Looking for reader views: what could derail the Leafs’ fans optimism?

I certainly want to acknowledge ex-Leaf Wade Belak's passing.  We all will recognize this as another sad, sad day for hockey.  There are forums where the topic of why so many former players- especially "enforcers"- who have died too young will be debated.  With deep respect, I will leave it to those forums to comment more thoroughly on a very sensitive and difficult subject.)

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Let’s be honest:  just like spring training in baseball, when it comes to hockey training camp every September, most fans want to believe (hope?) that things will be “better” this season.

This falls on the heels of the classic rallying cry (which sports fans emit at the end of every losing season) “wait ‘till next year…”

So yes, fans live in hope.  That’s what we do, especially in markets where the team we cheer for has not won a championship for a considerable period of time.

45 years ranks as considerable, right?

It’s not always easy for fans to stay loyal (imagine being a Detroit Lions fan—how many playoff games have they won in the last 50 years?) but here in Toronto, I’m guessing a only relatively small percentage of die-hard supporters have jumped off the ship in any real and long-lasting way.

If some of us do leave temporarily, something inevitably draws us back…a Dickie Duff, a Lanny McDonald, a Borje Salming, a Doug Gilmour, a Mats Sundin, a James Reimer...

In any event, I well recognize that optimism abounds at this time of year.  It's often unrealistic.  Almost everyone is healthy and ready for camp, we hear.  Fans in all 30 NHL cities think their team can make the playoffs, yet only 16 will.

Only one will win the Stanley Cup.

Here in Leafland, I sense that the majority of fans are truly optimistic, maybe more so than they have been in close to a decade.  Now, what I mean when I say optimistic may not be fully clear, depending on where each fan’s level of expectation is.  If you set the bar at just having a team that can compete most nights, that’s one thing.  A team that has a shot at making a run at a playoff spot, that’s another.  Thinking your team could actually go deep into the playoffs is a whole other matter entirely.

And we haven’t even touched on that level of expectation where a fan truly believes their team can actually win the Cup.

I will say this:  Toronto is an improved team.  We’ve all said it, discussed it, ad nauseam this summer.  (Yes, words can only take us so far, we need to see these guys actually play…)

But for all the optimism and hope, here’s my question (and I’m looking for the always thoughtful Vintage Leaf Memories readers here to provide some  solid responses): what could derail the optimism around the Leafs?

I’m not looking for you to be negative for the sake of being negative about the Leafs.  Rather, simply asking you to step back, be honest and personally assess what you think could happen that would make your optimism fade pretty quickly, if not entirely.

I know those who visit this site regularly know their hockey, so from here on, I’ve got the day off.  It’s your column.  Have your say…