My Leafs Story: Sometimes he yells at the Leafs for being bad

by mf37 on Feb 13, 2012 10:00 AM EST in Building the Narrative

These are the Leafs MF37 fell in love with. Sweet buckets, great flow.

A few weeks ago, Chemmy sent around an email with the subject line Narratives. Before I opened it, I presumed it would be a funny story about one more sports writer filing platitudes about heart, grit and other various intangibles.

I was wrong.

Chemmy's email was a request for a few of us to submit our favourite Leafs memory. A piece that would help us all take a step back from the ups and downs of the Leafs' season and remember how or why we became Leafs fans in the first place.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't a Leafs fan. I recall wearing Leafs gear to kindergarten, which would have been around 1975 or 76. I remember my first Leafs game against the Sabres in 1977. I was barely six years old and already I was a die hard.

Both of my kids are now older than I was that long ago day in '77 and neither one of them pays any attention to the Leafs. They are so disinterested in hockey, I couldn't even call them casual fans. The boy loves soccer, skateboarding and his bike. My daughter is all about her brownie troupe, disappearing into a book (it was Harry Potter, now it's Perseus Jackson) and learning to cook.

I thought I'd ask them to write a story about what it's like to live with a dad who's a bit Leafs obsessed. The boy said no way, but my daughter was gung-ho. After the jump, her story...

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It’s nice when I get to go to see the Leafs with my dad because they’re becoming my favourite team too.

IT. BEGINS.

jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at heroesinrehab.ca/blog

"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator) CERTIFIED GRABBO LOVER

Twooting on Twitter: @warwalker

by jrwendelman on Feb 13, 2012 10:08 AM EST reply actions

yes

After I go to bed, I sometimes hear my dad yelling at the TV.

There’s no better way to express what it’s like to have a Leaf fan in the family.

"Anyone who can change a unit of distance into a unit of time has got to be good."

by Less than 12 parsecs on Feb 13, 2012 10:23 AM EST reply actions

“All my dad does these days is sit in a corner crying and drinking vodka”.

Paedophiles are using an area of internet the size of Ireland.

by article1 on Feb 13, 2012 8:25 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

that was incredible

I write everywhere. You're probably better off following me on twitter

by fetch9 on Feb 13, 2012 10:35 AM EST reply actions

very good story. can’t wait to take my kids to their first trip to the ACC.

my oldest son knows hockey, and how to use it to stay up past bedtime or play my wife and i off each other.

last saturday he was a master manipulator.

Dammit Gomez.

by elseldo on Feb 13, 2012 10:38 AM EST reply actions

My son, who is NOT a fan of hockey, loved his trip to the ACC. If he’s already into hockey, I can’t imagine how much your son will enjoy it.

Bitter Leaf Fan Blog | You can Follow Me on Twitter

by mf37 on Feb 13, 2012 10:50 AM EST up reply actions

holding out for a few more years….he loves going to Jr games though. $15 is much easier to swallow if he gets bored.

Dammit Gomez.

by elseldo on Feb 13, 2012 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah. We’ve taken the kids to see the Generals and the Marlies. The matinees are perfect for younger kids, and in the case of the Generals, the whole family can go cheaper than a single purple seat.

Bitter Leaf Fan Blog | You can Follow Me on Twitter

by mf37 on Feb 13, 2012 11:29 AM EST up reply actions

I remember my first trip to MLG. Dad had to stay a bit late at work so we showed up 5 mins into the 1st period. As soon as we sat down I looked at the ice where they were lining up for a face-off and my first thought was ‘Wow, Sundin is huge even from all the way up here. He must be a giant at ice level’

by ShahofToronto on Feb 13, 2012 11:32 AM EST up reply actions

Great post MF. How old is your daughter (if you don’t mind me asking). “Yelling at the game” after the kids go to bed is pretty much standard activity at my house. It’s only a matter of time before one of them hears me and starts saying “Oh for fucks sake”.

I’m definitely going to start with a Marlies game with my daughter. I actually had one lined up but as we got closer to the date she pulled the chute. “Why don’t you want to go anymore??” “Because I’m scared”. She’s scared of everything these days. In any event, hoping I can convince her later this season, or next year for sure.

That's "Da-ooo". Like the drink.

by daoust on Feb 13, 2012 11:58 AM EST up reply actions

My son is 6 and my daughter is 8. They both loved the Marlies game they went to earlier this year. They’ve also enjoyed the few Oshawa Generals games we’ve been to.

