I have been a Leafs fan since I was eight years old. My father and I would listen to the radio on Saturday night as Foster Hewitt would say "Hello Canada and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland." The broadcast did not start at the beginning of the game. The game was usually into the second period when Foster came on and he would give us a summary of the game to that point.
I remember the Leafs' last Stanley Cup victory in 1967. I have suffered ever since as the management of the Leafs have been more concerned with making money than with winning another cup.
I hung in through the years of Harold Ballard idiocy, and winced as I watched Wayne Gretzky destroy our hopes of reaching the cup final.
The Draft, Schampf, philosophy of Cliff Fletcher and those who followed, destroyed our chances of another cup. When all else failed, sheer stupidity interjected itself to prevent the Leafs from rising to the top.
Through all of this adversity, I cheered for the Leafs, year after year. I never wavered in my loyalty. Since it was difficult and expensive to attend Leafs home games, I organized family outings to Leafs games in Buffalo. Of course, the Leafs always lost.
I soldiered on through year after year of missed playoffs, steadfast in my support.
So, it is strange to find that I am rooting for the Leafs to lose every game. The reason is the draft position, that is relative to the team's standing, at the end of the season. The fewer points, the better chance that we have of drafting first. Instead of chanting "go Leafs go" I am crying "slow Leafs slow." I cheer when our goalie lets one in on a shot from centre ice. I am overjoyed when our defence gets caught up ice and a three-on-none rush results.
Lately, we have been winning a few games, and I am starting to get nervous that we will amass enough points to lose the best chance at drafting number one.
However, I must be realistic. If we do finish last, we only have a 25 per cent chance of selecting first. If Leafs luck runs true to form, we will lose that spot. If we do get the number one choice, we will probably draft someone who turns out to be a loser.
To paraphrase Kermit the Frog, "It ain't easy being a Leafs fan." Sixty-five years of suffering; am I a masochist?
