Why We Write

Over dinner the other night, a friend asked what it is that made me decide to start writing about the Toronto Maple Leafs, and why it is that the blogs in general tend to be quite positive in their coverage of the team, in the context of the negative attitude of certain members of the professional media toward the team they are paid to cover.

It was a good question, one I had never really thought to ask.

I thought about it for a while, and came to a simple conclusion: it is because we are fans first, writers second.  Because we have a passion for the game, for this team, and as fans that is something we love to share.

Ask any fan why they love their team, and you are almost guaranteed to hear stories of the team’s greatest moments, the fan’s favorite goals, stories of things that happened at a game the fan attended, stories of how the fan always dreamed of playing for the team as a youth, and so on.  Have you ever listened to someone describe those things?  How their voice shifts in tone, the excitement that lights up their eyes.  Memories come flooding back as the discussion continues, and with those memories an element of joy, of longing, of dreams for the future.

As one follows a team through their lifetime, memories – good and bad – are made, and remain long after the game is over.  These memories become a part of the very fabric of our lives, and in that sense, so does the team.  The team doesn’t just represent one’s home, or even oneself by virtue of geography; rather, it is – from the standpoint of memories that define pieces of our lives – a part of us.  Via those memories we retain and the feelings which accompany those moments, we feel a connection with our team, one which enables us to support our team and cheer them on in the good times and the bad.

That is what being a fan is all about.

And that is why we write.

Because we are fans. Because we feel that connection to our team, and to the brotherhood of fans across the globe.  And we want to engage that connection, to share our love for this sport, and this team, with others who love it as well.  It is truly a privilege to do what we do, to be in a position to spark – and engage in – discussions of all manner relating to the team with fans whose passion for the team rivals our own.

There is no editorial process at play within the blogs; the writers write for a passion, not for a paycheque.  There are times where it would be easy to give into the frustration of losing and start lobbying personal insults at ownership, management, players, and the fans who support the team. You have to admit, when you are in the moment doing just that can feel pretty good at the time.  But it wouldn’t be right; the fact remains, there is a vast difference between an observational critisicm and an outright personal attack.  And perhaps more importantly, as fans ourselves, as people who love this game and this team, it simply wouldn’t be honest.

I can’t speak for everyone else on this, but I do know that what inspires me is the contributions made by those who visit the site.  The varying viewpoints, the passionate (and sometimes heated!) discussions that ensue, the stories that are shared.  One of the pioneers of online media once stated, “you’d be amazed what the average person knows.”  I am constantly amazed (in a good way) at the level of intelligence, insight, wit, and enthusiasm generated throughout the comments section.   I firmly believe that the true value of this medium is not defined by the writers, but rather the contributions of the readers.

It’s funny; if you ever meet me and sit down to discuss hockey, you will find that I don’t actually say a whole lot.  I like to listen to other people’s stories, to catch a glimpse of the perspective of another.  I don’t want to talk about my views – they are here on the site for all to see – I want to learn about you, and your views.  I’m a sucker for a good story, and if you’ve got one to share I want to hear it.

Because that’s what being a fan, of anything really, encompasses.  Having a passion, a love, for something that brings joy to your life, and sharing it with others.  It’s the reason I got into writing in the first place. For that you may call me a homer, a sheep, a loser or a member of the mindless masses – all common terms used by those who do not understand what being a fan is really all about -  it doesn’t matter.  None of that can ever outweigh the precious memories this team has given me: the first hockey game I ever went to, wins and losses witnessed from the standing room and the seats, listening to games past bedtime with the radio under the pillow so my parents would think I was asleep.   The people I’ve met at the game, or at the pub.  Pieces of a life, perhaps small in the grand scheme of things, but each undeniably meaningful in its own way.

The Maple Leafs have this slogan they like to use: “The Passion That Unites Us All.”  That’s damn right.  Take a tour through what we call ‘the Barilkosphere’ – several excellent Leafs’ blogs are listed to the right – and you will to see exactly what I am talking about.

This holiday season, I encourage you all to take some time to share your favorite memories of your favorite team, be it here, on another blog, or with your friends and family.  Those moments that are burned permanently into your memory, and as such have made the team a part of your life – and more importantly, a part of you.  Why keep that which makes being a fan so wonderful hidden away from the world?

