Читать книгу Hope and Heartbreak in Toronto. Life as a Maple Leafs Fan онлайн

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Even the U.S. “Miracle on Ice” team, a squad that later sent so many players to the NHL after winning Olympic gold at Lake Placid in 1980, had nary a Leafs prospect on it.

But there is a quaint ritual that takes place at the Air Canada Centre after successful World Junior tournaments and also after the Salt Lake Olympics. It’s the honouring at centre ice of the returning Canadian heroes, gold medals draped around their necks. The glint from the gold baubles almost takes the sting from the salt in the wounds being felt as the players are introduced. On many occasions during Canada’s World Junior run of gold medals from 2005 to 2009, Leafs fans were even forced to endure more than a few young Canucks walking out to centre ice knowing full well that (1) this kid is going to be beating us some day (see Richards, Mike) and (2) prospects like these kids are what other teams have, not us.

But, like so much of the Leafs history, even when there are rare moments to celebrate, there is almost always an asterisk, a tinge of the bittersweet. For example, in 2002, when Curtis Joseph was honoured for returning from Salt Lake City with his Olympic gold medal, and then-Maple Leafs head coach Pat Quinn was likewise feted for his masterful job leading the boys wearing that other Maple Leaf to victory.