Auston Matthews called it a gong show. Sheldon Keefe couldn't believe some of the calls. All in all, it wasn't a fun night to be a Toronto Maple Leaf as a rough back-to-back concluded with a loss to the Winnipeg Jets
On Saturday nights, as 7 p.m. nears, I pour popcorn into a bowl and a cold beverage into a glass, and I seat myself in my preferred spot on the couch, closest to the television. I change the channel to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play hockey. Streak or slump, I tune in as I’ve done since I was a child growing up on the reserve. This expression of fandom is more than just a ritual and more complex than just supporting a professional hockey team that is both beloved and reviled. Like those of so many other sports fans, the roots of my devotion are intergenerational.