Today is the kind of day that makes you long for a Saturday night in December (but not the 13th or 27th) so that you could curl up on the couch with the Leafs and a couple of adult beverages. Sure, the MLS All-Star game is a pretty good substitute but it's just West Ham.

Anyway, while reminding the Europeans that we still do not know how they came to follow the Leafs and hoping that some of the shrinking violets will contribute to what has become an interesting look at the Origins of Fandom I'll make this an open thread to discuss whatever you want. Defensive pairings, what forwards will play on which lines, is CuJo a traitor, whatever.

If you have a link to share drop it in the comments:

• Canada is obviously going to win the World Juniors but they will not have Stamkos.
• Just the Centre of the Sporting Universe G & M? Try the entire universe.
• Koopa Kid ponders the eternal question: If the Toronto media were not such over the top d-bags like Cathal Kelly, Damien Cox, et al would the players improve?
• Speaking of that insufferable POS Cathal Kelly, deal with the fact that TFC fans are the gold standard in the league. And stop calling the team FC!
• Norte escaped from He Score! He Shoot! and started his own blog. I told Greener to not let Moose handle knot-making duty.

I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointing last night's TFC game was...actually, look at who I am talking to...if anyone understands it's you guys (and girls!). Against Montreal, of all teams, they just had to win to become Canadian Champions. They went up 1-0 and the crowd was going absolutely insane and then disaster struck: an equalizer. Of course, TFC has 65 minutes (plus injury time) to get another and were controlling the play but with a Kaberle-like aversion to shooting and a Jason Blake-esque miss by my new most hated SOB Jeff Cunningham in the 89th minute TFC was denied celebrating its first championship in history.

Seriously, Cunningham had the ball in front of an empty net 3 feet away from the goalline and didn't score. It's one of the few instances when you could say "Man, I would have scored that one" about a play by a professional player and would be right. I can't wait to see him join Bryan McCabe on the first thing smoking out of the city. Aaaaanyway....

It looks like our long Leafs Nation nightmare will soon end: Mats Sundin will decide on his future August 1st. About freaking time. So we won't mention it again for seven days. And then we'll get a break until next summer.

Now that that is out of the way we can go on to some links to pass the day. Remember to toss in any that you come across in the comments:

• Koopa Kid gives Mark 'The Hitman' Bell his newest targets for the upcoming season. After that hit Bell can play on my Leafs anytime.
• The Muppet sees big changes defensively on the back of the hiring of Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler.
• Mirtle is decidedly less enthusiastic.
• via Kukla's Korner, Dick Duff speaks out on contraction and relocation and the NHL's need to focus on Canada.
• And to continue bashing sports I hate: Golf is nothing without Tiger Woods.

Also, be sure to check out some of the great submissions about the Origins of Fandom and add your own to the collection. Also, keep adding fanshots of your favourite Dougie and Wendel moments. Remember, if you like anything that's posted you can recommend it with a single click. Even recs moves the item up to the featured post so show your favourites some love.

Here's a great first submission from newcomer blue with age about the Leafs in the 70s and being a Leaf fan in Quebec.

I think i am of an older cuvée than those who post here but my commodore 64 can still navigate the internets all the same. A story in today's Star from our favorite journalist refering once again to the "41 years of futility" narrative got me to thinking. I believe that Cox  and I are close in age though i still have all my hair. But his persistent denigration of all things Leaf rests on a somewhat selective view of history. So, in the interest of providing you all with witty replies to the hoards that despise leaf fandom (I live in Quebec City and the epithet Leafs Nation has baggage), I think that my experiences as a fan can correct some common misconceptions.

I played lots of hockey growing up and Ron Ellis lived in the same town as me, but my first connection between the game we played and a team called the Leafs came courtesy of my grandmother. On the Saturdays nights that we visited, she would often regale me with stories of some guy named Teeder who came from her town. I was more interested in her promises that the antisocial behavior of some boy named Clarke that was sure to end in fisticuffs. But, my awareness of the Leafs team began with the 72 Summit Series. Hey they had a leaf on their jersey, and Henderson had 7 goals in 8 games, including the tying goal in game 3 and the winning goals in games 6, 7 and 8. A couple years later, the slash that Clarke used to fell Kharlamov was equally effective in eliminating Inge Hamarstrom (the "other" european and safegard against the McCabe like tendancies of that Ian Turnbull character)  and with it, all hope of the Leafs overcoming the Broad Street Bullies. I discovered what real hate was and became an unconditional fan. 

