A week ago, I wrote a short blog post about somebody in Ontario winning $13.4 million in the 649 lottery. (You can read it here.)
Included in this post was this playful shot at Toronto: “It’s bad enough that the Toronto Maple Leafs are leading their first-round playoff series (although defeating the Boston Bruins always goes down nice), but now two people in Ontario have taken the top lottery prizes. Boo! (Just kidding…sorta.)”
Now, a lot has happened since then. For one thing, the Leafs choked away the series in grisly fashion, laying down while the Bruins rolled over them in Game 7 like they were repaving a street. But hey, at least Toronto’s team made the playoffs while the Canucks stunk up Rogers Arena once again.
What also happened in the past week is that my blog post went crazy on our website, with tens of thousands of people reading it. I watched our analytics map and people were reading the story all across Canada – especially, of course, in Toronto.
Not all of those Torontonians got the joke. I was having fun with the whole Toronto-and-Vancouver-hate-each-other thing that, for me, isn’t true. I don’t hate Toronto. I don’t care if their hockey team is good. I have bigger things to be upset about, like white nationalism rising in our country and the Metro Vancouver housing crisis.
One reader of the blog, in particular, decided to write me a short email telling me just how much he didn’t get the obvious joke.
“Grow up loser,” read the email. “You sound like a whiny little bitch. At least we don’t riot when we lose.”
That last point, in particular, really stings because I have no comeback. During my team’s last appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, our city did riot and it is eternally embarrassing.
Of course, it’s easy for a Leafs fan to say they don’t riot when they lose because they haven’t actually been in a Game 7 of the cup finals since, well, it’s been a long time. Talk to me when you’ve had your heart ripped out in that scenario – hopefully TO wouldn’t riot (not that I’m excusing what happened in Vancouver).
So, let me just apologize to anyone offended in Ontario. I love you all (except that clown Doug Ford) and am glad you are part of Canada.
You can follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
