When did you first become a Leafs fan?

[WilliamInLondon]

1989-1990. endured many horrid years until the Wendel for Mats trade changed everything

my loyalties were divided though as penguins were my favorite animal growing up as a kid, and Mario Lemieux was/is my favorite player of all time. still like the team, but 100% devoted to the Leafs after the 1992-1993 season.

 

[Tall Morty]

I always had Leafs stuff (I had the same comforter as Tavares had in the tweet), but when I was younger, I didn’t have the attention span to watch sports. I loved playing them with friends, and I absolutely loved the NHL video games, but generally couldn’t tell you what was happening in the league (unless I bought the game that year of course). It wasn’t until my stepdad moved in and hockey was on the tv every night that I fell in love. The season after, I became more adamant about watching all Leafs games...which was the season after Sundin left. Until 16/17 I had pretty much only known darkness and despair.

 

[willmma]

Pat Burns joined. We had Dougie and Wendel. It was beauuuuutiful.

 

[moon111]

Was always a Leafs fan, but the first memory that sticks in my mind is Ian Turnbull scoring his fifth goal of the game. (February 2, 1977)

 

[ObscureAlien]

as long as i can remember. first memory is sundin drop pass to stumpy who scored on a top corner slapper in game 5 in 2000 against ottawa when i was 6.

 

[96]

About when Darcy Tucker jumped into the Senators bench.

 

[67Cup]

Long enough to remember Dave Keon’s rookie season. More precisely, I was born into a family of Leafs fans. My grandfather and father listened to Foster Hewitt broadcasting Leaf games back in the Dirty Thirties while sitting around a radio set in their Saskatchewan farmhouse. The Leafs broadcasts were one of the few bright spots of those hard times.

But I became personally caught up in the Leafs’ fortunes back in the 58-59 season when two things happened, our family bought a TV, and the Leafs went on an unlikely late run to squeeze past the Rangers into the last playoff spot. They even made the finals that year only to lose to the Habs in the midst of their five Cups in a row dynasty.

By the way the actual TV broadcast of the Saturday night game didn’t begin in those days until 9:00PM, which was part way through the second period.

I would very much like to see the Leafs win another Cup before the Referee blows the final whistle on my third period!

 

[Notsince67]

Long enough to remember Dave Keon’s rookie season. More precisely, I was born into a family of Leafs fans. My grandfather and father listened to Foster Hewitt broadcasting Leaf games back in the Dirty Thirties while sitting around a radio set in their Saskatchewan farmhouse. The Leafs broadcasts were one of the few bright spots of those hard times.

But I became personally caught up in the Leafs’ fortunes back in the 58-59 season when two things happened, our family bought a TV, and the Leafs went on an unlikely late run to squeeze past the Rangers into the last playoff spot. They even made the finals that year only to lose to the Habs in the midst of their five Cups in a row dynasty.

By the way the actual TV broadcast of the Saturday night game didn’t begin in those days until 9:00PM, which was part way through the second period.

I would very much like to see the Leafs win another Cup before the Referee blows the final whistle on my third period!

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/leafs-fan-gives-hilarious-parting-shot-to-team-in-obituary-1.1932921

 

[93LEAFS]

Growing up around the city, I always cheered for them and the Jays (Raptors were added as I entered grade 1, and I grew to like them over the Bulls). I don't remember becoming a die-hard though until my dad got in on a yearly pool of tickets (I wish we still had those), and I got to between 4 to 8 games a year, while being signed up for Hockey, which happened at around age 6 or 7, right after we traded Wendel for Sundin.

 

[7even]

Long enough to remember Dave Keon’s rookie season. More precisely, I was born into a family of Leafs fans. My grandfather and father listened to Foster Hewitt broadcasting Leaf games back in the Dirty Thirties while sitting around a radio set in their Saskatchewan farmhouse. The Leafs broadcasts were one of the few bright spots of those hard times.

But I became personally caught up in the Leafs’ fortunes back in the 58-59 season when two things happened, our family bought a TV, and the Leafs went on an unlikely late run to squeeze past the Rangers into the last playoff spot. They even made the finals that year only to lose to the Habs in the midst of their five Cups in a row dynasty.

By the way the actual TV broadcast of the Saturday night game didn’t begin in those days until 9:00PM, which was part way through the second period.

I would very much like to see the Leafs win another Cup before the Referee blows the final whistle on my third period!

