"We want Florida!": Panthers fans mock Leafs fans after 3-0 series lead

May 8 2023, 2:36 pm

The question of “How will people make fun of the Toronto Maple Leafs now?” seems to have been answered.

With the Leafs now down 3-0 in their second-round series and on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs, any and all good feelings about the team finally winning a postseason series seem to have gone out the window.

And fans at Florida’s FLA Live Arena in Sunrise seem to have found the magic formula: simply hit the Leafs fans with their own medicine.

After the Panthers won last night’s contest 3-2 in overtime over Toronto, fans in both the concourses and stands of the arena broke out in a “We want Florida!” chant.

The fans were mocking Toronto fans, who celebrated the Leafs’ first-round victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning with the same “We want Florida” chants at Maple Leaf Square outside Scotiabank Arena on April 29. It was the Leafs’ first postseason series win in 19 years.

The story does need a bit of context though ā€” the Panthers weren’t theĀ only team Toronto fans wanted.

Toronto fans wereĀ caught on camera chanting “We want Florida” after they eliminated the Lightning, but there was also a sizeable contingent of fans at Maple Leaf Square also chanting “We want Boston!”

With the Panthers and Bruins still set to play in a Game 7 matchup on April 30, those chanting “We want Florida” and “We want Boston” seemed to simply be preparing for all possible options.

But no matter if they chanted for Florida, Boston, or both, either way, Toronto fans can’t feel all that good about how this series has gone, with their team now on the brink of postseason humiliation and one long offseason should they not pull off a miraculous comeback.

Game 4 between the Leafs and Panthers goes Wednesday night at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

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