 100 years, with a loyal fan base that is transferred from generation to generation,” Hyatt said in a wide-ranging synopsis of the franchise ahead of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. “For many families in English-speaking Canada, specifically southern Ontario, Leafs fandom is a family legacy passed down like a family heirloom.”
For instance, families might bond over watching the Leafs take the ice during the weekly Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Hyatt said.
“You learn all the rituals, traditions and stories — the Legend of Bill Barilko or of Darryl Sittler scoring 10 points in one game — that get passed onto the next generation of fans,” the resident expert said. “If mom and dad cheer for the Leafs, you cheer for the Leafs and breaking that cycle would almost be like betraying your family.”
The Leafs have long asked their fans to be patient. Playoff success has been next to non-existent in recent years, or more accurately decades. In fact, when the Leafs ousted their Battle of Ontario rival Ottawa Senators in Round 1, it marked just the second time since 2004 that Toronto has advanced to the second round.
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But as Bob Dylan once sang, the times, they just might be a-changin’. After winning the Atlantic Division title by finishing the regular season with 108 points, the Leafs find themselves in contention in 2025 as they aim to erase the longest active Cup drought among NHL teams.
“Because they were so awful for so long, they got high draft picks with the goal of developing those players into superstars to become a contending team,” Hyatt said. “There is now a lot of excitement in southern Ontario as Leafs Nation thinks their dreams are finally going to come true.”
It’s not just diehard fans who are invested in the team’s playoff run.
Hyatt’s colleague at Brock, fellow associate professor of sport management, Olan Scott, said casual and new fans alike have joined the fray, for various reasons.
“A bandwagoner is often disparaged as someone only being a fan when things are good, but it’s also just fun to have something to talk about with friends,” Scott said. “Sports are like a social glue that brings people together. Following the game and the progression of the series, for a moment, takes the focus off some of the other geopolitical things happening in the world. It’s a reprieve for people who watch and enjoy it together.”
While ticket prices might make witnessing a game in the building next to impossible for some, there are other ways to be part of the electricity, such as the fan gatherings outside in Maple Leaf Square.
“The average fan also gets together with their friends at the local sports bar in their jerseys and takes over the place, becoming this communal thing that is completely independent of the marketing efforts of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” he said. “Technology has also provided a range of ways to consume the team; it’s a whole different 21st-century paradigm for sport fans.”
As for the team’s ultimate destiny in 2025?
“A lot of this really has to do with luck,” Scott said. “One of the beautiful things about sport is that it’s unscripted. We see it happening in real time — and we have no idea what’s going to happen.”
And if things don’t work out, hey, there’s always next year.
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