When you grew up in Ottawa, back in the days before the Sens, you really had just two choices when it came to NHL teams to cheer for: the Habs and the Leafs. Mark Grace Jersey . If I could afford a therapist, I imagine the good doctor would tell be that my affection for the Leafs was part of an ongoing and pathological need to be alone and unhappy. Though, quite simply, its more likely that its because thats what was on local TV in Ottawa. I admit I could be wrong. I dont have a PhD. Thats right. I was a Leafs fan. I had a Leafs sweater that I slept in, that my dad bought me after some endless whining in the aisles of a Canadian Tire. An Allan Bester poster hung above my bed. I wore number 9 in Little League because of Russ Courtnall, and I may have cried when he was traded to the dreaded Habs for John Kordic. My parents werent sports fans, but they let me bring an old black and white TV into my room to watch Hockey Night in Canada, to fall asleep to the third period charms of Bob Cole and Harry Neale. I cant often remember my postal code, or where I lived in 2009, or the name of that girl, but I easily recall the names of Dale Degray, Peter Ing, Brad Smith, Ken Yaremchuk, and Dan Daoust, forgettable Leafs from a forgettable era.The arrival of the Ottawa Senators coincided with the arrival of my first love. Well, the first reciprocated love. Fittingly I used this sea change to shift my affections to the Sens, whose losing was familiar but who provided a new hope, a virginal slate upon which to build a new love. The Sens got better, but love did not. Like it tends to, it left, mostly my doing, as I had found affections for all sorts of other things one does as they enter their 20s.The Sens and I remained true to each other, even though I carried the relationship. I lived in Vancouver for a few years, but never felt any connection to the Canucks, nor for any West coast girl. Well, there was one girl, but she left me for my best friend. In that manner, she was not unlike the Sens. All kinds of promise, ending in sure disappointment; the better looking, more mature Leafs beating the Sens in the playoffs year after year.With both the Sens and the Leafs the pain was the same: expectations were crushed by reality. No matter what I did, season after season they hurt me. They left me alone in June, as other teams and their fans moved on to full playoff beards, Cup parades, and what I can only assume is happiness.Years passed. I moved back to Ottawa. I watched hockey less. I dated seldom. I grew a playoff beard in January. My mother worried. She had nightmares that I was floating through life without RRSPs, without a mortgage, without a wife, and without kids. My dad seemed to understand, even though he wasnt much for hockey. I moved to Costa Rica. My beard got longer. My tan was superb. Televised hockey was difficult to find. Beer was cheap. There was no fear of commitment, because everyone was transient, moving on, moving forward, or at least sideways.But the rains came and I returned to Canada, but this time to Montreal, a city that truly appreciates the loveless. A city where the bars are open late, and life exists only in the present. And I found myself watching hockey again, with people who didnt know about my past, about the Leafs and the Sens, who didnt know of my failings in my mothers eyes. And I found myself cheering for the Montreal Canadiens, the longtime enemy of both the Leafs and the Sens. Outwardly I was a fan, but inside I was in turmoil. I felt like I was cheating on myself, as if I was committing hockey adultery, even though I was single and every team I ever loved sucked.And then came 2010. And a magical run through to the Conference Finals. And Halak signs. And PK Subban. And overtime wins. And there was a girl. A girl I loved. And for a brief moment I thought about breeding, about ceremony, pageantry, making my mum happy, a parade down Ste. Catherine, about my dad in a tuxedo, about rings.But, as hockey and love have taught me, all good things end in horrible, crushing, debilitating disappointment sometime in June. The Habs lost to the Flyers, and someone else won the Cup, and Halak was traded, and the girl left because I was afraid she might not, and summer arrived with condolence beers and late nights on terrasses and waiting for next year. Always next year. My mum didnt say anything, but I could see her deleting imaginary grandchildren in her mind, and transferring familial hope to my sister and her young family.And life went on. Seasons changed, both on the calendar and the NHL schedule. I still rocked a playoff beard, out of both laziness and hope, so Id be prepared in case of victory. The Habs sunk back to middle-of-the-pack mediocrity. The Leafs and the Sens lived in that same ether. My mum would send me promotional materials for post-graduate programs and ask how my married friends were doing. My dads tuxedo