Northern Ont. author has released another anthology of hockey history
Greater Sudbury author Mike Commito has described his third book of Toronto Maple Leafs folklore as a journey through the team’s history or “a trip down memory lane.”
Being a Toronto Maple Leaf fan is not exactly easy – the NHL team is a sort of contradiction having won more Stanley Cups than all but the Montreal Canadiens but not winning one since 1967.
Greater Sudbury author Mike Commito has described his third book of Toronto Maple Leafs folklore as a journey through the team’s history or “a trip down memory lane.” (Supplied)Commito said his latest offering, Leafs 365, makes a great gift for any Leafs fan.
“(The response) has honestly been incredible,” he said.
“Anytime you put out a book as an author the whole goal is to get people to pick it up and hopefully share it with family or friends or even with themselves. I think so far – especially during the holiday season – when you see people looking to cross Leafs fans off their holiday shopping list they are immediately gravitating to this book.”
Commito said the book has a “beautiful cover.”
The premise of the book is quite simple – inside there are 365 short stories about the Maple Leafs both on and off the ice, one for every day of the year.
With Toronto hockey fans being known for their passion for the blue and white there was certainly a variety of stories to choose from the author confirmed.
Mike Commito is a Sudbury-area author and hockey historian. (Photo from video/CTV News Northern Ontario)Commito said many die-hard fans of the franchises may know a lot of the stories but his book has many niche stories that may have been forgotten by even the most devoted fans.
“I think it all depends on what vintage of fan you are,” he said.
“What I have tried to do with this book is I have stories from the team’s beginnings in NHL in 1917 up to the most recent playoff run so depending on how old you are – if you are old enough – to remember the hay days when they were winning cups before the advent of colour TV or if you were watching them in the 70s you saw a lot of great players like Daryl Sittler, Dave Keon… to the most recent run of players now.”
Commito said he hopes the book can bring together fans from across generations so they learn about the great players that have come before and understand the history behind the club.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
The Sudbury author’s latest installment is the first of his books to be available in hardcover and was released by Dundurn Press on Oct. 17.
To order a copy of Leafs 365, visit the Dundurn Press website or visit your local literary retailer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'She was waiting for you': The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother in England
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Macklem tries to stay out of the fray as MPs do their best to use him to score points
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem navigates a political minefield every time he testifies before the House of Commons finance committee.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.