Everyone loves a good story.  What’s yours?

Here’s wishing each of you and your loved ones all the best this holiday season.

garrettbauman@mapleleafshotstove.com
twitter.com/garrettbauman

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  • ingy56

    Some of us were going down memory lane on Friday on a different thread, so I will try not to repeat:

    The earliest memories begin in 1960, the games were televised, but only from the second period on. My grandparents lived in an apartment in the basement of our house, so my father and my grandfather and I listened to the first period on the radio downstairs while my mother, grandmother and sister watched the television upstairs. Not much of a choice of programming back then. There was maybe 6-7 channels at the most, depending on the weather. They used to watch “Don Messers Jubilee” on CBC and “The Beverly Hillbillies”. Finally we were able to watch the game on television, but I was usually sent to bed for the third period, where I listened to the rest of the game with Foster Hewitt and a transistor radio under the pillow.
    My father had seasons tickets in the last row of Greys in Section 86, Harold later added four more rows behind us by taking out the standing room. You were allowed to take a youth into the games for free then if they could sit on your lap. I saw the 64 Cup win, doing just that and then had my own seat to see the 67 Cup win.
    I had always wanted to get down lower to see the rink up close, we usually headed straight for the elevators when we came in to the games, so I was only able to catch a glimpse of the lower levels. The best way to do that was to go to the Sunday afternoon junior games at the Gardens and watch the Marlboroughs. A ticket was around a dollar, if I remember correctly, and you could sit in the red seats (which used to be the lower level until Harold painted some of them Gold)with your face right at the glass. Between periods my friends and I would explore the building, checking out the pictures and dressing room areas. My parents used to give me the money to attend and a friend and I would go down alone, taking a bus and the subway to get ther. We were anywhere from 8-12 years old when we did this, unheard of today.
    My dreams of playing for the Marlies and the Leafs were dashed, but I was finally able to play in the Gardens when I was 23. A friend knew some Metro Police who rented the ice and we were invited to play. We dressed in a small dressing room underneath the stands and you really had to watch your head on the low pipes and the seating sub-structure. We found out later that these were the rooms Harold gave the Russians to use in the 1972 series. The Russian coach Tikhonov had to walk between the rooms to address his whole team because there wasn’t enough space in each room for the entire team. Harold was a beauty at times. Whe I got out on the ice, I was amazed that the rink looked as small as it did, it looked so big as a spectator. It was just another arena in terms of size, but surrounded by 16,485 seats. I remember looking up at Section 86 to see our old seats. Some of the Leafs came into the rink near the end of our game to clear out their lockers, they had just been eliminated by Montreal in the quarter-finals the night before. Tiger Williams, Pat Boutette and John Anderson were some of the players we talked to, however they weren’t in much of a good mood. A bunch of us rented the ice again before they took the ice out for the last time.
    Tons of memories, the good outweigh the bad, even given our current drought.

  • honesthockey

    Ahhh ingy your memory is fantastic and you bring back some things I have forgotten. Gotta remember The Pig and Whistle as well. And the all star game was on Tuesday nights. My Mom’s bowling night so Dad would let us stay up later to watch the game.

    My Dad turned me into a Leaf fan. He was a die hard and also had seasons greys. Not sure where as they were gone when I came around (maybe I was the reason. Shit now I’m depressed) but man he loved the Leafs. Our house was hockey crazy and on Wednesday and Staurday nights hockey took center stage. Watching and listening to my Dad was as entertaining as the game. He’s be lying on the couch and only sat up when a fight broke out or the Leafs scored on the Habs. Habs was definitely a 4 letter word in our house and of the worst kind.

    Sadly he hasn’t watched a Leaf game in years. He became pretty disgruntled (no where near as bad as I) over the last 5 or 6 years so he follows our local junior team (which he owned during the late 70′s early 80′s) never missing a game and travelling sometimes to road games. He was even there for the Royal Bank Cup win in Grande Prairie Alberta.

