Report: Leafs to be hated “even more” by Canada

The Toronto Maple Leafs have long been one of Canada's most hated teams, in close contention with the Montreal Canadiens. With the team on the rise, getting better and better, year after year, Michael Landsberg asks Jamie McLennan on TSN Radio 1050 if that hatred is going to grow even deeper across Canada.

"I think so. I mean, they were already hated by the rest of Canada, period. And the team stunk for years. And people still despised them," McLennan said. "Now that they're good, the fans are more obnoxious just because they've got something legitimate to cheer for.

"So yeah they'll be louder, and I think the fans want that too. They feel and know that they've been long suffering, so now they're going to celebrate a team that's really good. So, yeah they're going to be hated more and more as the league goes on and as they continue to get better and challenge for a Cup. 

"It's only natural and there's some jealousy to it, but people are going to point that they haven't won for a long time. It's good for fandom, it's good for the league that Toronto's good, it's about time, let's put it that way."

Don't think any Leafs fans will have any problem with people hating their team - as McLennan said, there's definitely going to be some jealousy attached to that hatred now.