Meeting Your Heroes

Some of the best moments growing up were meeting some of the folks who played for my team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. There was a strange feeling seeing them in person because it felt like seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time. I’d like to tell the tale of a few times I met a player.

During the late 80s and early 90s hockey cards were at an all-time high. Trading card collectors began to come out of the woodwork and the manufacturers capitalized on the growing market. It seemed that every weekend there was at least one or two card conventions and signings within a twenty-minute drive from where I grew up. My Dad was the one that made those drives every weekend, transporting my friend and I. At first it was just giving a couple of kids a ride until he saw the appeal of collecting cards and then it became an adventure for him as well. Which was good because I don’t think he was so impressed to meet any of the players. He’s a diehard fan but meeting players his age or slightly younger probably didn’t have the same appeal as it did for me. As it turned out, having him there made the events that much more interesting by adding humour.

Gary Leeman

During the 1989-90 NHL season Gary Leeman became the second player in Maple Leaf history to score 50 goals in a season. It was a funny anomaly because Gary played for 15 seasons but only between 1986 to 1990 was there any reason to make a fuss about him. The 50 goal season was exciting though, almost as exciting as watching Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour on any given night. During the season I had picked up a jersey with his name and number, so when he came to the Jubilee Pavilion with Vincent Damphousse, I was certainly going down to get my jersey signed.

When my Dad and I stepped into line it extended outside of the room Gary and Vincent were signing in by approximately 15 people. I don’t remember it taking too long to reach the entry into the room they sat in, but when we did you could see them both seated at the table. We had only stood inside the doorway less than a minute before I heard my Dad. I don’t remember if it was a laugh, a grunt or some kind of quick breath. I just knew something caught his attention. I asked him what was up.

"Look at Leeman’s feet,” he says.

When I looked, I didn’t see anything I thought was unusual, so again I asked him what had made him irritated.

“He’s not wearing socks. How do you come to sign autographs and not put socks on?”

Sure enough when I looked again Gary Leeman was wearing dock shoes but no socks. I laughed because I wasn’t sure what sort of slight my Dad felt Gary was showing the fans by not putting on socks before meeting them. Eventually, we made it up to the table, I congratulated Gary on his 50-goal season and got my jersey signed. It continued to be funny afterwards because my Dad just couldn’t let it go. It irked him every time we told someone the story.

*Extra Trivia: I wore the jersey to school and my good friend, who has never had a filter since the day I met him until present, asked me who Gay Lemon was. I think because it was fabric, a couple of letters in Gary’s autograph weren’t pronounced enough and gave the perfect opportunity to Cole.

Wendel Clark

This is the player growing up I wanted to meet more than any other and I was lucky enough to do it more than once. I feel like it was three times I met him, but I can only remember two meetings. I don’t recall the location of the first time, but I do remember there were more players than just Wendel. Rob Pearson, who played for the Oshawa Generals with Eric Lindros, (he was the more friendly of that pair), was there. Grant Fuhr was there signing autographs that day, and Rocket Ismail from the Toronto Argos was also there. Well, Rocket had been there for about twenty minutes, which is what we were told and then he left. Now maybe there was a family emergency or something of that kind, but the feeling I got that day is that he just couldn’t be bothered to stay.

The important part of that day was meeting Wendel, but it didn’t go as I planned. The overall cause is one simple fact. I wasn’t equipped to meet my hockey idol. I hadn’t been able to find anything related to Wendel in my collection for him to sign, so I brought a wooden novelty Leafs goalie stick. Once I stepped up to his table, I placed the stick in front of him. He looked up at me, smiled, and then shook his head as he signed the stick. I went away disappointed, wishing I had found a piece of Wendel memorabilia for him to sign. It wasn’t until somebody commented I was at the wrong signing if I was a Bruins fan that I understood what Wendel had been shaking his head about. I was wearing a Boston Bruins cap.

Now, in my defense, Leafs gear was uninspired and not my colour scheme for clothing. Back then I did have a respect for the Bruins because they had some amazing players. Ray Bourque, Craig Janney, Andy Moog and Cam Neely, (whom I’ve named in an earlier article as one of the best hockey players to have played the game). A fashion choice had ruined my first encounter with Wendel, but luckily for me there would be another day.

The second time I met Wendel I was better prepared. No Bruins clothing and I had a Wendel Clark poster for him to sign. The actual meeting and signing were not really what stood out that day though. What I remember most about that day was another instance of my Dad taking a stance that I found amusing. Wendel was appearing by himself this time and the signing was happening at a public school gym in Whitby, Ontario. We pull up to the event and see a sign detailing Wendel’s appearance. It said there was a $2 entry fee, which I imagine was for a school fundraiser.

“Ok, I’ll be right here when you're finished,” my Dad said.

“You’re not coming in?” I asked.

“No, I’m not paying $2 just to see Wendel Clark.”

” It’s only $2,” I laughed.

“I can see him on TV for free.”

“I will pay for you.”

“No, it’s the principal of it. You go, I’ll be here when you come back.”

I realize that I have a bias, Wendel being my favorite player, but I just could not believe that $2 was standing in the way of my Dad not having to sit in the car waiting for my friend and I.

*Extra Trivia: A couple of years after this signing I won an authentic Leafs jersey in a McDonalds Monopoly contest and had Wendel’s name and number put on it. I never had the opportunity to get it signed though.

Toronto Blue Jays

In 1992 the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series and while I liked watching baseball, I can’t say I was a rabid fan. Still, a championship coming to Toronto was a celebration I was definitely up to be part of. I spent a lot of my teen years and 20’s in Toronto, but on October 24th, 1992 it was more than a casual trip. My plan that day was to go to the Skydome and see what the admission price was like to watch the celebration from inside. If it was more than what I wanted to pay, then I would just find a place along the parade route to watch the players come in. When I arrived at the Skydome, I was shocked to find out there was no cost to getting in, and it wasn’t long before they began letting people enter. I sat three rows up in the stands about midway along the first base line.

We were inside before 10 a.m. and the parade wasn’t set to begin until the afternoon, so the Jumbotron replayed the championship game. When the parade started it was broadcast on the big screen, so not only would I have a front row seat to the actual festivities, I could still watch the parade. I didn’t actually get to meet any of the athletes that day but celebrating with 52,000 other fans was an experience I hope I never forget