The Ultimate Road Trip

The Ultimate Leafs Fan makes it his mission to figure out what makes fans bleed blue

Have you ever watched a Leafs road game and wondered about all those people in blue and white? Sign-waving, fully costumed fanatics filling arenas from Alberta to Anaheim. Who are these people? How did they get there? What motivates them to follow a franchise that hasn't won a Stanley Cup in a half century?

Mike Wilson, the man ESPN called the "Ultimate Leafs Fan," had to find out. He attended every Leaf contest of the 2018-19 NHL season. Through 89 games, from October to April, the retired Bay Street trader explored all 30 rinks to document stories of Leaf love. Mike took every conceivable mode of transport, stayed in team hotels and on friends' couches, then went into the cheap seats, private suites, the streets, sports bars, hotel lobbies, and many other unique locations where Leaf Nation gets together, to gather tales both hilarious and heart-wrenching.

Media personalities, former players, and NHL celebrities gave Wilson their thoughts on what fuels the Leaf passion. With a foreword from club president Brendan Shanahan and colorful souvenir photos of those he met, The Ultimate Leafs Road Trip allows fans to vicariously experience the journey of a lifetime.