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Do I know suffering? Well, I happen to be a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan

I'm a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And I have suffered

It started for me in 1991.

I was a very impressionable nine years old, and our hometown St. John's Maple Leafs introduced me not only to live hockey — goals, fights, saves, etc. — but also to Queen, and the sound of chanting and singing in a stadium full of people.

Stomp, stomp, clap. Stomp, stomp, clap. Stomp, stomp, clap.

And rock us they did.

I became a hockey fan that year. It was suddenly more than tradable cards and collectible stickers; now there were real, knowable people involved, and I loved them.

Felix Potvin handed out awards and medals at our Goulds Minor Hockey League year-end banquet. He lived on Durdle Drive in a basement apartment and I still tell the story about how I knocked on his door and asked him to sign a few hockey cards.

He declined our invitation to play street hockey.

Then, eventually, the team left.

I couldn't blame them, really. I'd leave too, for a while.

Failures? Oh, we're used to them

Since then there have been too many embarrassments, too many head-shaking decisions to suffer, yet we Leafs fans persisted. We are nothing if not loyal.

We had Gretzky's high stick, Dave Nonis, Vesa Toskala, Sundin in Vancouver. We had David Clarkson, and Jarred Smithson, and Game 7 in Boston.

We had year after year of failure.

Sure, there were a few seasons of hope. Real, honest hope. Like when the team loaded up with Ron Francis, Brian Leetch and, infamously, Dougie Gilmour (who played two periods before his career ended).

But that hope crashed and burned. Sami Kapanen stuggling to stand and get off the ice as Roenick ended the run personified our fandom.

But now? Now Sami's son Kasperi plays for the Leafs.

Now we have hope again.

Wait a minute, that's a real roster

There's a Shanaplan.

There's the boss. Kyle Dubas.

We lucked into Auston, and Mitch, and Willy, and now?

Now there's John Tavares.

You'll forgive us Leafs fans if you hear us going "Stomp, stomp, clap; stomp, stomp, clap" while we wait for October to roll around.

You'll forgive us for talking about our team all summer.

Or maybe you won't. That's OK. Hatred is the opposite side of the same fandom coin, and we get that. Believe me, Habs-Bruins-Sens fans, we get that.

And we remember.

But be forewarned: if you thought Leafs fans were insufferable before? Whoo boy, just wait until We are the Champions.