As a leaf fan, my most memorable moment is not a happy one. In fact, probably of my 100 most memorable leaf moments, very few would actually be positive. That's the life of a leafs fan I suppose.
But I'll focus on the big one. 2013 game 7 vs the Bruins. This will get lengthy... but I really have to do it justice. I need to show just how badly this hurt us. And by “us”, I mean all leaf fans. Many just won’t admit it. It’s too embarrassing.
I watched the game with four other friends. We were in our mid 20's. And you have to understand... the game was a big deal. For almost 10 years, the leafs had been the humiliation of not just the nhl, but of all humanity. We were the butt of every joke, far more than the usual leaf hate that's always out there. We hadn't made the playoffs since the lockout. We traded away two 1st round picks, only to finish 2nd last and 9th last, all for a player who was at this point mocked league wide. I consider this era to be rock bottom of all Maple Leaf history... even worse than the Ballard years.
We were told the leafs didn't have a chance this series against the Bruins. Most people thought the leafs would be flat out swept. But here we were. Game 7. Game Freaking Seven!!!
And we just went up 4-1, 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd.
I honestly don't think most people understand how important this was for us. Yes... it's just hockey. We knew that. But we were all thinking back to our teenage years watching those Sundin teams win rounds in the playoffs. We remembered how fun it could be to get with your friends and watch the leafs actually succeed. Something that we’d desperately missed. A lost aspect of our teenage years that we honestly started thinking would never come back.
So it was very emotional for us when we went up 4-1. We all had tears in our eyes, and were trying to hide it. It was melancholy. A reminder of the fun we used to have following this team. A sign that things were finally changing for the better.
We saw Burke actually leave his box seat and start shaking hands with members of MLSE. We stopped actually watching the game. It was over. The announcers said no team has ever come back from such a deficit so late in a game 7. We were talking about the next round. That's it. Who would we play? Who do we match up with?
And then we noticed it was somehow 4-3. The room went silent. We'd been leaf fans long enough to know what this means. The leafs don't just lose a game. They do so in the most heart breaking and humiliating fashion possible. We all knew the game was probably over, but we didn't want to believe it.
I remember the fear in everyones eyes when the leafs couldn't even touch the puck the final two minutes. I remember the shock when Boston tied the game. I remember the brief moment of hope we all had when Lupul hit the post early in overtime.
And then Boston scored, assisted by Seguin (of f***ing course).
One of my friends, a "mans man" who I've never seen show emotions, cried in the corner. He was embarrassed about it, and none of us have ever talked about it since. I would say almost 15 minutes passed before anybody spoke. We all went home. None of us even talked to each other, not even a text, for over a week. We just didn't want to think about that horrendous experience.
I quit watching hockey at that point. Said I'd only come back once the leafs actually started a real bona fide rebuild. Which they since have, and I'm glad to be back.
But 3 of my 4 friends quit hockey forever. They no longer follow the sport in any capacity. Even now that the leafs have Matthews and Tavares... they don't care. They are done. Forever. That game 7 against Boston was simply too much for them.
That day wasn't just the worst moment I've had as a leafs fan... it was one of the worst moments of my entire life. And I believe every single real leaf fan out there ( maybe not the casual fairweather fans) went through something similar.
It was just a horrible disgusting moment. One that none of us will ever forget.
