There are more than Leafs fans pulling for Toronto to beat Florida in the second round

Ryan O’Reilly has played for some proud organizations with loud and deep fan bases. But the Maple Leafs centre from Huron County, Ont., has never seen anything like Leafs Nation.

“It’s different, this being the mecca of hockey,” said O’Reilly. who has played in Buffalo, Colorado and St. Louis. “The fan base is like nothing I’ve ever played for. It’s just everywhere. It stretches out. Not just here in Ontario or around this area, but across Canada. The following that the Leafs have is something different.”

As the Leafs face a huge uphill battle to get back into their second-round series with the Panthers — they are down 2-0 with the next two games in Florida — they have support from groups beyond their fan base.

“You see the ratings,” said Rob Corte, the Sportsnet vice-president of NHL production. “It’s obvious that (the Leafs are) the biggest driver of our audience in Canada.”

The first round of the playoffs reached some 19.4 unique million viewers. Game 6 of the Leafs-Lightning series had 4.4 million viewers, the third-highest rated game in Sportsnet history. It was the game that got the Leafs into the second round for the first time in 19 years.

“Some fans that just didn’t think it would happen (were) hesitant because it’s tough to watch,” Corte said. “But now they’ve gone past that hurdle. I think you’re going to see more fans flock because they’re one step closer, as are the Edmonton Oilers. It’s must-see TV at this point in the season.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my … team? Go Leafs Go, I guess,” Montreal fan @hubeeswole tweeted,

“I think my favourite part of the Toronto Maple Leafs making it to the second round is seeing Montreal Canadiens fans reluctantly cheering for them,” tweeted Hockey News draft analyst Tony Ferrari. “The Leafs, bringing Canada together.”

But the players are painfully close to paying back what they owe from the low-dollar-generating seasons from the worst of the COVID pandemic. At last report, they’re about $100 million shy of hitting a debt-payback threshold and having the cap go up more than $1 million, which would mean more money for the free agents.

Should free agents be rooting for the Leafs? “Absolutely,” agent Allan Walsh said. “From an HRR standpoint, you cheer for Toronto, the New York Rangers, L.A. and Boston. HRR takes a hit when Florida and Carolina go on runs.”

Of the teams remaining in the playoffs, Seattle is believed to be second to Toronto in revenue generation, with Vegas, Edmonton, Dallas and New Jersey — thanks to the New York-area market — also OK.

“In a perfect world from an economic standpoint, the highest revenue-generating teams end up as the two teams in the finals,” agent Anton Thun said. “From a free-agency standpoint, if you could get to the stage where revenues have been generated so significantly that the escrow is paid back, and the upper limit is raised, you want that opportunity to get your piece of the pie this summer.

“The guys who are unrestricted free agents this year are definitely cheering for high-revenue teams.”

But the real cheers are coming from the fans, from big cities like Toronto to small towns like Huron County, where O’Reilly is from.

“My parents have always followed my career,” O’Reilly said. “But playing for the Leafs now, playing for their team, just the buzz around my small little town back home is just insane.”

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