True Blue

I am one half of a mixed marriage. Having lived my entire life in and around Ottawa and

the Valley, I cheer for the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately, my husband is a supporter of

the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is not the only annoying thing about my husband – but

that’s another story!

So, I have spent numerous evenings at the Canadian Tire Centre wearing a Senators

jersey seated next to a man in a Leafs jersey, wishing with all my heart that he and all

his fellow fans would simply disappear. And I know for a fact that most of the Ottawa

crowd have the exact same feelings. Alas, wishing doesn’t make it so!

Keith took his support to the next level one night, much to my mortification. He had

conducted some business with the management of the Senators. As a thank you they

invited us to join them in the Owner’s Suite for a game. Of course, he chose a Leafs

game. When he put on his Leafs jersey, I explicitly forbid him from wearing it. After all,

we were being wined and dined and entertained on the Senators dime. He would not

change his shirt! When we arrived, the nice Senators people laughed and said they

were happy he showed loyalty to his team.

A while back, I had the great pleasure of meeting Bobby Orr. He was promoting a

Chevrolet Safe and Fun Hockey program. We were chatting and I was complaining

about how annoying it was that my husband was a Leafs fan. He asked me “Do you

know what they call Leafs fans?” When I indicated that I didn’t he smiled and said

“Masochists!”

Mr. Orr may call them masochists, but I have another word for them – delusional! In

2013 my husband made a bet with a friend that the Toronto Maple Leafs would win the

Stanley Cup within the next 10 years. As it was for a sizable amount of money, I was

not happy about this wager. While I knew it was within the realm of possibility that they

could win, I just didn’t think it was very likely. But Keith thought it was a lock - he was

going to win the bet! As each season began, he would take a seat in his armchair and

smiling gleefully, he would rub his hands together and say, “This is the year that they are

going all the way to the Stanley Cup! And I’m going to win that bet with Gerry!” I would

look over at him with a mixture of astonishment and pity and wonder at his optimism.

And his optimism never flagged – through every regular season game and right to the

end of the first round of the playoffs! At the end of the 2023 season, as he was paying

out his bet, he was still shaking his head, so surprised that he and his wonderful team

could have lost. And, despite strenuous objections on my part, he and Gerry have

renewed their bet for another 10 years!

I feel I have established that some Leafs fans (at least one in particular) may be

annoying, are possibly delusional and are perhaps masochists. But that doesn’t fully

describe them. The fans of other NHL franchises are often like the moon, their affection

for their team waxing and waning depending on said team’s current level of success.

The Toronto Maple Leaf fans, however, are like the sun. No matter how overcast the

skies, their loyalty shines fiercely and brightly behind those clouds! For Leafs fans –

hope lives!

Submitted by Laurel Crosbie-Michaud