Comfortable in the role of underdogs, the mid-70s Leafs were the version that would keep us loyal through the Harold "go pee in the troughs on the floor I call bathrooms" Ballard period till Wendel came along. Sittler was truly a gem. How many teams today can claim a captain who was third in league scoring and clocked 100 penalty minutes? And that was a team well stocked with "role players" like Tiger Williams. Many claim it was an overachieving team that beat the Islanders that year. But Lanny and Sittler were much more than just two idiots fighting over a Hungry Man Dinner in the TV commercials. In the last truly competent thing that Cherry ever did, the coach put them on a line with Marcel Dionne in the 76 Canada Cup and Sittler scored the series winning goal in overtime. It almost made us forget the asskicking that Montreal gave the Leafs in the semi-final after the Islanders series (Note to Cox: Gilmour was not the last to lead us to the final 4). Oh how I hated those fucking Canadiens with their Lafleur smoking between periods and that asshole lawyer guy that leaned on his stick all the way to the House of Commons.

Well after that it was all downhill for a while but never boring. I think most of you out there remember the 90s. It may seem surprising to you but being a Leaf fan in Quebec City is not so difficult. Many guys my age hate the Canadiens, and in the absence of a local NHL team, our most recent  collective Stanley Cup came by way of the Leafs' playoff elimination of the Saint Flannel last year. Encouraged by my francophone friends, i must admit a sinful habit of yelling wife beating epithets at Roy in English during the Rempart games. I have also absorbed some of the local culture in getting a real hate on for anything to do with Ottawa. I wear my Leafs cap proudly around town and receive little flack for it except from the young bandwagon jumpers. I was never so proud as to see our guy Stralman nail that Russian with his head down at the world championships here, then bitch slap Kovalchuk afterwards.

From afar, our team doesn't lack that many pieces. Keep the faith and remember a Stanley Cup is always a possibility when its still summertime. 

The announcement of the honouring of Wendel and Dougie's numbers got me searching through the archives for a post that I wrote September 6, 2006 when my site was just a couple of months old. Some of the following is new, some recycled, and it's all re-worked.

For those unfamiliar with the sentiments expressed in a series of posts by a few bloggers I thought that today was a good time to raise the main arguments:  Should jerseys be retired or honoured? and what criteria should be used to determine who is worthy?

Who doesn't remember where they were when the Leafs announced that they would be honouring the jerseys of three Leafs Legends: Hap Day, Red Kelly, and Borje Salming on the opening night of the 2006-2007 season?  MF37 did not (and I assume continues not to) agree with the Leafs' policy of 'honouring' jerseys rather than retiring them. It is definitely a shame that stringent application of the guidelines led to Tim Horton's number not being retired when his career was cut tragically short while a Buffalo Sabre. And it was pretty embarrassing that the Leafs crammed in three tributes, videos, and banner raisings into opening night.

Is honouring a player's jersey some sort of cop-out with regard to the history of the franchise?

Continue reading this post »

The Leafs have announced through their MySpace page that they will be honouring two legends of Leafdom: Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour. I would guess that for anyone in the 23-33 age range these two represent two thirds of the triumvirate of great captains that we have been lucky enough to see suit up for the Leafs. Both were able to marry the gritty edge that would have made Leaf fans love them regardless with an ability to put points on the board.

Two of my favourite memories of Wendel demonstrate what a beast of a hockey player he was when healthy which sadly was never often enough. I think it was the first hit I saw but it's that famous clip from Rock'em Sock'em II when he catches a poor St. Louis Blues player coming around the net and basically ends his life. I didn't know people could hit that hard. The second was in the 93 playoffs against the Blues when he took Cujo's helmet off with a slapshot. I didn't know people could shoot that hard.

As for Dougie, his legacy was cemented in 1993. From tying game 7 against the Red Wings (I had dozed off!) to the wraparound goal against the Blues in game 1 to challenging the entire Kings bench to a fight I have never seen a player so determined to do whatever it took regardless of the potential harm to his well being in order to win in the playoffs. When he was traded back from the Habs in 2003 even the most cynical of my Leaf fan friends were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of seeing Killer in the blue and white again. The way it ended was a crushing blow to everyone.

It's hard to pick favourite memories but while you're polishing up your Origins of Fandom fanpost toss up a fanshot with your favourite YouTube video of Wendel and Dougie.

Links and my choices come after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

So apparently there is a perfectly good explanation for the story coming out of Sweden: their version of Eklund has a better reputation. Or it's the freaking Commies' fault. the poll results probably skewed the way you could expect them to with about a quarter of the people taking the "I cheer for only Leafs and no one else approach", a quarter not really caring so far, and about half that take the "I respect the history of players' service for my team" approach which is led by Eyebeleaf who wishes Mats all the best wherever he ends up. All are valid viewpoints. My hot-tempered hispanic blood does not allow me to recognize any player after they start wearing another club's laundry. The best I can do is not wish them any actual harm.

Hell, CuJo re-signing in Toronto is a big problem for me because I have been hating him since he let that rat bastard Don Meehan convince him to go to Detroit. When he fell on his face in the Motor City that crazy cackle you heard was me laughing at the unexpected success of my CuJo voodoo doll. Seeing him relegated to playing in Phoenix and being the back-up brought a big smile to my face.

