It's official: Leafs fans are the most annoying fans in the NHL.
Tell me something I don't know.
HockeyFeed
Well, the votes are in. Buckle up, Canadian hockey fans because it's going to be a bumpy road..
Every year hockey data analyst 'JFresh' on X (formerly Twitter) releases his 'Airing of Grievances' as both a nod to the classic Seinfeld Festivus episode as well as a nod to the current state of NHL fandom. These votes cast by hockey fans on Twitter (X is dumb... bite me, Elon) determine things like the NHL's most annoying fanbase, most delusional fanbase and which fanbase is most prone to overreact.
In short, there's some absolute gold here from JFresh.
First up, the most annoying fanbase with a whopping 37% of the vote... you guessed it, it's the Toronto Maple Leafs!
When your team's ownership (Rogers/Sportsnet) runs nearly all of Canadian sports media, you're basically walking around with a target on your back. The Leafs are topic #1 - #100 on nearly all Sportsnet broadcasts in Canada, leading to a situation where sometimes it feels like all you hear and see is the Leafs. Personally, I feel like this is a large part of the backlash that the Leafs fanbase gets saddled with. While the fans are mostly just like all other hockey fans, their 'annoying-ness' gets amplified by the mainstream sports media in Canada. Then again... the fans are pretty annoying even without Sportsnet cramming them down our throats. Both things can be true simultaneously!
Next up, the most delusional fanbase in the NHL... with 28% of the vote... the Ottawa Senators!
Seriously... you guys actually thought this team would make the playoffs!?!?! Give your head a shake!
The Sens need a serious overhaul, but the problem is their last overhaul left them in the mess that they're currently in. And their fans were talking about getting Claude Giroux a Stanley Cup before he retires! Delusional!
Next up... the fanbase most prone to melting down... or, in my eyes, the biggest whiners! Guess what? It's the Leafs with over half of the votes!
This has got to be 100% true. Leafs fans will look you straight in the face and tell you how hard down by they are by the NHL. Give me a BREAK!
Some more interesting 'grievances' from JFresh: