I have been a Leaf fan since 1989. Tough eh? Being a Leaf fan requires a lot of patience and dedication. If you are a Leaf fan, you can expect to be looked at when wearing a Leaf jersey. And to be snickered at and pointed at. Toronto fans can be cruel and annoying towards the Leafs. Nonetheless, Maple Leaf Gardens has a full house at every home game.
In Toronto, we do have plenty of die-hard fans (such as myself), who stick by the Leafs through thick and thin. Then, of course, you have the band wagon jumpers who root for the Leafs only when they're doing well and boo them when they're not. Leaf fans expect great things; there is a lot of pressure on the team to win the cup. And who can blame them? The Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967 and the fans want to see a cup brought home to T.O.
Even still, every Saturday night, my parents and I watch the Leaf game on CBC. It is a tradition for us. Hockey Night in Canada has been on the CBC for about 45 years. It's the playoff station where all the games are aired. Every hockey fan knows what I'm talking about. When I hear that music on Saturday nights, it sends shivers down my spine and it makes me proud to be Canadian.
Some believe the word 'eh' is Canada's international trade mark. Whenever someone hears that, they know that you are Canadian. In Boston visiting my grandmother, I was speaking to one of the Boston 'locals'. "Yeah, that's cool eh?" I remarked to her. "Do all Canadians respond with 'eh' at the end of their sentence?" she asked me.
Regardless of this stereotype, I still think hockey is Canada's trademark. It even beats the "eh" phrase. They should have added the two sticks and a puck to the Canadian flag because hockey is one of the most significant defining points of Canada.
So to all those Leaf fans out there; hold your chins up high and wear those Leaf jerseys with pride. The day will come when the Leafs will win the cup, and when that day does arrive, we will party for several reasons. The first, the Leafs winning the cup. The second is the fact that a Canadian team has won, and the third is the celebration of being Canadian. Leafs. Hockey. Canada. It's great being Canadian eh?
To get more information on the Leafs, please visit their site at: www.torontomapleleafs.com
© 1998 TG Magazine / The Students Commission