The 29 most hopeless fan bases in professional sports

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last championship: 1967

Last winning season: 2013-14

The Leafs are one of the cornerstone teams in all of hockey, and inhabit their nation’s most prominent city. One of the Original Six franchises of the NHL, the Maple Leafs’ history dates back all the way to 1917 (that’s almost 100 years, for those keeping score at home). Across their history, the Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cups, made the Stanley Cup Playoffs 65 times, and have talliedover 2,700 victories.

With that resume aside, it should be noted that the Leafs have now almost gone half of their history without adding to that Stanley Cup count, and have not reached the Finals since 1967. It is a far cry from the glory days that established the great name of the Leafs, as their championship drought has reached 48 years and counting.

Of late, the team has hit the most severe skid in franchise history. They have made the playoffs once in the past 11 years. Prior to that downturn, the team had gone through a string of strong pushes through the regular season, but ultimately were turned back in the playoffs, more often than not by the New Jersey Devils or Philadelphia Flyers.

Throughout it all, the legend and lore of the Maple Leafs continue to make it one of the toughest tickets in all of sports. Hockey is king in Canada, and no team is more popular than the Maple Leafs — still. The fans have stuck out, even when there is no competitive reason to do so, throwing Leafs sweaters show their disapproval, yes, but also that they’re still there.

Next: 3. Cleveland Indians