The Legend of the Cujo Shirt

The Shirt, The Myth, The Legend.

I'm going to be running a feature soon about choosing a secondary team. Well I figured before I did that I would tell you the story about how I chose mine. It's a story I like to call "The Legend of the Cujo Shirt". Enjoy!


I remember going to my first Kings game, I didn't wanna go, I was going through that phase where I hated everything my parents liked. I don't remember the game itself, but I remember the ride home after, and all I could think or talk about after that was hockey. I was hooked. I watched every game I could, I asked my parents for tickets for my birthday, I even wore Kings stuff to school every day. I surrounded myself with everything I could related to hockey, and along the way I obtained a Curtis Joseph Maple Leafs shirt. I have no idea where the shirt came from, I don't know if the shirt came before I established the Maple Leafs as my secondary team or after. I like to think that the shirt appeared one day and that sparked my fandom. All I know is that this shirt has become my lucky charm. I wore it all the time as a kid, as much as I could. The shirt was quite big for me when I was younger, but that didn't stop me. I've moved quite a few time since I was a kid, and I've gotten rid of a lot of my possesions, but one thing I've always kept is this shirt. I wear this shirt all the time still. I bring it with me when I travel, I wear it when I play hockey, I keep it near me whenever I need a little luck.

The other thing that this shirt has brought me is my love for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I loved watching the Leafs as a kid. They had that aura, the legendary franchise that my Kings could never be. They're an original 6 team, they're fans reach around the globe, and every game I watched on TV seemed so epic. Hockey Mecca is what the Leafs meant to me. Cujo was easily my favorite non-Kings player, what a goalie he was. Mats Sundin was such a class act, how could you not love him. Ever since that shirt magically appeared the Leafs have had a special place in my heart. I still love the Leafs today, through thick and thin I've been there. From Cujo to Kessel and beyond.

Got any great stories about why you chose the teams you root for? Share them in the comments or via e-mail.