Toronto Maple Leaf Fans Litter Ice With Beer – Stay Classy Leafs Nation

A couple weeks ago, the great Rich wrote an article about how the Toronto Maple Leafs are the NHL’s most embarrassing team because of their dirty play and lack of accountability. Today I’m not writing about the team being embarrassing, I’m writing about the fans and

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

particularly the fans that were at the First Niagara Center last night. The fans that felt the need to litter the ice with beer after the Leafs fell to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime on Friday night.

I get it, I really do. The Leafs haven’t been playing so well the last few games and then to lose to a team like the Buffalo Sabres who are last in the NHL and well on pace to become the worst team in NHL history is a tough pill to swallow. It’s like kicking a guy when he’s down, but that’s hockey. A team goes through hot streaks and cold streaks: They lose games they should win and win games they should lose.

That’s the beauty of this great game we love called hockey. But to litter another team’s home ice with beer because they beat your “mighty” team is B.S. Even worse than just littering the ice, some beer cans even hit Buffalo Sabres players who were celebrating the win. Come on guys, the Sabres don’t win often, especially at home, let them celebrate in peace will ya?

"“After a home win you get beer cans thrown at you. We’ll take it” ~ Drew Stafford cracking jokes after the win."

Oh Leaf fans, sometimes you can be so childish. You make it far too easy for other teams and fan bases to hate Leafs Nation and throwing full beer cans at Buffalo Sabres has to be an ultimate low point. The NHL knows how you fans like to throw things on the ice, like your “waffle” stage a few season’s ago, but please leave those childish antics at home will ya?

The Leafs and Sabres have a pretty classic NHL rivalry as they are separated by a short 2 hour drive up the QEW and as a result the ACC is often filled with blue and gold and the First Niagara Center is more than often filled with blue and white, which can sometimes nullify the home-ice advantage for either team.

Since I live in Toronto and cheer for the Buffalo Sabres I’ve seen this rivalry first hand, including one game I got cornered by 3 drunk Leafs’ fans and thought I would have to fight to get my way out. There is just something about Toronto Maple Leaf fans who think they’re better than the rest of the NHL and it’s laughable at best. Yes the hockey passion runs through the veins of people in Leafs Nation but you really shouldn’t consume alcohol because it makes you do really, really, stupid things.

There are lots of ways to show your team pride when they’re on the road and the Sabres fans aren’t exactly angels themselves. Throwing beer at the opposition while they’re trying to celebrate a win has to be a new low.

Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost the last place Buffalo Sabres in overtime, but it happens and it’s no reason to pout like little children who just got their favourite toy taken away and throw beer on the ice and at players. When you boo the Buffalo Sabres and chirp Ryan Miller with your “silver medal” and “Miiilllleeerrr” chants, that’s one thing and it’s kind of fun. But throwing beer at the opposition who outplayed your team is a whole different level. Stay classy Leafs Nation!

If Leaf fans should be mad at anyone for their OT loss, it’s not the Sabres, nor the refs, but the Maple Leafs themselves. They didn’t play well enough to win and then took a penalty which left them down a man in OT. That’s a recipe for disaster in today’s NHL.

To all the Buffalo Sabres fans reading this, do everyone a favour and DO NOT sell your tickets to Leaf fans please! Let’s try to win back our home ice advantage and make sure our boys don’t have beer cans thrown at them after wins. Maybe losses, but never wins! Remember to stay classy Leafs Nation, how would you like it if a team invaded your arena and littered the ice with beer?