Rivalries is what makes sports so great. In the NHL, there's one Canadian rivalry that is one of the best. That is the Battle of Ontario between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
History is on the Maple Leafs side in the rivalry with the Maple Leafs having won 13 Stanley Cups to the Senators' zero, and the Maple Leafs are 5-0 all-time against the Senators in playoff history with the most recent being last season's first round series.
The hatred for the Maple Leafs grows stronger with every game played for the Senators and their fans. However, some might think the Maple Leaf fans may not deserve the hate from the fans in red and black, but don't try telling that to Sens fans.
Maple Leafs don't deserve "ridicule" in Ottawa
Today, Paul Quinney of The Hockey Writers wrote an article titled "Toronto Maple Leaf Fans Deserve Sympathy in Ottawa -- Not Ridicule." Sympathy in Ottawa for Leaf fans is something that may never happen.
There's no denying that the Maple Leaf fans travel incredibly well throughout the NHL, and are arguably the most popular team in the NHL. In Ottawa, the amount of blue in the stands can be obvious to point out. "Go Leafs go" chants will always get under Sens fans' skins at Canadian Tire Centre. At times, there has been more Maple Leaf fans than Sens fans in Ottawa for Battle of Ontario games.
One thing that a good amount of Sens fans will say is the Maple Leaf fans can be delusional or obnoxious. The Maple Leaf fans can be viewed by many to be compared with New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboy fans with the "this is our year" saying and reminding teams like the Senators they have never won a Stanley Cup while the Maple Leafs have 13 Stanley Cups.
What Sens fans will love to mock the Maple Leafs for is the success the Senators have had since losing to the Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2002 playoffs. The Senators have made the Stanley Cup Finals once while the Maple Leafs haven't appeared in one since 1967.
Since 2003, the Senators made the Eastern Conference Finals three times to the Maple Leafs' zero appearances. The Senators have won a playoff series nine times to the Maple Leafs' two playoff series wins.
Today, one moment from the Battle of Ontario that Sens fans will forever embrace was Ridly Greig's slapshot empty-net goal at the end of a February 2024 game. Fans on both sides went in a social media frenzy when the Senators teased they would do a Greig slapshot bobblehead giveaway this season. Sens fans also mocked the Maple Leafs during the 2025 playoffs with mocking Auston Matthews "balding" and that Mitch Marner was going to leave Toronto in free agency, which did end up happening.
At least one Sens fan has a "story" of a Maple Leaf fan they met at game or on the streets. In the end, the hatred for the Maple Leafs isn't going away for any Sens fan.