God bless you buddy.

 

[tokiih]

I'm from Sweden, with a family with basically no sports interest whatsoever - so no loyalties to inherit.

My interest for NHL began around 1992 at the age of 10. At that time hockey cards were a big thing and my favorite teams back then were primarily Penguins (Mario) but also Habs (Roy, but still yikes...). It was first around 2008 or 2009 I became a real NHL and Maple Leafs fan. I got hyped by the Gustavsson signing as he had pretty much dominated the swedish league. You all know how that turned out but I was hooked nonetheless and haven't wavered a single bit despite the rough times. I'm the kind of stupid/stubborn fan that doesn't give up on the season until we're mathematically out of the race.

Funny enough my mother bought me a Leafs t-shirt when I was a kid and still considered myself a Pens fan. I think I even complained that it was the wrong team, silly me. I guess she knew better.

 

[Thissiteisgarbage]

1973. I also can remember watching and following the Toronto Toros of the WHA. First Leaf game I went to, they were playing the Minnesota North Stars.

 

[armi5718]

You mean by 'now', after the Caps won or already before?

Well, I grew up in Northern Virginia and have been a caps fan since the early 90s. I married my wife in 2011 and we always had this fun little Leafs vs. Caps rivalry. When her cousin made the team a few seasons ago . . . it was just too hard to cheer against the Leafs and I found myself following this team WAY more than the Caps teams.

 

[napoleon in rags]

1957... When I came out of the womb at Toronto Doctors Hospital they branded me with the Leafs logo.

First vague memories are 1964.

 

[Sniper99]

Sept 24/1993 will be my 25th anniversary as a Leafs fan.

Long story but im sure i've told it a couple times in these kinda threads.

 

[MoreMogilny]

Born in ‘90. Some of my very first memories are of the Leafs. I’ve been a fan as far back as I can remember.


According to my parents I would sit and watch games as a toddler.

 

[Aho and the Bunnaman]

Immigrated to the States as a young kid in the middle of the Rangers Cup run in 1994; I had never seen hockey before and fell in love with it...became a Rangers fan for about a year (until they lost to Quebec in the first round the next playoffs :p) then got more interested in baseball.

The fam moved to the GTA in the early 2000s and I fell in love with hockey again with the 2002 Gold Medal Team. Got hooked on the Pat Quinn Leafs and never looked back

 

[The CyNick]

When I took my first breath.

I'll never forget it. Treaty of Versailles was just being finalized (I warned them it was heavy handed btw), and all I wanted to know was what the Buds were going to do to get back to winning Cups.

 

[Goonface2k14]

The season when the Leafs met the Blues in the playoffs back in the late 80s. I think it was 1987.

I’ll never forget Bob Cole’s call when Ken Wregget made that “miraculous” glove save on Gino Cavallini.

Doug Gilmour was the enemy at the time, playing for the Blues.

Die-hard fan ever since!

 

[dubey]

Birthed a Leafs fan

First memory was a Leafs-Blues 93 playoffs game at the Garden though

 

[Nineteen67]

Been suffering for over 50 years.

 

[Stephen]

I think was a Koho fan before a Leaf fan...

To this day, a Leaf goalie has never looked more glorious.

 

[diceman934]

Born a Leaf Fan as are my kids. First game I went to was in 1963 as a 5 year old. Became obsessed in the 65/66 season. Watched Bob Pullford score in OT in 67 Cup final 3-2 in game 3 at the Gardens over Montreal, to this day I still hate the Habs and always will. Watching Keon play live in games made me a huge Keon fan and to this day I consider him the best Leaf player ever.

My dad was a huge Leaf fan and I went to many games at the Gardens. I remember going to Marlboros games in the afternoon and Leaf games in the evening on Saturday’s. Fun time to be a Leaf fan now days.

 

[SoCal Leafs]

1978. My family had moved to Canada a year earlier and I remember falling in love with hockey the very first recess of grade 1 when we all grabbed plastic hockey sticks and played in the schoolyard with a tennis ball. Months later I begged my mom for a quarter so I could buy a pack of O Pee Chee hockey cards at a Shopper's Drug Mart in Don Mills. She finally relented, and I opened the pack, ate the stale gum, and found...a Lanny McDonald card! Since then I've bled blue and white.

 

[LeeIs]

early 90's, gilmour years.