So if Mats signs elsewhere then I will start referring to Darryl Sittler as the Leafs' all-time goals and points leader and will help MLSE scour any remnant of Sundin's history from the ACC just like the Pharoah's used to do. Of course, if he retires or re-signs then we're still good.

Anyway, on to the links while remembering that nothing helps pass the time on a Monday better than reminiscing about how you became a Leafs fan:

• Mirtle has a funny photoshop.
• At least Mats is not trying to un-retire.
• I feel bad for Sully but at least the "QUINN LET A GEM GO!!!" story can be retired.

There's one story that divides Leafs Nation and its blogging representatives like none other. No, not whether the free pre-season game is a scam because we can all agree that it most certainly is. No, not whether Luke Schenn is our saviour because he is. The most divisive issue of our time is Mats Sundin's future and his legacy.

While most understood Mats' desire to remain a Leaf and not be a rental player at the deadline some were a little upset that despite professing his love for the Leafs he wouldn't throw them a bone and agree to a trade. Some, didn't believe his "I love Toronto so much that I never want to leave" spiel.

After the season ended there was the possibility of his rights being moved before July 1st to at least garner some assets for the Leafs. Tantalizingly, the Habs and Leafs had a deal in place which gave them exclusive negotiating rights but nothing came of that move. A few more started to doubt Mats' "I love Toronto so much that I never want to leave" spiel. The original hard-core mentioned that Sundin loves Toronto so much that he leaves at the end of each season to go back to Sweden.

Continue reading this post »

There's not much going on in Leafland so it's the perfect time to make a contribution to the Origins of Fandom series. We've already read some great submissions from JaredFromLondon, Frost_, and koopa kid. It's a great way to introduce yourself if you've been lurking or if you're new to the site.

Onto the links:

• General Borschevsky looks at the unintended effect of the Leafs missing out on two Saturday nights.
• Some season ticket holders steal tickets that are not meant for them and get rewarded with a tour.
• The Jays suck and that makes me very happy.
• Another shithole Philadelphia stadium is getting torn down. Top 10 Flyers' moments in the building. What's your favourite memory of the Spectrum? Is it even possible to have one?

JaredFromLondon gets the Origins series started where I suspect most will: Dear Old Dad.

This story starts (for me at least) in a little tri-city slice called Kitchener. At the tender age of 5, I was a huge hockey fan, but hadn't developed a taste for a particular team yet. Instead of watching games with my father, I was usually out playing road or pond hockey with my mates until bed time. That didn't give much time for the Leafs to take a hold of me. Then one day, out of the blue, I noticed my father wearing a strange yet wondrous, Blue Maple Leaf hat. I queried "Father, is that thine most favouritist ice hockey club?"
"Yes, I doth been a fan of yonder Maple Leafs of Toronto for nigh on four score"
And as the mind of a 5 year old works when his father says something is the best I retorted "then tis mine as well"
From that point on, everything hockey became everything Blue and White, I wanted posters, shirts, hats, flasks, anything with that magnetic Maple Leaf adorning it. I also began to watch real live NHL games on the TV. After the first one I was hooked. Iafrate's bald spot and Alan Bester's five hole could not get me to turn away. I was forever and hopelessly ever addicted.
My addiction culminated in the infamous 93 playoff run. Since then I get withdrawal if I miss one game, the shakes if a trade happens and I don't know about it and blinding rage when someone dares question my loyalty to this team.
Years of this madness have turned me into the lovable weirdo of London that you have all come to know and wonder what the hell is wrong with.

From the "Stop Reading My Mind" files, MF37 has put up a post that is exactly what I had hoped to do today. He's curious as to how everyone became a fan of the Maple Leafs. His is a not uncommon tale of fandom as the Leafs are down to geography, the Cardinals come from souvenirs, and the Giants because of Oedipal desires to show up his old man.

My story is not that different. I was lucky enough that my family has the foresight to emigrate to Toronto in the 70s long before I was even a gleam in my father's eye. Wanting to meld Canadian culture to our South American roots as quickly as possible (what ever happened to that?) the family began a love affair of the team that would quickly reach the sort of irrationally passionate levels that we usually reserve for soccer teams. My earliest memories of following the team involve watching a horrible team get shellacked and trying to defend them against critics. So I was born to deal with seasons like we've suffered through lately.

My obsession with Liverpool began with this goal and Toronto FC's birth gave me my own football club to follow.

In the dog days of summer while we wait for Sundin to make up his mind and wonder when training camps will open I think putting your own 'Origins of Fandom' story into a fanpost would be a great way for everyone to introduce themselves to the group. I'd especially be interested in hearing from everyone that's not a regular commenter (but you guys too!) and our European visitors. Label the fanpost 'Origins of Fandom' and let everybody know how you managed to latch on to hockey's equivalent of the wandering Israelites.

Onto the links:

• Cliff: WHAT. THE. F**K?
• Is this a conspiracy?
• I'll save you the trouble LA: this will not end well.
• It's the sens but it's a good post by Sherry on Toth's charges of racism towards Emery.