A LIFELONG PASSION

BY PAUL BRUNO

To be a passionate fan of my hometown team, that has been the most consistent joy, outside of my family life.

The Blue and White, The Buds, Canada’s Team. My team. The Toronto Maple Leafs.

No one who knows me well is unaware of my longtime devotion to this franchise. But why, you may ask?

Could it be because I was born and raised in Toronto? Possibly, but is that enough of a reason? No.

Could it be, that from the age of three, when I went to see my first game, I was fascinated by the speed and the flow of the game? .Probably not, at the time. .

Could it be that the Leafs have always been front and center in all forms of media, in Canada, for over 80 years. Now, you are getting warm.

Since that first exposure to the Leafs, I was hooked. My parents tell me that it was not long after that initial exposure that I had committed the names of all NHL players of that

6 team league to my memory and could identify any player on any team.

Media attention to the team, in Toronto, is comparable only to a certain few teams in the entire spectrum of sports, like the Yankees and Red Sox, for example. The team has to have a media scrum following every practice. Their games are dissected in print and on the airwaves-in recent years, on the Internet as well 

So ever since I can remember, I would wait for the newspaper to arrive and immediately pull out the sports section to devour any tidbit of information about my team. I would read about practice info, injury updates, upcoming opponents, and, of course, the team and league statistics. 

I have been blessed with an excellent ability to remember stats and events surrounding the team’s (mis)fortunes throughout my life.

Every Saturday night, I knew that I could look forward to Hockey Night in Canada and the broadcast of the Leafs game, live from Maple Leaf Gardens. The expectation of being entertained for three hours was always captivating. I always looked forward to game time, imagining the possibilities. Could they upset the top team? How about blowing away a league doormat? I always hoped for a win and would sleep better when they’d get one.   .

Like every young hockey fan, I would imagine that I could one day be a Leaf player. I would play on my street or at the neighborhood rink and pretend that I was one of them.

I would spend hours trying to copy the great moves of my favorite players. I would wonder what it must be like, to be a part of this famous team.

Even the road games that weren’t televised would provide a number of thrills. I would go to bed and have the radio on and hang on every word, conjuring up every scene as it was being described. It was neat to think that I was connected to my team, which was playing so far away.

The biggest thrills I can remember, from my earliest days as a Leaf fan, were on those days when my dad would bring home a pair of tickets to the next Leaf Game. He would leave them out at my spot on the dinner table and I would light up like a Christmas tree.

Going to the game was just so exciting, as a young boy. I have always gotten that same buzz, every time that I have seen a game live.

The last Stanley Cup in 1967 was won by the over-the-hill gang, backstopped by the oldest goalie tandem in hockey history with Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk. This band of graybeards upset the heavily favored and dreaded rivals- the Montreal Canadiens in a great 6- game series.

League expansion ensued and a string of futility, that continues to this day, is now the bane of my existence.  38 years and counting.…

Sure there have been a number of extended playoff runs by “my Leafs”, the 1978 upset of the soon-to-be NY Islander dynasty and the 4 conference final losses to 4 different underdogs in the 1990s, for instance. I would review the details of every game with my buddies, all Leaf fans as well. It has been a lifelong ritual.

Why do I continue to subject myself to this litany of failures and heartbreak?

For me, it has always been, because they are a part of me AND I am a part of them. When they win, I win. When they lose, I lose. Why, just by listing some names, I will evoke many personal memories. Davey Keon. Frank Mahovlich. Darryl Sittler. Lanny McDonald, Borje Salming. Doug Gilmour. Wendel Clark. Mats Sundin. These are the team’s leaders in my time. The list of unique characters is just about as long., including the likes of Eddie Shack. Dave (Tiger) Williams. Tie Domi.    

These are just a few of the players, and among the easiest to identify, in my Leaf history. But, I could really bore you with many stories about the many lesser-known Leaf players.

I could, but I won’t.  Why?

Because they, like those mentioned above, are MY LEAFS. – a key part of my Leaf history and my Leaf passion, whose stories couldn’t mean as much to anybody else. 

That is why it is my great pleasure to cover the fortunes of this storied franchise in the www.frozenleafs.com