When did you first become a Leafs fan?

[LeeIs]

Those years were amazing because of the jays also. I was hooked on both.

 

[KDOTO]

1992-93 + wendall Clark, baseball was my first love till then. I never knew what sports was or being a fan untill those 2 season the Jays won. I was 8 I remember listening quietly on a old radio cuz mom would kill me if she knew I was up. We just arrived in Canada four years prior, I wasn't making any friends, I had bullies back then telling to go back to my country or do you know karate and would try and fight me for that reason because I was Asian, or back then we were all Chinese. Everyday I was chased home after school by the same people, yes they were white but I never knew why they hated me so much.

I came from a war torn country where half my family had died before me and my sis, we was the last of my parents kids. They never wanted to leave their country but they had to for us. What was left of my family was scattered now through all the continent. One after another they left for different area of the world, all the surviving members were at one camp at the time. One by one everyone left, celebrating when one did, expecting our new country to welcome us with love, it didn't start out as we thought. Canada then was not like now, it's crazy to remenisce because the feeling of seclusion was so much apart of me then.

Moving on, so I remember my dad leaving work and having to come get me because I was so scared of walking home. It happened for a whole year til one day I got tired and fought back. It was the first time I fought, also the first time I defended myself. Also the first time, I felt I belong in this cold country, snow was a myth back then to my people. It was stories brought forth by others and a lot of us stayed a way from Canada. The stories about Canada that went around my village then was stories of beyond the wall and the knight king.

Anyways to get back to the subject, this is when I met my best friend. His name was Brad, he had a dad who thought he could be very good in sports but not realize his son was just not good. He was my first true friend, him and his dad was the first to put me on skates, his dad signed me up for house league hockey because my parents didn't know what that was or even what hockey is. To make things short or at least shorter, his dad told me back then to always cheer for the players in blue. I never understood, then I saw the Jays in blue and they won, then i saw the Leafs as well in blue and I knew. These were my team, even though all my boys now are bball fans they k. Iw how much I love hockey and how much I love the Leafs.

I get asked all the time during the shit years why would you chose the Leafs, and the story always leads to this and my answer is always that I rather suffer for the rest of my life as a leaf fan losing then cheer for another team. So yea a great gesture from a friends father made me life long leaf fan and I'm glad that he did.

 

[sittler rules!!!]

Hey everyone, long time lurker – first time thread starter here. Like all of you, I’m a diehard Leafs fan and counting the days until we see JT suit up as a member of the greatest hockey franchise in the world! It’s going to be a long summer so let’s have some fun and share our earliest memories of when we first chose the Maple Leafs as our team
Mine - Although I started my playing career at the age of 6, I never became a diehard until 9 years of age. It was during the 92-93 season which had the likes of Gilmour, Clark, Potvin, Andreychuk just to name a few. My father had tried early to point me in the Leafs direction, but honestly up until that season I couldn’t tell you any names of the players. I do remember when I was very young my father telling me the Leafs were a mediocre team but they would make it back again….and they sure did that season. To see them on the brink of making it to the cup finals was an amazing experience for us fans. We’ve never been closer in my lifetime.
So many memories – Gilmour’s record tying assist, Pat Burns winning his first game back at the Forum, Clark vs McSorley in the playoffs etc
I’ll be 36 years old next month, and I want nothing more in my life right now than to see my Leafs victorious in a cup final! I’m confident our core of players and excellent management group will make it happen!
Go Leafs Go!!

1967

 

[ZEBROA]

Not a real fan like all of you here. But i started follow Leafs when Sundin enter the team. I am from Sweden so thats how it started. Followed Leafs since. My friend was a fan of RWings .. was a horrible time. But getting better every day.

I cheer for hockey, and more teams then one so not a real fan. Not even in SHL. I cheer for Brynas, Farjestad, Leksand. And Almtuna in Hockeyallsvenskan. Kind of a sin i know, but it is my way of experience the sport i love in the best way i can.

I follow the Swedes on all teams, but mostly Leafs as a team. (I want Lundy to get a cup , bring him here).
I think Vegas is a nice team to. Like the underdog story.

Dont know why but, Boston and Penguins i dont like at all, never has.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Palmateer

 

[Brown Dog]

I actually fell in love with hockey watching the Flames beat the Canucks in the first round in 1989.

Quickly switched allegiance to the hometown Leafs and never looked back.

I remember the Grant Fuhr acquisition as a really exciting moment. The '93 playoffs cemented everything.

 

[Clark4Ever]

For me, it was in the mid 70's as a toddler watching those brutal playoff series against the Broad Street Bullies with my Dad and my brother.

 

[pheasant]

I grew up a Leafs fan. Started with Gilour and Matts. But I became a serious hockey fan only after the 05 lockout. That's when I started to follow the standings, other teams, player storylines, get into the statistics.

I'm also a bit of a Hawks and Coyotes fan. But the Leafs are #1.

 

[member 262271]

Back when the Jets left, would've been about 12. My love of the colour blue dictated my choice of team to root for.

