Welcome to the 2024-2025 NHL season! As a lifelong Toronto Maple Leaf fan, I know my fellow fans are holding their breath for what is yet to come. I wrote this article a long time ago and thought it was perfect to celebrate turning a new leaf.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been defeated by the Boston Bruins and are eliminated from the playoffs, continuing their Game 7 woes.
That, and more, was all I heard after May 4, 2024. That chilly night brought a wave of sadness that collapsed over me for days. Images of me praying into the night sky as I deterred myself from the television, hoping my presence wouldn’t be a jinx to my beloved team. Prayers turned into inconsolable tears as those beautiful boys shook hands with their rivals and left the ice for the last time.
As those moments replayed in my head, I realized that we fans all cried collectively. The moments of disbelief and silence were felt all the way from Maple Leafs Square.
Big changes are to come, including whispers about my hometown hero, the one who proudly wears #16. I don’t do well with change, as the sadness, disappointment, and fear cannot be shaken off my shoulders. I begin to grieve for the team that gave it their all.
The stars feel misaligned each year, desperately wishing to change the prophecy of the Maple Leafs and reverse the “curse”. When you think they got in the bag, it all comes crashing down in what seems like a predictable sequence.
Tweets of “This is our year” to endless hurtful comments like “Death, taxes, and a Maple Leafs loss are all guarantees in life” show how some people turn on their team in frustration.
So, why do I still beleaf?
Easy – I love this team with every fibre of my being.
Just like how hockey players can exactly recall their first exposure to the game as a child or adolescent–– often describing their little eyes being so infatuated–– every hockey fan has a story of how they started rooting for what became their favorite team. I can proudly say I have been a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs since I was around 12 years old. I know that my influence stemmed from the glaring television that was always on – thanks to my father, who is a die-hard Leafs fan. *Disclaimer*: Only Leafs fans are allowed in my household!
It is a complete joy to root for a team that you fall in love with. This team is so easy to love, watching friendships develop on the ice – that last beyond the game. I didn’t know it was possible to fall in love with each current roster, as it seems that every year it just gets sweeter.
My favorite part about the Maple Leafs is how they celebrate every little moment because the future is always highly unknown. As a lifelong fan, witnessing moments of history in this lifetime is incredibly special, watching with my very own eyes how the players continue to shape their craft and legacy of this organization that pays homage to the shadows of past hockey legends.
I love their celebration song after a big win, but nothing compares to the sound of a goal, bonding the players and fans together. Moments so loud that in fact drown out the noise of the goal horn, such as Auston Matthews 60th goal in 2022, or reaching 69 goals this 2024 season – an accomplishment that hockey players can only dream of. Or, better yet, moments that should be captured in a bottle, or what commentators called “caught lightning in a bottle”. When our Johnny Toronto scored the overtime goal, winning a playoff series that was my first to witness, I officially declared that night was the best day of my life. Where were you on April 29, 2023?
I understand how these specific moments are just two examples in all the decades of hockey played, but these moments are here to remind us all of what pure happiness feels like. I forget that these beloved players are not Gods (although they are) but human beings who not only have feelings and their own families – but who play with integrity and courage to make strangers proud. Their role to entertain us holds immense pressure, which serves as a daily reminder that if we feel hurt, imagine how they must feel.
Every moment makes it all worthwhile – years of success, brokenness, heartbreak, passion, dedication, excitement, and community. My love for this team is deep-rooted. The experience of pure bliss is unexplainable and incomparable. Sharing the experience of being a fan with my loved ones is something I do not take for granted because as the organization says it best – it’s the “passion that unites us all”. It is also the very same passion that makes me continue to watch and come back for more.
I signed the invisible contract promising to be a loyal member of Leafs Nation, and it has been the wildest ride thus far. This team – one that I proudly share with millions – is MY team and I will always be their biggest fan.
As we all collectively hold our breath for a long awaited parade for the buds that we give our soul to, I will continue to bleed blue for the rest of my life regardless of any outcome.
#LeafsForever