Ottawa's rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs is never far from the surface, and this week it showed up in the Ottawa Citizen's letters to the editor, courtesy of a reader with a very specific origin story about how he ended up cheering for the Senators.
A Leafs Jersey Under the Tree
McRae writes that he became a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in 1960, at age six, after receiving a Leafs jersey for Christmas. His twin brother, who McRae says didn't even like sports, was given a Canadiens jersey the very same Christmas.
It's a detail that sets up the rest of the letter: two brothers, two jerseys, two very different hockey fates, decided for them before either could really choose.
Years of Suffering, Then a Failed Escape Plan
McRae doesn't sugarcoat what came next. He writes that after 1967, he "suffered so many years with the Leafs," and admits he came to wish his parents had handed him the Canadiens jersey instead. At various points he tried to jump ship entirely, attempting to switch his allegiance to the Canadiens, the Vancouver Canucks, or another Canadian team. None of it stuck. As he puts it, his heart simply wouldn't let him commit to any of those other teams.
The Switch to Ottawa
The turning point came in 1992, the year the Ottawa Senators returned to the NHL. That's when McRae made his move, changing his loyalty from what he calls "the lowly Leafs" to the expansion Senators.
McRae says the decision has paid off in a way that goes beyond wins and losses. "Life has been so much better since that day," he writes, before offering some direct advice to Leafs fans still waiting for their team to break through: "For Leafs fans, do what I did, now! Life will be so much happier for you. Go Sens Go!"
Why It Resonates in Ottawa Right Now
The letter lands at a moment when Senators fans have plenty to be optimistic about. As ottown's earlier report notes, Ottawa's young core, players like Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens and Thomas Chabot, has developed into a genuine threat, with the team now looking to turn that promise into results that matter. Ottawa is also hosting the Senators Prospect Challenge this month, a tournament covered in ottown's earlier report on the Leafs' decision involving top prospect Gavin McKenna ahead of the event.
Sources: Ottawa Citizen (via Yahoo News Canada syndication)
