Divided Loyalties

It was a night of divided loyalties.

My local team, the subject of much passion and adoration, was playing the team that I grew up with; loving and supporting for over a decade.

The San Jose Sharks, versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There was a lot of royal blue and white in the crowd. Many Canadian ex-patriots call Silicon Valley home now. And a good portion of them never relinquished their love of their former hometown team.

Secretly, I never did either.

I still have my Leafs jersey in the back of my closet. My Sharks jersey is much more in the forefront, but the Leafs one is still there, reminding me of my roots.

I wore the black and teal for this game, and cheered and celebrated with Danny and my friends as our local team skated to a 3-2 victory.

But in the back of my mind, I was cheering as well, when the Leafs scored their goals, and the royal blue and white in the crowd celebrated the event.

I will always have a soft spot for my childhood team.

But now, my passion and support are for my current team.

Here, in Silicon Valley, the place I call home.