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
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.