Start Beleafing

·53 min·5 clips

Nolan and Jack launch their podcast by confessing their love and pain for the Toronto Maple Leafs, calling it a sickness.

This inaugural episode of Don't Stop Beleafing! is hosted by lifelong friends and Toronto Maple Leafs fans Nolan Drinkwalter and Jack Prins. They frame their fandom as a shared experience of "love and pain," describing it as a type of sickness or disease. The hosts plan to discuss the team's journey with as many fellow fans as possible. The primary focus is the intense preseason rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens, sparked by a notable hit from a player named Pere on someone referred to as Line A. Nolan states he "friggin' loved" the bad blood and anticipates fights in the upcoming first regular-season game against Montreal. They express excitement that the preseason felt like "playoff hockey," noting an unusually high number of injuries across the league. Jack observes he has never seen a preseason with so many injuries, leading to league-wide discussions about reducing the number of preseason games. The hosts speculate that the injury spike might stem from a mix of veteran professionals taking it easy and AHL players competing intensely for roster spots. A surprising claim is that star players and valuable "assets" are getting injured at a concerning rate during this unique preseason. The memorable moment is their shared, almost masochistic enthusiasm for the heated rivalry, viewing it as a positive development. Their perspective treats the emotional rollercoaster of fandom as a communal burden, with "strength in numbers." The tone is highly conversational, casual, and brimming with excited, unfiltered fan energy. The style is informal, featuring inside jokes and camaraderie between the two hosts. Diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fans, especially those who revel in the team's rivalries and emotional highs and lows, would love this episode. Listeners seeking deep analytical breakdowns, interviews, or discussions beyond the hosts' personal preseason reactions might want to skip it.

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