That move. That play. Those three strides. That’s all it
took for me to fall in love with Hockey. That’s all it took for me to fall in
love with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Those three strides by that man. John
Tavares!
I’ve always been intrigued by Ice Hockey (or just Hockey
as the true fans call it). The first exposure I had was when growing up I had
the pleasure of playing EA Sports’ NHL video game. Since the version I had was
a demo version, it only allowed me to play one match with the Dallas Stars. One
match against the Buffalo Sabres. The one match that I played over and over and
over again till the time the names of Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Brett Hull,
and Miroslav Satan resonated with me more than it did with locals.
Being a sports fanatic, experimenting with a new sport has
always excited me. While Cricket, Football (or Soccer), Tennis, and Formula 1
grasped my interest quite early, I was always drawn towards “western” sports
like American Football, Rugby, Basketball, and Luge. But Hockey was another creature
in itself. How hard could it be? It’s just about scoring goals, right? Well,
not according to EA Sports. They had a short segment programmed in that game
that had two players enter a full fight mode (with power bars as in a Mortal
Kombat game) just before both received penalties and were catapulted into the penalty
boxes. That had me believing for the longest time that fighting, with the
referee officiating, was a legitimate part of Hockey. Because who wouldn’t want
to watch that, right? After all the sport is quite rowdy and the true
definition of a core fan watching it consists of the characteristics like “enthusiastic”,
“passionate”, and “aggressive”. It’s for fans who just long for a good fight
all day long.
Well, no!
While EA Sports was being a little too literal to their
motto of “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game,” the reality is quite
different. Hockey is more than just fighting. It’s more than just a sport. Just
like Football, it’s about those moments of genius that separate the wheat from
the chaff. It’s about those moments that give you goosebumps so bad that you
feel that tingling sensation all the way from your lower back running straight
up to the back of your ears. Those moments of glory. Those moments of genius.
Just like those three strides. Those three strides. John Tavares. Arjen Robben.
Roger Federer. Ahh Bliss!
It might sound strange that I fell in love with a whole new
sport in a moment of adrenalized passion. It took just one move in one match by
one player of one team to make me a believer? Hmm. well, yes! Ask anyone the
reason they started supporting a club. Ask anyone the reason they started
watching a sport. Ask anyone the reason they started following a team. And the
results can be equally surprising. That Bergkamp twirl (Newcastle), that
Tendulkar century (Sharjah), that Federer tweener (US Open), or that Hamilton overtake
(2008 Brazil) it’s moments like these that make people adherents of a
sport/team.
And it was a moment like that which turned me into a Leaf!
Let’s get one thing straight. People don’t become fans of
a team or a sport by researching into it. It just happens. I didn’t research
about the Toronto Maple Leafs before deciding to call it “my team”. Just like I
didn’t research about Liverpool FC before deciding to bleed red. Had I done
that, I probably would have never watched a Leafs match because of the grammatical
mistake in their team name.
Is it Leafs? Shouldn’t it be Leaves? What is going on? In
fact, those who hear about my choices of teams look at me with eyes full of a mixture
of disgust, pity and derision. The Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
Liverpool haven’t won the English Top Division since 1989. But I am not into
this for the win. I’m not into this for the trophies. Don’t get me wrong,
winning is important and trophies do prove to be an integral part of measuring
success. But, it shouldn’t be the reason for supporting a team or a player. I
support my teams because I can connect with them. I connect with them because they
give me a sense of belonging. The teams don’t know that I support them. They don’t
care about me. For them I’m just a part of a bigger collective that they care
about. I’m getting nothing out of this personally. Shouldn’t I then at least
support a team that wins trophies regularly? Why am I doing this again?
It’s because of those moments and make you go “aww yeah”.
It’s because of those moments that make you go “cooomee awwnnnn”. Those moments
that make you forget about your woes. Those moments that make you scream at the
top of your lungs. Those moments that bring out the rage in you. Those moments
that bring out the tears in you. Those moments of passion. Those moments of perseverance.
Just like those three strides. Those three strides. John Tavares. Steven
Gerrard. Lewis Hamilton. Ahh Yeah!
I didn’t know or research about Tavares before “choosing”
the Maple Leafs as my team. I didn’t know his story. I didn’t know that he grew
up as an avid Maple Leafs fan only to never get the opportunity to play for
them. I didn’t know that the New York Islanders selected him as their number 1
draft pick in 2009. I didn’t know that he was their captain for five years
before finally deciding to move away. And I certainly didn’t know that his story
is a classic case example of the prodigal son returning home after taking a hefty
a pay cut. A pay cut that was necessary to realize the dream of playing for his
home team. A dream that was so much above money or the number of teams
interested in signing him. There were six teams in the fray to sign Tavares.
There could have been 600, but the answer would have remained the same. John
Tavares wanted to play for the Leafs. He wanted to follow his heart. He wanted
to come home. It just felt right. It felt natural. And it the end it’s reaping
benefits for the team who’ve got off to a great start.
Not everyday you can live a childhood dream pic.twitter.com/YUTKdfMALl— John Tavares (@91Tavares) July 1, 2018
Maybe finally I’ll get to be a part of a team that does
well for a change. Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs might go all the way and lift
that evasive Stanley Cup. Maybe not. Maybe they’ll lose to another Atlantic
Division team like last year. Liverpool might just win the league elsewhere. They’re
off to a flying start in their campaign as well. They had a stellar year in the
Champions League last season too. Maybe it’s time to take that form one step
forward. Maybe not. Who knows maybe it’s time for the fortunes to change for
both teams. God knows it’s been quite a while since any of these teams has won anything.
But then again, that’s not why I’m into this. I’m into this
for the long haul. Till the time that the world stops spinning, and the air starts
getting really thin. For I might cease to exist one day, but the game would definitely
go on. The teams would have new fans. The teams would have new heroes. Because that’s
the beauty of sports. There will always be those moments. Those moments of love.
Those moments of respect. Just like those three strides. Those three strides.
John Tavares.... Well, you know the rest!
