Lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan fulfils dream of seeing first game, passes away next day
Mike Davy always dreamed of going to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, and once it finally happened, he passed away the night after.
“It was the best. Christmas just happened, but that was Christmas right there,” said his independent support worker, Craig Meredith.
What a game it was; the tilt against the New York Rangers Wednesday night ended with a highlight reel, diving into a wraparound goal in overtime by Mitch Marner, a favourite player of Davy’s.
“It makes me feel better to know he went out with a smile on his face,” said Phyllis Bryan, a life share provider Davy lived with in Peterborough.
His loss, she says, has left her feeling “empty.”
“He was one of the family, that’s all there was to it,” she said. “Every night at bedtime, he wanted a hug before he went to bed. He always had his hug.”
Davy was receiving support from Community Living Trent Highlands. Coordinator of the Life Share program Trisha Fiegehen says she first met Davy around 18 years ago, and described him as a mischievous—but loveable—troublemaker.
“At the end of the day, you couldn’t stay mad at him for very long,” she said. “I don’t know what it was—[maybe] his smile.”
One such instance of mischief: upset that his beloved OHL team, the Peterborough Petes, had lost, he pulled the fire alarm at the end of the game.
His story, and love for the Buds, are now being shared across Leaf Nation.
“We were honoured to have Mike in the building on Wednesday,” the Toronto Maple Leafs said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family & friends. Leafs Nation is thinking of him.”
Meredith says Davy realizing his dream to attend a game was akin to winning his own Stanley Cup.
"Mike was 65 years old with a lot of health problems, but if you’d seen him jumping out of his wheelchair when Mitch Marner scored that goal—he was 20 years old again.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.