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16 The IFP · Halton Hills, Thursday, March 8, 2012 Devoted Leaf fan Magwood chronicles team's season By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Just when that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel appeared to be getting brighter for loyal Toronto Maple Leaf fans, hopes of the NHL team's first playoff appearance in seven years were surely snuffed out by a recent slump of 10 losses in 11 games. Still, another season of frustration for the blue and white won't drive local resident Doug Magwood away from his TV remote or from making daily journal observations on the current state of the club on his home computer. The 72-year-old retired educator has for the last several years recorded his comments, criticisms and optimistic outlook on the Maple Leafs' fortunes and last year it was published as a hard copy called Heart & Spirit Reborn: A Fan's Journal of the 201011 Toronto Maple Leafs, which came out in bookstores and on e-book in the fall. "Basically I write as a hobby and I do one book every year," said Magwood, called one of the most loyal Leaf fans in Ontario by Georgetown's Bryan Lewis in the book's foreword. "We've only published two of them and the first was put out in 2002. It's SPORTS & LEISURE just something that keeps my mind active and the Leafs are something I've been interested in for 60 years-- a diehard fan for sure. I start from training camp and write until the bitter end and I think the bitter end is about to come again soon." Magwood, a Fergus native who grew up watching future NHL stars play in Guelph and Kitchener, along with the odd trip to Maple Leaf Gardens to see the junior-A Marlies, felt that last season's edition of the Buds were about to turn the corner into finally becoming a Stanley Cup contender again. So he decided to collaborate with Bloomington, Indiana-based Trafford Publishing to produce a175-page book on the 2010-11 campaign that finished with the Leafs having one of the best records in the league from the all-star break on, although falling short of a post-season berth once more. There is also a line from the author written in February of 2011 about how it was time for now former head coach Ron Wilson "to move on" and that he should have been fired at that point instead of last week. Because Magwood donates all proceeds to the Credit Valley Hospital's Renal Department, where he's received dialysis treatments for his kidney for the past 11 years, he can't afford the cost of publishing hard copies and won't do so again until the Leafs make the playoffs. "It's discouraging to come this far and to have a team that looked so hopeful and then the bottom falls out," said Magwood, whose daughter Colleen, an elementary school teacher in Oakville, designed the book's cover and produced sketch drawings on the inside pages of current Leafs. "I don't know whether they'll make it or not, but I'll never quit. I keep writing a page every day on most days. I've got about 50,000 words done so far on this year's team, but it doesn't look like I'll get a hard copy out of this group." The book is dedicated to late local resident and longtime school board trustee Irene McCauley, who carpooled with Magwood for seven years to Mississauga for dialysis treatments at CVH. He served as principal at various Halton public elementary schools in the 18 years leading up to his retirement and also co-wrote the book A New Preaching Place in Georgetown in 1998 with Jack Reed about the history of St. Andrew's United Church. Gymfest gyrations Coach Florin Chivu keeps a watchful eye on seven-year-old Ellie Partridge from the Halton Hills Gymnastics Centre as she is assessed for strength in the Ontario Development Program portion of the Gymfest Meet held last weekend in Georgetown. ODP is an entry-level competition designed to provide the 56 young gymnasts between ages 5-9 with a positive introductory meet experience. As well, about 200 athletes from 14 clubs across southern Ontario participated in the Ontario Competitive Program at the meet in which they were judged on their performances on vault, beam, bars and floor exercises. Photo by Jon Borgstrom Amputee hockey team to face police Members of Canada's men's amputee hockey team will be in Georgetown at the end of the month for a training camp that will determine the roster for next month's world championships in Finland. As part of the team's three-day stay here, they'll play a fundraising contest against a squad consisting of Halton Regional Police Service staffers at Alcott Arena on Saturday, March 31 at 4 p.m. The roster for the Canadian amputee team that is vying for its sixthconsecutive world championship held next month in Helsinki will be announced that weekend. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the HRPS #1 District station at 217 Guelph St. in Georgetown. For more info, call 905-878-5511 (ext. 2019). Doug Magwood of Georgetown keeps a daily journal of how his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs and twice he has published books recapping a full season, including that of last year's team. Photo by Eamonn Maher For a summary of Wednesday night's Georgetown Jr. A Raiders playoff game visit www.ifp.ca