  • Cameron

    @Charlie

    Mostly my dad. He grew up around the Jets – went to every game, was a kind of water boy, became friends with the Hull family. Apparently he snuck out of the house to hitch-hike to a Jets game with the intention of sneaking in (which was apparently very easy back in the day), and he got picked up by Bobby Hull. He took him into the back area and got him a ticket and set him up properly. And that’s where it began.

    He ended up owning his own electronics business, and the Jets and Bombers would all come to him to pick up big-screens and sound systems and all the rest – because they knew him from the games. He was pretty good himself, and even scrimmaged with the team during the lock-out in the mid-90′s. So they were always around. I don’t think I really realized until after the Jets were gone how fortuneate I was.

  • Charlie

    Cameron wrote:

    @Charlie
    Mostly my dad. He grew up around the Jets – went to every game, was a kind of water boy, became friends with the Hull family. Apparently he snuck out of the house to hitch-hike to a Jets game with the intention of sneaking in (which was apparently very easy back in the day), and he got picked up by Bobby Hull. He took him into the back area and got him a ticket and set him up properly. And that’s where it began.
    He ended up owning his own electronics business, and the Jets and Bombers would all come to him to pick up big-screens and sound systems and all the rest – because they knew him from the games. He was pretty good himself, and even scrimmaged with the team during the lock-out in the mid-90’s. So they were always around. I don’t think I really realized until after the Jets were gone how fortuneate I was.

    Jesus, that’s ridiculous.

    Any contact with any of them still?

    You have no idea how badly I would wanna hang out with these guys. I dream of watching a game with Burkie in the box and just hearing how his mind works during a game, the notes he takes, the analyzations he makes….

    You truly were fortunate.

  • Charlie

    honesthockey wrote:

    Ahhh ingy your memory is fantastic and you bring back some things I have forgotten. Gotta remember The Pig and Whistle as well. And the all star game was on Tuesday nights. My Mom’s bowling night so Dad would let us stay up later to watch the game.
    My Dad turned me into a Leaf fan. He was a die hard and also had seasons greys. Not sure where as they were gone when I came around (maybe I was the reason. Shit now I’m depressed) but man he loved the Leafs. Our house was hockey crazy and on Wednesday and Staurday nights hockey took center stage. Watching and listening to my Dad was as entertaining as the game. He’s be lying on the couch and only sat up when a fight broke out or the Leafs scored on the Habs. Habs was definitely a 4 letter word in our house and of the worst kind.
    Sadly he hasn’t watched a Leaf game in years. He became pretty disgruntled (no where near as bad as I) over the last 5 or 6 years so he follows our local junior team (which he owned during the late 70’s early 80’s) never missing a game and travelling sometimes to road games. He was even there for the Royal Bank Cup win in Grande Prairie Alberta.

    Who was his Stajan?

  • ingy56

    @ honesthockey:
    The Pig and Whistle was before the Wednesday night games if I remember right, God it was painful waiting for the games to come on! I can remember my father letting out a whoop after a Leaf goal and the cat was sleeping on his lap. We practically had to pry the cat off the ceiling and couldn’t find him (the cat) for a few days after. My grandfather despised the Habs, primarily because he fought in both World Wars and many of the French Canadians (especially on the Habs) did not enlist.
    I was at a Marlie game in my teens and was waiting in line to buy a Coke or something and the old fellow in front of me turned around and it was King Clancy. I taked hockey with him for about 10 minutes, it was incredible. I was at least 6 feet tall back then and I towered over him. If he earned the nickname the King you could just imagine how fearless (and feared) a player he was in his day.

  • Uncle Otis

    Nice article Garrett,you summed it up quite well.
    Something I’ve always wondered about,and it pertains to all sporting teams,is this;
    Does a long term losing record,and lack of a championship,actually drive up the passion and fervour around a team?

    The Argo’s sold out consistently and were as popular as The Leafs when I was a kid.Now the emmergence of the NFL had an impact obviously,but when they finally broke the ancient drought in 1983,it began a slide toward ambivalence that once seemed unthinkable.
    Remember the Jays halcyon days? Did winning the championship actually hurt them long term?They peaked,and then fizzle.
    I know hockey is part of our Canadian “fabric”,but could the same thing happen to The Leafs should they ever prevail.Oh it would be one hell of a party,but what do you do for an encore?The fever pitch created by 40 plus years of pent up desire could never again be matched in our lifetime.Hope I get a chance to find out.

