Canucks & Beyond
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Leafs Fans Need a Safe Haven
by Alanah McGinley on 03/04/08 at 09:28 PM ET
Comments (4)
Toronto fans: Are you looking for a team to make it through the long, cold nights ahead? William Houston at the Globe & Mail inspired me tonight when he questioned: Whatever will CBC do without Toronto on the schedule? And it’s coming.
Despite the cheery optimism of Mats Sundin & Co., the Toronto Maple Leafs are unlikely to make the playoffs.
Still, the conversation on the most recent Hockey Night focused almost entirely on the Leafs, 12th in the Eastern Conference.
The national hockey media’s preoccupation with the Leafs is hardly news, but it does encourage me to extend an olive branch to Leafs fans.
Houston goes on to break down the minutes of HNIC last Saturday, utterly focussed on Leaf Land, such as it was. (Again, hardly news.) However, the situation presents a more crucial problem for CBC in the near future.
This seems self-defeating, because when the playoffs start, Hockey Night will be hoping that one million or more viewers become interested in, and watch, the Senators and the Canadiens, as well as the Calgary Flames and the Canucks, assuming they make the playoffs.
Indeed. All those desperate Leafs fans, months of potential hockey slowly vanishing before their eyes. Whoever will they cheer for? The Blue Jays?? Please.
So allow me be the first to start a Join Canucks Nation! campaign… I’d like to welcome all Toronto Maple Leafs fans to the fold. And there’s a lot of you, I know.
I mean, let’s be honest: you’re not going to suddenly start cheering for the Senators or those shocking little upstarts in Montreal, are you?
And Calgary is in Alberta, for godsakes —and everyone knows Ontario hates Alberta; Vancouver approves highly of that position, incidentally.
So will you join us? We’re the least offensive option and we’re a lot like you. And while our team may not be the greatest, it could be worse—at least there’s a chance we’ll be in the playoffs. 
Think about it. Enough of you come on board, we may bridge decades of hatred across this nation.
And hell… you’ll enjoy our weather. Everyone wins.
Filed in: nhl general, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, hnic, hockey+fans, media, toronto+maple+leafs, vancouver+canucks,
Comments
Thanks, but no thanks. There is only one team. When playoffs start, I will be the biggest fan of anyone who is playing the Senators. Keeps me busy.
Posted by steve west from toronto on 03/05/08 at 01:54 PM ET
Alanah, you forgot Edmonton!… bahaha, just kidding.
At least T-dot isn’t as bad as Edmonton. Cheering for the Oil is like getting a hangover without the good times the night before. 
Posted by LOUiE from Cowtown on 03/05/08 at 04:30 PM ET
Laker -- True enough. But then how do you explain CBC?
Steve -- I’m hurt! But I understand. Sigh.
LOUiE -- Ha! I wondered if leaving Edmonton out of my considerations was rude. But I figured rejecting them even more than they must already feel might be worse. (I’m just trying to be sensitive, ya know...)
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 03/05/08 at 07:35 PM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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Other Canucks Blogs
TSN = TORONTO SPORTS NETWORK right?
Posted by Laker from Dapuddle on 03/04/08 at 09:51 PM ET