The Maple Leafs Forever!

I must be one of the few Canadians who has rarely been to a Maple Leaf hockey game. Shocking but true.

As I was growing up in our family home, Saturday nights were reserved for the hockey game. Our family, and at least one other, would gather around our tiny black and white tv screen. Everybody knew the players on the six teams. The adults gripped their rye and coke or their Molson’s and puffed on their cigarettes. The moms shared the latest gossip while the dads followed the game, – until everyone heard Foster Hewitt yell “He Scored!” There was cheering all around.

We kids had pop, chips and enough toys to keep us occupied and quiet for the 2-3 hours coming up. I remember us skittering under coffee tables and around the outskirts of the living room, not daring to get between the fans and the tv screen. When we tired of our toys, we made plans to have a sleepover. During an intermission we would approach the parents who, being pre-occupied, usually said yes. Freed from the game, we would head upstairs to make tents in the beds.

As I grew into an adult, I began to see the foolishness of this game: a whole lot of back and forth on the ice, interrupted by an occasional fight, the bloodier the better. Nobody wore helmets in those days and concussions were rampant. I saw little sense in this. Oh, the skating was good, but I preferred to watch figure skating. Then I married Peter and he turned out to be a hockey fan too. How was I to know that an Italian kid would like a Canadian sport as much as soccer?

Last week on BLOG TO I read that the actual Toronto Maple Leafs were going to have a practice session at an outdoor rink on 3rd Ave by the lake – almost in our very neighbourhood. I decided that I couldn’t, in good conscience, hide this news from Peter. He sat up in his chair with a smile. The practice was to be held yesterday morning beginning at 11:00 am. With only a short 10-minute drive for us, we decided to leave the house at 10:30 giving us plenty of time to find a parking spot.

We began to notice the traffic not far from our house. There was a long line of cars snaking their way along Lakeshore Road, everyone driving very slowly as they searched for a spot to park. Alleys were full, strip malls were full, even the LCBO parking lot was full – at 10:40 on Monday morning! We drove on past 3rd Ave, past 4th Ave, finally turning up 5th Ave in desperation. Several blocks north we managed to secure a spot and began our hike back to the outdoor arena.

We could hear the crowds roaring as we hurried along. We passed highway coaches unloading hockey addicts from all over Ontario. We saw families, aunts, cousins, babies, grandparents, wandering along arm in arm. We noticed businessmen sporting their Leafs “merch” instead of overcoats and briefcases. It seemed a lot of people were playing hooky for hockey.

When we got to the arena the crowd was enormous. There were line-ups everywhere; not just to get a seat in the bleachers, but also for free Tim’s coffee, free snack packs, and a chance to grab a selfie with a player after the practice. The outdoor arena was filled with spectators. How was I ever going to show my readers all the amazing players doing their amazing thing on the ice when I couldn’t even get near them?

Finally I spied a metal staircase leading up to the bleachers, that had nobody waiting on it. I told Peter to wait while I tried my luck. At the top of the stairs was a security agent. And this is where old age is such a benefit. I admit that I begged. “All I want is just one tiny picture for my grandchildren. Please!”

Here is the photo I got:

Dear readers, you deserve a better photo than this. On the way back to the car, Peter noticed a man with a sleeping bag. Next year we’ll have to camp out the night before.

Sue