As a teen Kirk Muller was my neighbour and one time me and my dad were outside with him and Matt Sundin shows up in his car. My dad goes “Hey Matt, your love on tsn right now.” He goes “Thanks” and turns on his radio to listen. Great guys.
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Maple Leafs fans reveal their best lore, wildest connections to team
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2025, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 7, 2025, 10:52 EDT
NHL fans will naturally develop a lore surrounding their favourite team as time goes on, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are no different.
Whether that be how they became a fan in the first place, an interaction with a player on the team, or a connection to someone in the organization, there is always an interesting piece of lore if you know where to look. And it’s why the trend of sharing a piece of lore concerning a topic of interest has gone viral on social media in recent weeks.
The Leafs posted a prompt on their X page on Tuesday asking fans to share their piece of lore, and here are some of the highlights.
It’s one thing to be neighbours with one of the players on the Leafs (Kirk Muller in this case), but to also have Mats Sundin stop by your house and have an interaction is something else. Now the only question remains: what type of car was he driving?
Met a bunch of the guys last year (Knies, Robertson, Pacioretty, McCabe, McMann). All super nice. When the Swedes came out (Holmberg, OEL, Willy), they took so much time. Holmberg was shocked people wanted photos with him (like Robbie). Nicest guy on the team was 100% Willy.
Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself
For the most part, the majority of Leafs players past and present are deemed to be great individuals and are willing to take the time to interact with as many fans as they can. William Nylander being considered the nicest of the lot is not surprising, given how much he has integrated himself to the city and the fact that he enjoys engaging with fans when he is able to.
I was the 1st intermission entertainment at the very last game at Maple Leafs Gardens. I did the hardest shot competition, Shot a 36km muffin and got booed off the ice.
Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself
Don’t beat yourself too hard Stewy, you ended up making the show and were able to transition into a successful media career afterwards! For real though, playing even a small part in the final game of the historic Maple Leaf Gardens is quite an awesome story to tell.
Back in 2006 the Leafs website used to have a fan mail portal where you could send questions to any of the players. I asked each player what their favourite drink was. Only one to respond was Wade Belak, who said Corona. Miss you Wade. You were the man.
Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself
Wade Belak is a former player whom Leafs fans point to as one of the nicest people they have interacted with, which includes plenty of stories of instances where he graciously took time to mingle with people over the years. It goes to show what kind of man he was that he took the initiative to respond to our guy, Alex Hobson’s, message despite no other player responding.
What an awesome story! And the fact that the players involved still marvel at what happened to this day shows that the Leafs will go above and beyond to make people’s experience at a game memorable, win or lose.
I created the meme that Brendan Shanahan posted after Martin Marincin won bronze with Slovakia at the 2022 Olympics
Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself
Even I have a bit of lore in relation to the Leafs. The meme in question emerged around 2021 as a fun post that I would post in the replies to some of their tweets every now and then which became a niche trend for a time. Then-president Brendan Shanahan must have caught wind of it because he felt compelled to use it after Martin Marincin won bronze for Slovakia in 2022, which was a shock to see the day it happened.
the only reason why i became a leafs fan was because i was upset at my dad. it was my 5th bday & a hawks game was on the tv & i remembered that my dad was a fan, so to be petty, i cheered for the other team (the leafs) to upset him. i haven’t missed a game since
Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself
The pettiness that unites us all.
I met a bunch of Leafs at a night club a few summers ago. I told Auston Matthews if he kept his moustache he might hit 50 goals. His response was “how about I score 60?” and the following season he scored 60 goals.
Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself
This last one was too good not to include. Auston Matthews calling his shot and then backing it up has to be one of the coolest things for a fan to witness.
We want to hear from you: Share a piece of Leafs lore about yourself!
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