So long, and thanks for all the goals

I knew it had to happen one day, I just hoped that day would be after he retired in a Leafs jersey. My beloved Alexander Mogilny(okay so he's not really "my" beloved, more like Natalia's - , then Sherri's, then mine, then Shalini's)has signed a two year deal to play hockey for the New Jersey Devils.

Mogilny in a Devils uniform is scary, mainly because I saw him almost single handedly defeat the Leafs in a playoff game a few years ago. I've suffered through many brutal Leafs teams(those who watched in the 80s understand!), along with some grand ones in the 70s and recent years. I make no pretense about being the ultimate fountain of hockey talent assessment, but I've watched enough games, seen thousands of players come and go, and in my living memory not a single player the Leafs have employed comes close to Mogilny's combination of pure, God given hockey talent, courage, skill, and class. I have unashamedly admitted that I bought a ticket to the Leafs/Devils playoff game just as much to watch Mogilny as to cheer my Leafs; I was not disappointed; Mogilny was brilliant and the Leafs still won!

I will dearly miss watching AlMo's breakaways, the 2 on 1s with Sundin, the intensity in his eyes and quiet composition of his face as he watches the game unfold while he sits on the bench. I will miss how that oft stern looking face breaks into a smile of unrestrained joy when he knows he scored a beauty, or more often than not, when the guy he passed the puck to scored. I will even miss the rare temper tantrums he took; seeing the normally composed Alexander Mogilny repeat those curse words during that playoff game in Philly was priceless; guess he hadn't had any in a while LOL!

I'm killing myself now thinking "The Leafs practice 7 minutes away from me and I never went to get his autograph?" Then again, if I had it, I'd probably sell it off on ebay during a midlife crisis to help pay for liposuction or something stupid. I have something better; the knowledge that I never hounded him for autographs, that I never spent hours waiting at the rink for a glimpse of him. Instead I watched him play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, for my team, for 3 magnificent seasons, score his 1000th NHL point in a Leafs jersey - in Buffalo to tie a crucial game, score goals that sent the Senators flat on their butts out of the playoffs. I've been following his career since 1987, and to have someone I admire so much as a person bring such heart and skill to the Leafs has been a treat.

So why do I adore this player so much? Aside from his on ice wizardry(he's called "The Magician")he seems to be, how to put this politely, far brighter and more coherent than most athletes, heck than most people. He literally risked his life to play hockey in the NHL and to live in freedom. Idiots don't defect from the Red Army and live to tell the tale. My parents lives were made hell when they defected, and they were not high profile like Mogilny. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Mogilny the man, not just the player because of that.

Just about the only thing that kept me interested in hockey in the early 90s was being able to see and hear Sabres games; Lord knows the Leafs weren't worth watching! For my 22nd birthday all I wanted was for my boyfriend to spend a weekend in Buffalo with me to watch Mogilny play - I even offered to foot the entire bill! Boyfriend didn't do it, but a month later went with a buddy. Needless to say that relationship ended!I dumped a man for Alex!

In the crazy, off chance that one of the Mogilnys or close friend/relative stumbles across this, please pass it on:

Thank you for years of entertainment, for memorable quotes, for helping me stay in love with hockey when my team was terrible. Thank you for inspiring me to get my fat ass off the couch and go skating again. I still suck at that but you got me on the ice again - thank you. My son wanted to take skating lessons because he wanted to skate "all smooth like Alex." - again, thank you.

I honestly wish you the best season of your career and hope that your time off made you love playing the game even more than before. And if the Leafs have to endure yet another season without sipping from The Stanley Cup, I want you to have that honour once again. Just as seeing Andreychuk eased the sting of Calgary's loss, seeing Alexander Mogilny raise The Cup again would make me smile.

Hopefully, someday you'll write and publish that biography, and when you do, afternoon tea at the King Eddy is on me.

Love, Monika P.S. - If you need a ghost write/researcher email me!