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After nearly five decades of cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs from the stands, Gino Smargiassi decided to walk away.
Smargiassi first got season tickets in 1976 and has held onto them for nearly five decades. Although the Leafs’ 2021 first-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens, after blowing a 3-1 series lead, made him question his commitment to the team, he continued buying season tickets until this year.
“Losing in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens, after a series lead of 3-1, finally made me decide to be a casual fan and no longer a die-hard Leaf fan,” said Smargiassi.
Smargiassi said changes to the team’s players and management also played a role in his decision.
“My feeling was that it was no longer a matter of having the right coach and an abundance of talent to reach the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup,” he said.
Despite walking away from his season tickets, Smargiassi said his time as a Leafs fan still gave him several memorable moments.
His favourite season came in 2002, when Toronto reached the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Getting very close to the Stanley Cup final was my favourite year,” he said.
For younger fans, however, following the Leafs has meant growing up with a very different team.
Riley Loo, a Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) student and lifelong Leafs fan, has never experienced a Leafs cup win, but grew up watching the team with his family and said supporting Toronto has become part of his identity.
“I played hockey as a kid, I still do, hockey has always been part of my life and growing up in Toronto meant watching and loving the Leafs,” he said.
While Smargiassi eventually reached a point where he stopped investing in season tickets, Loo said the team’s lack of playoff success has not changed his connection to the team.
“The joke is ‘This year is our year’ and it’s kind of depressing but like I still want to believe it. I can’t help it,” he said.
The Leafs enter the 2026-27 season after finishing last in the Atlantic Division and missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
The changes began in May, when Toronto announced John Chayka as general manager and brought former Leafs captain Mats Sundin into the front office as senior executive adviser.
The team also won the draft lottery in June and selected Gavin McKenna first overall.
Toronto added several players during the offseason, including two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky and defenceman Darren Raddysh, who recorded a career-high 70 points last season.
Forwards Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Teddy Blueger, Colton Sissons and Brandon Duhaime were also added to the roster.
One day before the regular season began, the Leafs acquired forward Kirill Marchenko and goaltender Elvis Merzļikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a second-round pick.
For Loo, the changes have created some optimism heading into the new season.
“I was surprised about Knies for Marchenko. It should be interesting, especially with McKenna everyone is excited,” he said
Toronto opened the season with back-to-back games against the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders, splitting the two contests.
For Smargiassi, the changes have given him a reason to keep watching, but it will take more than a new roster to bring him back as a season-ticket holder.
He said the Leafs would have to reach at least the third round of the playoffs this season before he would consider buying season tickets again.
“We need to see the emergence of a new culture in Leafs Nation,” he said.
Reporter, OTR, F2026.
Reporter, OTR, F2026.