    That brings me to my oldest Leaf’s memory,in keeping with the thread.

    While I was alive for the 1967 Stanley,I don’t actually remember it(3 years old)But in 1969,my earliest Leaf memory still burns bright.
    One afternoon my Uncle Chuck,a huge Leaf’s fan, took me down to The Garden’s for a surprise.Amazingly back then practices were open to the public,and their wasn’t a lot of people there that wintery afternoon.
    After watching the boys go through their paces,and wolfing a box of popcorn,it seemed they were getting ready to leave the ice.
    My Uncle grabbed a pen ,tore up the popcorn box,and told me to go ask for some autographs.
    Well I was a painfully shy five year old,and the thought of asking anything of these towering heroes scared me to death.But with my Uncle’s prodding,and the love of one Dave Keon, I somehow summoned up the courage.
    The players bench is where I dreamily found myself,and quietly asked Mr Keon if I could have his signature.He complied silently,as did Ron Ellis,and two others I didn’t recognize as they passd through into the bowels of the old Gardens.
    Suddenly this giant voice came out of nowhere.It was George Armstrong.
    “HEY,KID WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” he boomed.
    I was completely taken aback.
    HEY KID,YOU DEAF? WHAT DO YOU WANT?
    I shrunk,turned red and wanted to disappear.
    Armstrong continued…
    HEY GAMBLE,LOOK AT THIS KID.HE”S GOT SOME NERVE EH? WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO WITH HIM?
    They whispered silently and more players came over, curious to the fuss.A lot of joking and poking fun ensued.
    Then,through the crowd remerged Gamble.
    “Think this will do Army,it’s got a crack in it”
    “SURE..GIVE IT HERE…GIMME YOUR PEN KID”
    Armstrong proceeded to get all the remaining players to sign it.
    Horton,Bower,Mckenny,Ullman they were all there with the exception of the popcorn box heroes.
    My eyes were as wide a saucers as all the drama unfolded.I only managed a “thank-you sir” as Armstrong presented the prize to me.
    “Your welcome kid” he said quietly and patted me on the head.
    I ran back to my Uncle like it was Christmas morning.He shook his head
    “Your the luckiest guy I know”
    I knew he was right.

    The stick met an early demise.Widdled down to a toothpick from playing street hockey with it( I know,I know,)both it and the autographs were lost in a house fire in the 70′s.
    It didn’t matter.The larger than life memory never left me,and besides it was Darryl Sittler that really mattered now.He and Lanny were going to bring us the Cup,of that I was sure.
    And so on it goes.45 years of devoted loyalty despite of all the heartbreak.
    And I’ll be front row with my kids at the parade, should it come,feeling just like that five year old once again,so many years ago.

  • Cameron

    @Charlie

    I think he still talks to Domi from time to time. I haven’t heard from Selanne since the Ducks Cup run though. He was such a classy guy that Teemu. I remember going to the locker-room after the game, and all the players are just cursing and walking around buck naked, making fools of themselves, and then there was Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen. They come around the corner with minty looking suits on, looking like a million bucks. They would take me and my friends to the stick room and let us pick a stick. Haha, this is awesome bringing back those memories….

    I want the NHL back here so bad…

  • ingy56

    @ Uncle Otis:
    George Armstrong is a class act. A coach I used to play for as a kid knew someone at MLG and arranged a tour for us back in the early 60′s. The Leafs were practicing and we sat in the corner reds in awe. The Chief spotted us and began to flip pucks over the boards for us during drills. Punch Imlach was a notorious hard nosed coach and I am sure he fined Armstrong for losing all those pucks, but he made sure we each had one. After practice we were told to sit and wait in a hallway and some of the Leafs may come out and sign for us. Many were quiet and reserved, such as Keon as you noted. However Armstrong spent a lot of time with us and so did Johhny Bower. Bower brought out his catching glove and told us he was taking it home to break in because it was new. He let us all try it on, I remember it came up to my shoulder.
    Armstrong later coached the Marlies, and they used to practice at George bell Arena. My high school team played and practiced there and we used to see them on the ice before we practiced. Armstrong always came over to talk with us and always asked how our team was doing. We looked out and Bruce Boudreau, Mark Napier, Steve Shutt, Bill Harris and John Anderson were all practicing on the ice, powerhouse team, they won the Memorial Cup that year.

