Introduction

 

                                                                          

 

Hello, my name is Joe Boyer and I, like most people living in the province of Ontario during a pandemic, have spent a lot of time trying to find things to do while staying at home. So after some discussions with friends and family, I thought I'd start a hockey blog. I have been involved in the game of hockey for many years and have many great experiences in the game.

 

Before I go into what type of content readers will see on this blog, allow me to tell the readers a little about myself. I was born and raised north of Toronto in October of 1986, but when I was 1 year old, I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and have never had the ability to walk without assistance. Growing up as a kid with Cerebral Palsy, I thought using a wheelchair or a walker was normal because my parents and the friends I met going through school never treated me differently than anyone else. Growing up did I need help with things? Yes. do I still need help with things now, living in my 30's? Yes. But my parents and friends have always treated me as an equal from day one.

 

Where does my love for the sport of hockey come from? Well it's easy really. When I was a kid my dad played beer league ball and ice hockey, and I thought it was cool that my dad played hockey, just like the people on TV. My parents grew up fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and my family is loosely connected to the Leafs organization because my Grandpa, on my moms side, actually worked at Maple Leaf Gardens flooding the ice in the mid to late 50s- an era when there Leafs and Stanley Cup could be said in the same sentence without people laughing. As I said, as a kid, being a Leafs fan was obvious because anytime they played we watched it on TV, and let's be honest, as a kid, watching hockey was a way to stay up late on a school night. To be honest, I think my love for hockey was bound to happen. My mom always tells the story of me coming home from my first day of Kindergarten, where I was all excited because they played the hockey song at school....I thought our National Anthem was the hockey song.

 

Even though I never got to play the game, I found I could still be involved by coaching or mentoring players, so in 2006 I actually started shadowing the coaching staff for Newmarket, where I would just be a sponge and try to learn anything and everything that came with coaching. As time went on, I gained confidence and was given opportunities to sit with players and help them with correcting things on the ice, or just helping with a players confidence if they were struggling.

 

As far as coaching or mentoring, I went from 2006 to 2015 with the Newmarket Hurricanes, winning the league championship in 09-10. Then in the 16-17 season, I moved to another Jr A franchise, the Aurora Tigers, and lastly, I spent two years with the York Simcoe Express Minor Bantam where the players won their first ever OMHA Championship.

 

After all that, here I am with this blog.  Shockingly, the blog will be Leafs focused. I will report on and share my opinions and analysis of current games, win or lose. I'll discuss their trades, free agent signings, draft choices, etc. However, I'd also like to give my thoughts on teams around the NHL, not just the Leafs. Ideally, I also hope to reach out to people involved in the game and interview them.  

This blog will be a work in progress, but I am excited to see where it takes me, and most importantly, I hope to provide some entertaining content for you, the readers.