Cautiously optimistic

Here i sit, 33 years old, a lifelong leaf fan. Technically that's not true, i did not come out of the womb a leafs fan. It was in 93' that i became a leafs fan and i was 9. My father was rooting for Montreal and i wanted to be difficult and go against him, so i picked the leafs to cheer for. When i actually paid attention and saw Clark, Gilmour and Sundin with the rest of the cast play. That's when i became a lifelong fan.

I've loved hockey ever since, cheered for the leafs ever since. There have been years where i watched every minute of every game. And other years where i watch only a handful of games. Some say to be a true fan of any sports team you have to know every stat and detail of the teams history. I'll admit there have been times throughout the 24 years of being a leaf fan than i have completely zoned out and stopped paying attention to the team. I have never cheered for another team, i don't jump on bandwagons. But if you've been a leaf fan for any length of time, you know that feeling. The bad years, they were bad. Real bad. 

So like any leaf fan who has lived through those dark times i find myself so happy with the direction of the team. But in the back of my head i think back to the leaf teams who have given us promise in the past. Some people say you cannot draw comparisons to past leaf teams and players. And maybe they're right. Can you compare Matthews to a Sundin? Anderson to a Potvin? Nylander to an Andreychuk? No you cant. But you can compare that feeling of excitement to previous leaf teams. That's what make me cautiously optimistic. We have felt this thrill of being good before.

This is not the best team in Maple Leafs history. But it is the best one in recent memory. We cannot get ahead of ourselves, lets not rush this opportunity with the depth of talent we have. I say "we" but in reality none of us have any say on what the team does with its assets. This management has pulled us from the valley floor and pushed us up this mountain. We are not at the peak just yet, but i believe it is within sight. 

Don't let the overwhelming force that is the Toronto sports media make you delusional to the path ahead. This is a long journey and we are only at the beginning of year 2. After being a fan for so many years of bad leafs teams. We can wait a year or 2 more to reach that peak. Because when we do, that will be the greatest view in all the land. So let's stop with the "let's trade this guy" or "we need to trade for a defenseman" talk. Let's watch these kids grow, let's see what our prospects will grow into. This is a marathon not a sprint.

I am very excited about the team we have, and these are just my thoughts and opinions. I've never written anything before, so this is all trial and error.  

#GOLEAFSGO