  • Uncle Otis

    @ ingy56:
    Ahh the good ole’ days.
    You’re right about Punch.I’m sure that’s why Gamble gave me a broken stick and ok’ed it with Army first.
    Didn’t get a chance to read your story as I was typing mine.Great memories..Especially remember the old black and white games.Tommy Hunter show for some reason too!
    Nice job Ingy

  • http://leafsforlife.proboards.com/index.cgi Amoroq

    Charlie wrote:

    honesthockey wrote:
    Ahhh ingy your memory is fantastic and you bring back some things I have forgotten. Gotta remember The Pig and Whistle as well. And the all star game was on Tuesday nights. My Mom’s bowling night so Dad would let us stay up later to watch the game.
    My Dad turned me into a Leaf fan. He was a die hard and also had seasons greys. Not sure where as they were gone when I came around (maybe I was the reason. Shit now I’m depressed) but man he loved the Leafs. Our house was hockey crazy and on Wednesday and Staurday nights hockey took center stage. Watching and listening to my Dad was as entertaining as the game. He’s be lying on the couch and only sat up when a fight broke out or the Leafs scored on the Habs. Habs was definitely a 4 letter word in our house and of the worst kind.
    Sadly he hasn’t watched a Leaf game in years. He became pretty disgruntled (no where near as bad as I) over the last 5 or 6 years so he follows our local junior team (which he owned during the late 70’s early 80’s) never missing a game and travelling sometimes to road games. He was even there for the Royal Bank Cup win in Grande Prairie Alberta.
    Who was his Stajan?

    Why go defecate on the mans good memories??

    LOL! Anyways, I’m really enjoying this thread. Keep up the awesomeness!!

  • Charlie

    Uncle Otis wrote:

    Nice article Garrett,you summed it up quite well.
    Something I’ve always wondered about,and it pertains to all sporting teams,is this;
    Does a long term losing record,and lack of a championship,actually drive up the passion and fervour around a team?
    The Argo’s sold out consistently and were as popular as The Leafs when I was a kid.Now the emmergence of the NFL had an impact obviously,but when they finally broke the ancient drought in 1983,it began a slide toward ambivalence that once seemed unthinkable.
    Remember the Jays halcyon days? Did winning the championship actually hurt them long term?They peaked,and then fizzle.
    I know hockey is part of our Canadian “fabric”,but could the same thing happen to The Leafs should they ever prevail.Oh it would be one hell of a party,but what do you do for an encore?The fever pitch created by 40 plus years of pent up desire could never again be matched in our lifetime.Hope I get a chance to find out.

    This has long been the subject of a conspiracy theory I have been thinking of for a few years now.

    That is, the Leafs (read: MLSE) ultimate goal in a season is to get as far as they can without actually winning the Cup. As much playoff money without a Cup win. As soon as a Cup is won, I do believe they will lose a chunk of fans. And I think they know this.

  • Charlie

    Cameron wrote:

    @Charlie
    I think he still talks to Domi from time to time. I haven’t heard from Selanne since the Ducks Cup run though. He was such a classy guy that Teemu. I remember going to the locker-room after the game, and all the players are just cursing and walking around buck naked, making fools of themselves, and then there was Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen. They come around the corner with minty looking suits on, looking like a million bucks. They would take me and my friends to the stick room and let us pick a stick. Haha, this is awesome bringing back those memories….
    I want the NHL back here so bad…

    Sorry, but I just read buck naked and Teemu showing you a stick too quickly together…

    :)

  • honesthockey

    Amoroq wrote:

