This site has been developed with the “old days” as its primary focus and memories of the Toronto Maple Leafs in particular.

I was born in 1953, so the time period I most want to focus on is from the mid- 1950’s to the early 80’s. Anything later than that is not “vintage”, in my mind.

In the initial stages this will be a site that largely brings together my recollections of being a Maple Leaf fan in the late 50’s and early 1960’s and on into the 1970’s. I will share stories about my own memories – some vivid, others perhaps a bit vague but fairly accurate.

Like many of you, I have many fond sports memories, and will sometimes delve beyond hockey and the Leafs.

I’ve had the opportunity to interact with many figures from the sports world over the years, either as a fan or as a young broadcaster. I started my modest broadcasting career in 1976, and had a tremendous time interviewing quite a number of athletes at length in a format that was engaging and not confrontational. As a result, I developed a positive rapport with many of those individuals –athletes, coaches, managers and scouts.

With that in mind, I’ll share some memories from a few of the interviews I conducted from those years, between 1976 and 1984.

I’m hoping to actually include some of those old interviews on this site, as those following this kind of site may well find those conversations – and the subject matter – quite revealing 30 or so years later, in some instances.

Too, my objective is to include some new interviews, with athletes or individuals from that wonderful era of hockey and other sports, if possible.

Finally, it is my hope that you will want to take part, and share some memories of your own.

Warm regards,

Michael Langlois

Michael was born in 1953 into a family of ardent Montreal Canadiens fans. His father, Clifford, was the family’s sports patriarch.

His two older brothers followed Clifford’s footsteps as fans of the Les Canadiens.

Michael, the youngest in a family of 5 children, went in a different direction, adopting the Leafs as his team at a very early age- likely as a kind of private protest.

Michael was raised in a small community outside of Windsor, Ontario (across from Detroit). He attended Assumption high school, baseball being his game of choice. He played under Fr. Ron Cullen, a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall-of-Fame, and Reno Bertoia, one of the few Canadians to play major league baseball back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Both men were tremendous influences. Michael played for championship teams in the Billy Rogell (what would now be known as a U16 league) league in the Detroit Amateur Baseball federation in 1967 and 1968.

After graduating from Assumption in the spring of 1972, Michael attended St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. Having earned his degree, Michael embarked on a career in private broadcasting. He talked his way into an unpaid position at a small radio station in the summer of 1976. That opportunity led to a number of other jobs in radio, and with that, the opportunity to interview hundreds of professional and amateur athletes over the next 8 years.

Michael then worked for communications firms in Toronto between 1984 and 1989, before establishing his own independent issues management and media consultancy in 1989.

Over the years, he has acted as a personal advisor to corporate CEO’s and leaders in the nonprofit sector, as well as NHL coaches and a wide range of professional and amateur sports organizations.