Which brings me to tonite. Can you remember the days when hating the Leafs was a unifier?

“No exceptions this time. No going out with friends. No tv.”

“Mom…Wings and Leafs tonite.”

“I meant no tv after the game.”

It was expected. It was healthy. Hate Domi. Hate Clark. Kick their asses Probie.

But Little Gary doesn’t want us to hate the Leafs. He wants us to enjoy an atmosphere of mutual respect for a team from Tennessee…8 times a year. He wants us to revel in the natural rivalry he’s presented us by placing a team in hockey hotbed Columbus…8 times a year.

And we get Toronto once every three years. Forget the shootout for a moment. Forget the rule changes and the CBA. Forget the Cap. Forget parity. Toronto once every three years, maybe every two. That is pathetic. Perhaps one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport, relegated to one game every 36 months.

Well, at least it’s on ESPN.

Woops.