The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference.
Leafs fans stick around because of hope, not because of logic. Hope that one day things will just go their way and fear that if they weren't there for the ride, they couldn't forgive themselves for missing it.
Nothing wrong in exploring everything but don't forget where you came from.
I've been a Leaf fan for 48 years. Yes, I remember the Stanley Cup and the 6 team NHL. I've a good number of friends that are like me, life long fans of their teams. To say that I could give up allegiance to my team is something that would be followed by the words can't, won't, nope, etc. Neither would any of my friends. To me, someone who flows with the flavor of the day is not a fan of hockey, or of a team. More a fan of themselves and wanting to follow the winners. Now, I'm not say that Mr French is one of these. On the contrary, he's speaking to an impartial viewpoint.
I work in an arena, and as such, I see tons of kids everyday. It's interesting to note that their allegiance seems to be with whomever is currently popular. Example being that they like Crosby ergo, they follow the Penguins. I just wonder how much of that is media driven. In my day, with limited exposure, you tended to discover that your home town had a team, so you followed that team or your parents followed a team, so you followed that team. And of course, you inherited the rivalries too. Now, you find some kid following the Penguins, and not be aware that you automatically hate the Flyers etc. Isn't obvious like it used to be.
