I get it. I am a part of the most memed fanbase in all of hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Somehow, Vancouver destroys a city when their team loses, but Toronto hasn’t won since 1967. I say that to say this: it looks like our days as perennial losers are over. Gone are the first-round exit heartbreaks (I hope) with the news that we have Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner all locked up and under contract. So now what? Are we champions? Is Toronto guaranteed the championship? As it pertains to the last question, I admit it does not. We have a long way to go. Playoff experience is lacking for our crew, although the talent is there without question. We are still somehow the laughingstock of the NHL, at the chagrin of myself and other Leafs sympathizers. However, hockey fans, just let us celebrate this one time, okay? I know, we didn’t win anything. Heck, we probably won’t, but just let us at least be happy that we have a contender for the first time in years. Maybe, just maybe, we have a shot this year. Until then, I will accept your unrelenting arsenal of “1967” jokes, and for a short time, tolerate your memes suggesting we can’t and won’t win anything. Ah, the struggles of being a Leafs fan.
