How John Tavares is making me a beLEAFer again

When I first arrived in Toronto, in January of 1974, the Toronto Maple Leafs were a horrible hockey team and they remained that way for many years under the Harold Ballard regime. They were simply then, the laughing stock of the National Hockey League.

Back in the 70’s being a Maple Leaf fan was not an easy undertaking. I recall vividly one Monday night in the winter of 1975 when we lost to, of all teams, the Cleveland Barons – they were worse than the Leafs. I cried myself to sleep.

At the time we lived with my aunt and her family at 168 Essex, just off Ossington.All my cousins were and still are fanatic fans of Les Canadiens. Back then the Montreal hockey team would win the Stanley Cup all the time and yet I remained loyal to my beloved Maple Leafs. Why? Simple I guess, for one I like supporting the impossible, I mean 20 years at the ACAPO doing Portugal Week. You think that was easy? LOL…

Second, I have always believed that when it comes to sports teams, you should support your home team. I spent most of my life as a fanatic Maple Leaf fan, tracking every player move and rumour. The early 90s provided diehard Leaf fans relief. The Doug Gilmour led ‘93 Maple Leafs came a whisker away from facing the Les Canadiens in the final. I was finally going to have my moment of glory and rub it in my cousins faces but referee Kelly Fraser and the Wayne Gretzky led Los Angeles Kings stole my dream from me.

At some point in the early 2000’s I became completely disconnected from Leafs Nation. I occasionally look at the scorelines but no way does it encompass my every day like it did for so many of my early years. Was it the fact we were never going to win another Stanley Cup? The last one was 1967. Was it the absurd salaries athletes are now making? Or simply that Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment is a well run business where profits take precedent over winning? Well in all honesty all of the above.

Along comes John Tavares, who just this week signs a 7 year $77million deal with the Maple Leafs. The John Tavares who has led the Canadian Olympic Team and serves as an icon to what all modern day athletes should be.

The same John Tavares who was bestowed with a ‘star’ on the Portuguese Canadian Walk of Fame and proudly emphasized his father´s Portuguese background. The John Tavares who I met and personally found to be humble, gracious and full of goodness. John Tavares is the essence of what a great role model should be, he quietly leads by example.

John Tavares over the next few weeks will be named the new Toronto Maple Leaf captain. He is worthy of that distinction. John Tavares will finally bring Lord Stanley back to Toronto. John Tavares is a proud Canadian of Portuguese roots and we, the Portuguese Canadian community rejoice in this great moment. Força John Tavares!