A couple of weeks ago I talked about the start of the new TV season. And this week, we’re celebrating another season start. Can you guess it? If you’re Canadian, you probably got it right. Yes folks, Hockey is back! And for us Torontonians, it was a loooong summer. But the Leafs back, with many many changes, and this season promises to be interesting, if nothing else. When people learn I’m from Ottawa, they usually assume that I’m a Senators fan. No way. I grew up in a Leafs house and a Leafs fan I am. My stepfather alternates between being proud that he raised a Leafs fan and feeling guilty for “commiting me to a life of dissapointment and frustration.”

There are 3 kinds of Leaf fans, in my opinion. The first are the ones that make us look bad. They’re rude, think the Leafs are the only team in Canada and plan the parade following every win. Every year is THE year. Forty years later….you get the point. The second group is the eternal pessimist group. They love the Leafs. They want them to do well. But they don’t think it will ever ever happen. Every time they lose, they saw it coming; every win was luck. They will support and defend the team to the death, but always admit that they won’t live to see the Cup in Toronto (the Hockey Hall of Fame doesn’t count. In fact, it’s almost mean and quite humourous to the rest of the NHL that we get it for the majority of the year. But I digress.) The third group settles into the middle and there are few of us. Yes, I’m a middle girl. I support them, I defend them, I don’t dream of the parade, nor do I discount the possibility that it will take place in my lifetime. My stepfather, Norm, is from group one. Norm is the president of group one. He can’t even watch a game on TV unless they’re winning, say 6-0 (arbritary score;). He gets mad, he yells. There was the fateful night that he tore a Kleenex box to shreds when they lost. I don’t think he could take watching a game live, I think the stress alone would shave a solid 5 years off his life.

No matter which group you fall into, the start of the year is always exciting. This year in particular will be good to watch. New coach, new approach, new players, new expectations. Which group are you? Are you even a Leafs fan? Do you even care about hockey?

GO Leafs GO!!!