remained in the back of his closet, dry-cleaned and at the ready. I still watched Habs games, but my interest has waned, my commitment faltered.Then, two weekends ago, I was having a few adult beverages and watching the Sens and Habs battling each other in an important late-season game. It was like watching the past fight for your affections. With just under four minutes left, it looked like the Sens had the game won. But the Habs scored once, twice, and a third time with only .3 seconds left to tie it, before winning it in overtime.So buoyed by the victory, and spirited by the spirits, I headed out to the local to meet a friend and celebrate the victory. And in the back of the bar, a bar cheered by the win and the hour, was the girl from 2010. And we talked for a bit. And she asked about my folks. And we smiled when youre supposed to smile. And we spoke longingly about spring coming. And after a silence, and a pause, she had to leave, and as she did she looked back and said, "Maybe Ill see you soon." Maybe. And maybe the Habs will make a run, and my mum will stop worrying about matrimony, and my dads tuxedo will be content in its stasis, and maybe I will see her soon. That wouldnt be so bad. Better than being a Leafs fan. Chicago Cubs Jerseys . The Brazilian heads into Saturday afternoons race coming off a close runner-up finish to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Indianapolis 500. Addison Russell Jersey .A. Happ capped a challenging season with one of his best efforts of the year. http://www.cubsteamproshop.com/cubs-fergie-jenkins-jersey/ . Head coach Randy Carlyle confirmed the news after the Leafs morning skate on Monday. Kozun was hurt during Friday nights home game against the Red Wings and did not make the return trip to Detroit for Saturdays game.David Moyes has described Evertons performance in their 4-0 Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool as terrible. Goals from Divock Origi, Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho heaped the pressure on manager Roberto Martinez ahead of Saturdays FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.Ramiro Funes Mori was sent off after 50 minutes and John Stones went off injured shortly after the third goal and Moyes, who managed Everton from 2002-2013 could not defend the display. You cant hide it, Everton were terrible tonight. Really, really poor, he told Sky Sports. Jamie Carragher says Everton fans wont fall for Ramiro Funes Moris badge kiss after he was sent off for a poor challenge on Divock Origi They really missed Seamus Coleman and Phil Jagielka and things didnt go well for them in the game with injuries to the centre-half and the sending off and Gareth Barry coming off at half-time.But that wasnt the reason Everton lost; they lost because Liverpool were better and Everton didnt do well enough in the first half.It was a simple as that, they made the job too difficult. Roberto Martinez told Sky Sports he will not have to motivate his team for Saturdays FA Cup semi-final Martinez described the result as horrible at fulll-time and insisted he was focused on improving the clubs fortunes rather than his own future. Kosuke Fukudome Jersey. And Moyes had some sympathy for his successor.I feel for him because I know what its like, he added.You can lose games and they didnt play well tonight. Its never nice when you get asked questions about your job and he has been put on the spot. Jamie Carragher says talk of the current Everton side being the best since the mid 80s is way off the mark. He has to get his team ready to go again and play against Manchester United. He has got a great chance in a semi-final and there will be a big Everton support there.The job now is to get the team back up. Its very difficult because hes off a real bad result tonight and theyve got a few injuries to key players. Liverpool players celebrate following Divock Origis opening goal Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher watched the match alongside Moyes and was also damning of Everton, suggesting they could easily have lost by more.I said at half-time Everton were embarrassing, and they were, he said.Ive never known a derby game where it was so easy to pass the ball. When you play derby games the pitches seem really tight whether that be at Anfield or Goodison, but it was so easy for Liverpool. Adam Lallana heads at goal as Liverpool run riot It could have been six or seven, no doubt about that. Martinez was forced into playing his full-strength team because it was Liverpool and because of their recent poor form.So to put in a performance like that was as though they had their flip-flops on looking ahead to the real big game at the weekend. Also See: Martinez embarrassed Moyes: Everton were terrible As it happened Origi injured Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys 2018 Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '