Legendary commentator Joe Bowen calls out Leafs fans after an embarrassing home opener
Toronto Maple Leafs play by play announcer called out Leafs fans yesterday for not brining any energy whatsoever in the team's home opener.
The Leafs hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for their season opener at home. The team brought their 'A' game, taking down the Penguins by a final score of 4-2.
Despite the fact that the Leafs won the game, the home crowd did not appear to be that into it according to play by play announcer Joe Bowen. Bowen made a post on X after the game joking that he would effectively force fans to get up and cheer when they score because they were far too quit for an opening night crowd.
This became a hot button issue on the social media platform. One common theme emerged right away. Ticket prices are too high for regular fans of the Leafs to attend, especially lower bowl tickets. As a result, many fans believe that the crowds are always quit because half the people there don't really care that much about the game.
Many fans suggested lowering the cost of tickets in order to get more passionate fans in the building. Perhaps this is the factor that has been missing in the playoffs, when ticket prices are at their most expensive. After all, the team generally plays better when the crowd is into it. Time after time we have seen the Leafs drop elimination games in the playoffs to silent crowds.
One fan made an extra revealing statement about the state of Leafs tickets, saying he prefers going to games in Buffalo because it feels more like a home crowd. There is certainly an element of truth to this as Leafs fans are known for packing the building when they are in Buffalo, and ticket prices may very well be a big part of the cause for this.
It should be interesting to see how the Leafs respond to this situation, but most fans probably won't be expecting lower ticket prices any time soon.