    Charlie wrote:
    honesthockey wrote:
    Ahhh ingy your memory is fantastic and you bring back some things I have forgotten. Gotta remember The Pig and Whistle as well. And the all star game was on Tuesday nights. My Mom’s bowling night so Dad would let us stay up later to watch the game.
    My Dad turned me into a Leaf fan. He was a die hard and also had seasons greys. Not sure where as they were gone when I came around (maybe I was the reason. Shit now I’m depressed) but man he loved the Leafs. Our house was hockey crazy and on Wednesday and Staurday nights hockey took center stage. Watching and listening to my Dad was as entertaining as the game. He’s be lying on the couch and only sat up when a fight broke out or the Leafs scored on the Habs. Habs was definitely a 4 letter word in our house and of the worst kind.
    Sadly he hasn’t watched a Leaf game in years. He became pretty disgruntled (no where near as bad as I) over the last 5 or 6 years so he follows our local junior team (which he owned during the late 70’s early 80’s) never missing a game and travelling sometimes to road games. He was even there for the Royal Bank Cup win in Grande Prairie Alberta.
    Who was his Stajan?
    Why go defecate on the mans good memories??
    LOL! Anyways, I’m really enjoying this thread. Keep up the awesomeness!!

    I guess all you douche bags travel in packs.

  • .2 Minutes for Looking so Guru.

    Where are we travelling?…

  • mike cigan

    Charlie wrote:

    Uncle Otis wrote:
    Nice article Garrett,you summed it up quite well.
    Something I’ve always wondered about,and it pertains to all sporting teams,is this;
    Does a long term losing record,and lack of a championship,actually drive up the passion and fervour around a team?
    The Argo’s sold out consistently and were as popular as The Leafs when I was a kid.Now the emmergence of the NFL had an impact obviously,but when they finally broke the ancient drought in 1983,it began a slide toward ambivalence that once seemed unthinkable.
    Remember the Jays halcyon days? Did winning the championship actually hurt them long term?They peaked,and then fizzle.
    I know hockey is part of our Canadian “fabric”,but could the same thing happen to The Leafs should they ever prevail.Oh it would be one hell of a party,but what do you do for an encore?The fever pitch created by 40 plus years of pent up desire could never again be matched in our lifetime.Hope I get a chance to find out.
    This has long been the subject of a conspiracy theory I have been thinking of for a few years now.
    That is, the Leafs (read: MLSE) ultimate goal in a season is to get as far as they can without actually winning the Cup. As much playoff money without a Cup win. As soon as a Cup is won, I do believe they will lose a chunk of fans. And I think they know this.

    I strongly disagree, now I dont have any proof nor am I psychic but
    I dont think that the Boston Red Sox seen any drop off in fan attendance in the last 5 years. I just dont see it happening to the Leafs because of the cocky attitude that us Torontonians have towards the rest of the NHL even though we haven’t won squat in 45 years, it would be very typical of us to think that there is some sort of conspiracy that the ownership wants nothing to do with winning which I think is BULL! There are lots of teams that haven’t won the cup in a while and some who haven’t won it period going as far back as 1967 when the NHL first expanded. Listen we are home to the Maple Leafs of Toronto probably the greatest hockey team in the world there is no way we will ever see an empty building just like the Yankees, Red Sox and even the Dallas Cowboys.

  • Uncle Otis

    @ mike cigan:
    Oh if I I had to bet,I’m with you….it’s a long shot.
    But maybe you weren’t around when The Argo’s would get 55,000 to a PRESEASON game.
    Times change,generations start fresh and you just never know.
    I read recently that MLSE is concerned about reaching their younger demographic.Apparently the “Passion theat Unites“ is losing ground to the web,PS3, xbox etc.
    And MLSE doesn`t exactly price their tickets for the masses.Hell,even Leaf TV has exclusives.
    Unlikely,sure…but never say never

  • mikeiles

    My favourite Leaf memories are from the year when Sundin was injured and Gary Roberts carried the team against the Sens. That was an epic series.

  • Derek Harmsworth

    I enjoyed this article wholeheartedly Garrett, and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

    Every writer, everywhere, began as fans, and the talented scribes on this website are certainly no different. We are all passionate, knowledgeable fans who enjoy sharing our thoughts and opinions with other fans. And it’s the the loyal readers who also make what we do so special. I’ve had the privilege of meeting and talking with many people who have read my articles and I always appreciate their comments and enjoy building friendships of sorts with these people.

    Another fantastic read as always Garrett.

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