Maple Leafs mega-fan welcomes 'curse-breaking' baby boy as team makes history

A Toronto Maple Leafs mega-fan welcomed his newborn son on the same night the team broke a long-standing curse, progressing to the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time in 19 years.

Alec Brownscombe, a long-time fan of the Leafs and digital hockey analyst, welcomed baby Malakai John into the world alongside his wife on Saturday night, just as the Leafs secured their history-making win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“The game was on…at the hospital, and we checked in a few times on the scenes [in] downtown Toronto after the win,” he told CP24. “It provided some smiles during a stressful time, as you can imagine.”

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Brownscombe and his wife had their baby’s name picked out for months before his arrival on Saturday. “But in the chaos I do remember briefly hoping [John] Tavares would score the [winning goal] given the name connection…lo and behold!,” said Brownscombe over email.

Malakai, Brownscombe’s firstborn child, joins a family with a rich hockey history. The infant’s great-great-great-grandfather and great-great-uncle were Dick and Frank Carroll, the first-ever coaches of the Leafs (then called the Arenas). The Carrolls coached the team to the 1917-1918 Stanley Cup, during the first year the Toronto team was included in the newly formed NHL.

Brownscombe says Malakai will “definitely” be enrolled in hockey when he’s older, “so long as he has the passion.” He added that their family is “big into” golf and soccer, but it’s hockey which reigns supreme.

“I love you, my curse-breaking baby boy!,” he wrote on Twitter.