Leafs Win Back-To-Back Games In OT; The World Is Perfect

Plan the parade. And let the Kids ride the float.

I know I'm getting way ahead of myself. Normally I'm a realist, a reserved and rational person who tries not to get overly excited for fear of soul-shattering disappointment. When I watched the 2010 Olympic men's hockey final, I expected Parise to jam in the puck to tie the game -- it was the appropriate ebb to a near-perfect flow. (When you watch as much hockey as I do, you can forecast ebbs.) And when it comes to Blue and White, I'm as critical as a Senators fan commenting on a Toronto post-game article.

Still, being a Leaf fan can make you the biggest believer in a short time. We are a city of reactionists, a sporting community that feels every moment like it's their skin -- every caress is wonderful, every pinch is excruciatingly painful. My feelings change as quick and often as the American Idol judges. So it's no surprise that after two overtime wins, and points in four of the last five games, Leaf Nation is in a state of bliss. Brian Burke is a genius again, the Frat Pack can and will hold their own in the NHL for years to come, and keeping Kaberle was the best move of the unimpressive 2010 Trade Deadline. (Even more unimpressive was how cynical some Trade Centre hosts were of their own over-hyped show. It's their own fault.)

In a couple days it'll be back to reality. Sooner than later, the Leafs are going to cough up a stinker and look like an AHL team in the big leagues -- boys playing among men. The young Buds won't score as effortlessly down the stretch, and the heroics will probably fade in the last 20 or so games. And they will certainly grant Boston a top-three pick in the entry draft.

But as a true Toronto sports fan, I'll take the good times when they come and milk them for what it's worth. The game was entertaining. The Leafs were flying, and for the first time in a long while, I pumped my fists in the air a la Crosby when he scored The Goal.

"Plan the parade!" is a joke that will always be tattooed to the Leafs organization, at least until they win the Stanley Cup. But heck, after the last two games, I'll happily ride down Yonge Street in the back of a pick-up truck, but I'll keep two hands on the rail so I don't fall off.