Leaf Fans have my respect!

I'll set the record straight right away. I'm not a hockey guy nor have I ever been.

Being somewhat high on the empathy scale, however, I felt the yearly pain and anguish of Toronto Maple Leaf fans last night as they choked their now very familiar way to an early exit from the hunt for Lord Stanley's cup. Leaf fans are an extra hardy lot because what else could explain their loyalty to a franchise as underachieving as they? Social Media, being what it is, was chock to the brim with stats about how long the faithful have endured this streak of disappointment.

I did play a little hockey as a youngster, and I have watched hockey at what could be considered a fan level in the past, but lately (I mean for a few years) I haven't watched consistently. I'll definitely tune in for the playoffs, but even then it's only a period here or there. I'm not sure why, and it certainly isn't very Canadian to admit it, but I guess the allure of other viewing options is to great.

I do have an NHL team that I support, though, and I do at least check the scores to see how they are performing ... quite well, thank you very much ... each year in the playoffs, but I don't won a single stitch of Fan apparel or mementos. If you'd entertain me for a little while, here's the story on how a non-hockey guy chooses a team to root for.

When I was a wee lad, my father (who was a hockey lover and played well into his 50's) and I enjoyed the Stanley Cup playoff run of the Montreal Canadien and Boston Bruins in the early 70's, which would have made me around 8 or 9 years old. Having won their way through the previous rounds, they faced each other in the finals. For what ever reason, I chose to root for Boston ... maybe it was as simple as their uniform colours or their "Bad Boy" attitude ... and being of limited intelligence but full of adolescent bravado, I bet my dad a week's allowance that the Bruins would beat the Habs. Well, if you have any recollection of the NHL in the early 70's, you'll know that it didn't go well for me, but instead of diminishing my fanaticism, I found myself vowing to increase my support and I've cheered for them ever since. 

That's how I roll really, when it comes to cheering for teams. I've been a Lakers fan since the early 70's, a Bears fan since the early 70's, and an All Blacks fan since the late 80's. While the Kiwi's have been pretty consistent, I've certainly felt the ebbs and flows of Fan support with the Lakers and Bears, giving me only the slightest inclining of what it is like being a Leaf supporter.

The point I'm struggling to make with all of this is my profound respect for the degree of allegiance that so many of my friends and acquaintances have demonstrated for sooooooooo many years despite the yearly woes of the Leafs. If this situation was anything other than hockey, I don't believe that there's anyway this level of fanaticism is duplicated. Some would say, "You know what the definition of insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results!" but this is the purest, most definitive explanation for Leaf fans. I don't mean to label them as insane ... but if the shoe fits ... but their allegiance to such a frustrating franchise can certainly be called that. I would venture a guess that the one single thing that the Maple Leafs organization is world champions in is their ability to market such a woefully inept period of performance as Fan-worthy through an incredible array of paraphernalia their fans can use to display their support. The annual NHL season invades the Social Media pages and posts, colouring them in blue and white, as millions of TML fans proudly show off their personal collections of jerseys, flags, signs and trinkets while beating their chest attesting that THIS is the year. 

You all have my respect for your persistence, determination and loyalty.

Albeit, a little misguided.