Bitter Leaf Fan Blog | You can Follow Me on Twitter

by mf37 on Feb 13, 2012 1:26 PM EST up reply actions

I second the great post comment! My son (5yrs) loves going to OHL games and I’m currently dangling a trip to the ACC in exchange for good behaviour. Yeah, that’s right, I believe heavily in the unsubtle art of bribery. Judge if you must but the fact is that this bribery will also result in myself attending a game, so who’s laughing now…

Another funny anecdote (while I’m opening up and all) I recently read him “the leafs sweater” about Sitler’s 10 point night. My son, who had never noticed or cared before, became very perturbed that his leafs sweater (blank) does not have Phil Kessel’s name and number on it.

At any rate, nice one.

by Kessel'sOversizedSuit on Feb 13, 2012 1:38 PM EST up reply actions

can’t wait to take my kids to their first trip to the ACC

Can’t wait to live my dreams through my children.

by gettingcozywithsarkozy on Feb 13, 2012 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

awww

first time i ever seen a game and became a fan was a game between the Leafs and the Oilers where Paul Higgins elbowed Gretzky out of nowhere during a break in the play while he was getting ready for a face-off i believe. I didn’t become a fan because of that but because i was mesmerized by their Jerseys and all i remember thinking was “i really want the blue team to win”.

.......................
Monaluckahiki means hockey. Monaluckahockey means love.

by OffTheChest on Feb 13, 2012 11:03 AM EST reply actions

Fantastic.

Enjoy that you call your son “the boy”.

So, apparently I can now be followed.. but no stalking. @alsonamedphil

by Learn2Leaf on Feb 13, 2012 11:37 AM EST reply actions

The girl's got intangibles.

So just don’t go breaking her spirit with crap like “chores.”

Just buy her Leafs gear and video games and stuff.

I shot a moose once, in upstate New York.

by not norm ullman on Feb 13, 2012 11:50 AM EST reply actions

Love it.

I enjoyed reading your daughter’s story. My own two hockey playing sons main allegiances lie with other teams but do cheer for the Leafs if only to keep me quiet.

Great pic that accompanies the post as well. The Leafs had three 1st round picks in 1973 draft (MacDonald, Neely and Turnbull) and ALL made the 73-74 team along with two free agents from Sweden (Hammarstrom and Salming).

by Shack23 on Feb 13, 2012 1:57 PM EST reply actions

What an absolutely atomic set of rookies. Borje Salming and Lanny McDonald. PLUS Turnbull. Salming and Turnbull, 39 and 35 points. Shit.

I shot a moose once, in upstate New York.

by not norm ullman on Feb 13, 2012 2:19 PM EST up reply actions

Do you remember the trade that allowed the Leafs to grab that 1st rounder that they turned into Turnbull?….they traded Jacques Plante to Boston…..Plante retired at the end of the next season and Turnbull went on to do some pretty cool things as a Leaf…including setting the record for most goals in one game by a Dman…5 vs Detroit…in a 9-0 hammering that still brings a smile to my face

by wayne scarlett on Feb 13, 2012 3:35 PM EST up reply actions

“Sometimes he yells at the Leafs for being bad.”

Hahahahaha, priceless! Your daughter seems like a sharp cookie.

www.twitter.com/runaroundkid

by runaroundkid on Feb 13, 2012 2:36 PM EST reply actions

My Dad took me to my first game in December 1968….I was 9…and he got great pleasure out of relating what my first comment was,once we started up the ramp to go to our seats…I had only ever seen a hockey telecast in black and white…as we came into where our seats were(last row reds..against the wall that began the greens..right at centre ice),I remarked “it’s in color!”….they still had the old Dominion sign on the score clock and for that game…several Christmas trees on top of the scoreclock…..the Leafs won the game 4-2 with two of my favorite Leafs both scoring twice…Ron Ellis and Norm Ullman….it was the only game my Dad and I ever attended together…because he got really sick not long after and was never able to go again.

by wayne scarlett on Feb 13, 2012 3:29 PM EST reply actions

I suspect those were Eddie Shack Christmas trees.

http://twitter.com/ItsWags

by McCabe the Martyr on Feb 14, 2012 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

I was around 8 when I first started paying attention to the Blue Jays and then the Leafs (93 playoff run). Hockey overtook baseball as my favourite sport and the Leafs became a passion. Maybe playoffs is what it’ll take to hook them..

My rambling tweets
Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing - Vince Lombardi

by furcifer on Feb 13, 2012 6:22 PM EST reply actions