I have a dirty little secret. And its unleashing may very well affect my integrity as a sports reporter in Squamish. I am a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.Now, in a town - nay a province - with such a large population of "Onterrible" expatriates you'd think the blue maple leaf would shine like a beacon of hope and fellowship. You'd think we could wear our Sundin jerseys with pride (yes, I know he's basically gone but who else is there? Antropov?), nodding coolly to other obvious Leaf fans as we strut around town on game day.But like Mats himself, we teeter on the fence when it comes to committing to the team. In an act of incredible foresight, I purchased a Leafs hat long before moving out west. The hat is stylish and discreet: mostly black with a black maple leaf that looks as if it's trying to fade into the background. Still, I toss my Pittsburgh Steelers cap on my head way more often, knowing that there are legions of the NFL fans violently waving terrible towels all over North America. You see, it's the stares I get when I do wear the Leafs hat - those "how dare you" stares. That's the last thing I need when I'm feeling out a tomato in the produce section. I assure you, this is not mere paranoia.In fact, the worst of it is that I understand the animosity. The poor Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and haven't made the playoffs since 2004. They have a nasty habit of recycling old veterans (forgive me Curtis, I don't mean you) in false hope of re-spawning past glories. Yet, they remain the sun in the Canadian NHL universe. More sports talk and general attention is paid to the Leafs than any other team. The current story is that Toronto may be receiving another NHL franchise. Already the questions abound: will the new team be as bad as the Leafs or will it spur executives to concentrate more efforts on building a Cup contender and less time maintaining its status as the most financially successful team in the league? In any case, wherever you live in Canada, it's all about the home team, of course - the Canucks, the Oilers, etc. - and the Leafs. I admit it's a little much. But year after year, Leafs fan or not, we are all drawn to their plights like a Greek tragedy.The far-reaching Leafs Empire seemed quite normal living back east, but here it just makes me feel a bit uncomfortable - almost as uncomfortable as submitting my ballot for the federal election when the result had already been decided by the rest of the country.So yes, I'm starting to understand the rancor. I'm beginning to see that the Toronto Maple Leafs represent more than the nation's biggest city. Cheering for the Leafs is like coalescing with "the man." But I don't care. I'm holding on to my old Leafs hat because I think it's hip to be square. And if anybody has a problem with that they know how to find me. I'll be the one in the Steelers cap.