 

[pulfordfan]

67 I was 12, seen a few leaf cups before but 67 still clear in my mind, dad sending me to the fridge to get a stubby of labatts for him, after the leafs traded the big M to the habs he was a Montreal fan, years of friendly bickering after, wish he was here now for him to see the leafs doing so well, he'd probably jump on the bandwagon. He was the one that instilled the love of hockey in me. I played, he drove me to games and practice, he played when he was younger, living in St Kitts heard stories about him about his playing days back in the 40's and 50's, 6 '3 220 tough as nails, farm boy, never beat him in a arm wrestle, was a bouncer at some bars in the 50's, rode a harley, gave me 2 bucks for a assist and a buck for a goal, if I got a penalty he was behind the box coaching me. Loved him dearly RIP Dad.

 

[FreeBird]

67 I was 12, seen a few leaf cups before but 67 still clear in my mind, dad sending me to the fridge to get a stubby of labatts for him, after the leafs traded the big M to the habs he was a Montreal fan, years of friendly bickering after, wish he was here now for him to see the leafs doing so well, he'd probably jump on the bandwagon. He was the one that instilled the love of hockey in me. I played, he drove me to games and practice, he played when he was younger, living in St Kitts heard stories about him about his playing days back in the 40's and 50's, 6 '3 220 tough as nails, farm boy, never beat him in a arm wrestle, was a bouncer at some bars in the 50's, rode a harley, gave me 2 bucks for a assist and a buck for a goal, if I got a penalty he was behind the box coaching me. Loved him dearly RIP Dad.

67 I was 12, seen a few leaf cups before but 67 still clear in my mind, dad sending me to the fridge to get a stubby of labatts for him, after the leafs traded the big M to the habs he was a Montreal fan, years of friendly bickering after, wish he was here now for him to see the leafs doing so well, he'd probably jump on the bandwagon. He was the one that instilled the love of hockey in me. I played, he drove me to games and practice, he played when he was younger, living in St Kitts heard stories about him about his playing days back in the 40's and 50's, 6 '3 220 tough as nails, farm boy, never beat him in a arm wrestle, was a bouncer at some bars in the 50's, rode a harley, gave me 2 bucks for a assist and a buck for a goal, if I got a penalty he was behind the box coaching me. Loved him dearly RIP Dad.

Big M was traded to Detroit for Ulman and Henderson, then was traded to the Canadiens.

 

[Cleetus]

for me it was 1992/93, loved Felix Potvin, I played goal in minor hockey, and looked up to him, also loved Gilmour, and Clark.

 

[TheScandal89]

Like many here during the Gilmour-Clark playoff runs for me. I was born 1989, so i didnt have the greatest understanding, but my dad brought me up watching that era.

Was a pretty exciting time with the jays and leafs, too bad i was 3-4 years old lol.

Needless to say, pretty exciting times now for the Leafs aswell

 

[robertmac43]

My first stand out memory comes from Sundin scoring the goal to send game six against the Canes into OT. Unfortunate ending to that story

 

[bluumax]

Salt lake city Olympics, was visiting Canada and sat watching the games with my uncle, Saw Sundin score a beauty on CuJo and instantly had my favorite player.... it was just by chance he played for my uncle's team so i came back to the UK completely indoctrinated. My memories of the 02 playoffs are still some of my fondest.

Watched obsessively, read everything i could find on the team history, started playing- its been a major part of my life ever since.

 

[Nizdizzle]

I started watching the NHL and the Leafs during the playoffs for the 2003-2004 season. I would have been 14/15 years old. The Leafs lost in the 2nd round to the Flyers. As per my luck, the next NHL season was cancelled due to the lockout. I've yet to see my team win a playoff series (0/4).

I would probably say my most memorable Leaf moment was Mats Sundin's 500th goal. Overtime, Hatrick, Milestone slap-shot from the blue-line over Kipper's shoulder. Memory hasn't faded a bit for me.

 

[Frelimo]

Like many others my age (33), it was the 1992-93 playoffs that did it for me. We always watched the Leafs on Saturday night but I was more of a hockey fan in general - actually at that age I really just wanted to play hockey, didn't care too much about watching it. Those '93 playoffs were something special though. I knew I was hooked when Borschevsky scored that OT goal in game 7.

 

[ChurchOfMatthews]

Remember watching my first game about 42 years ago at the ripe ole age of 5. My step-father had me skating for about a year and was a diehard Leaf fan. I wish he could see the lineup we have now. We've come a long way since the Harold Ballord era.

 

[srnd9399]

Remember watching my first game about 42 years ago at the ripe ole age of 5. My step-father had me skating for about a year and was a diehard Leaf fan. I wish he could see the lineup we have now. We've come a long way since the Harold Ballord era.

Lucky for me I became a Leaf fan post Ballard era

 

[notDatsyuk]

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!

We must be about the same vintage.

I used to listen to the games on the radio with my grandmother in the late '50's and through the '60's, until they finally started broadcasting the whole game on CBC (with Juliette coming on afterwards).

In '82/'83 I got to be a practice goalie for Pete Conacher's NHL old-timers for a year, and he told me that I reminded him of Johnny Bower - no greater compliment!

 

[1967th Heaven]

My first stand out memory comes from Sundin scoring the goal to send game six against the Canes into OT. Unfortunate ending to that story

Same, 6 years old and I just remember my dad going nuts when he tied it so I followed suit.