Wait wait... didn't the playoffs end just last week??
You are absolutely the first realist Leafs fan I have ever encountered! Seriously, all the rest are "we're gunna win it all next year!", or "we'll get 'em next season".
In all of sports, yes all of sports, I don't think there are a set of fans who are more taken advantage of by a sports team. Over the years the ownership of the Leafs have always just raked in the money while laughing at the fans who blindly pay for it all season after season.
I find it incredible that a group of fans can be SO passionate about their team and sport, but they also so readily accept season after season of mediocre or even abysmal results.
As a Habs fan, I can tell you if the owners/management of the Habs don't appear to be putting in 100% effort to win then the fans let them know about it. They protest through media, at games, ever going as far as not showing up to games. Empty seats speak volumes. Luckily, that doesn't happen often in Montreal as the management know they have to show extreme effort.
I would love to see Leafs fans organize and stand up to the team by demanding success.
All my buddies are on the same page, realistically. Leafs fans get a bad rep, but most aren't as crazy as people think. I would say Habs fans have the same stigma. Look at last year... that was the "Habs Year!".... until the one reason they are even close to a playoff spot got injured.
Wait wait wait..... Lets not give Montreal fans too much credit here. Toronto's attendance the last 2 seasons was down almost 400 seats per game. Thats huge! What most people forget is that 15,500 of the 19,400ish seats in the ACC are Season Ticket Holders. Therefore, that 400 person decrease is really only from 4000 fans. A 10% decrease by comparison.
Now, go have a look at Canadiens attendance. From 1999-2003 they made the playoffs 1 out of 4 seasons, and attendance did not drop prior to previous years.
I don't find too much difference in Leafs fans or Habs fans