WARMINGTON: The book of Eli's next chapter is 50th birthday on same day as first Leafs game

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All Eli Shupak wants for his birthday is for the Maple Leafs to finally win the Stanley Cup.

He, like so many in Leafs Nation who were born after the last time they did in 1967, has never experienced it.

With a new coach and captain and lots of playoff experience both positive and negative to draw on, maybe this is the year.

That dream starts at 7 p.m. Sunday night when the Ottawa Senators roll into town to take on the blue and white at Scotiabank Arena for the first exhibition game of the 2024-25 season.

It’s also Shupak’s 50th birthday — and while he won’t be at the game he will be tuning in after his birthday party with family and friends. 

The best present the Leafs could give him is a trip to the finals next spring.

“That would certainly be nice,” he joked Friday.

It all begins Sunday when the book of Eli began its first chapter.

Actually, this guy is the perfect inspiration for the Maple Leafs. He’s a magnificent example of someone who never quits, no matter what the challenges or the odds.

Eli never complains. He just achieves.

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When he was born, the word was his time on Earth would be short. Born with spinal muscular atrophy, his life expectancy was early 20s.

Oops. They got that wrong.

Eli is still going strong and is a testament to never quitting – a beacon of an example of Leafs head coach Craig Berube and captain Auston Matthews to emulate and aspire too.

His mom Mena said being an “avid sports fan” is part of that defiance. He follows his Leafs and his Blue Jays.

And often attends the games by sitting in his wheelchair in the special needs section.

His mom said he’s also a “dedicated scrabble player, a journalist by training (a Ryerson graduate) and is very attached to his cat Bella.”

Bella was a stray he found about six years ago and has become his best pal.

I’ve known him for 30 years and have often featured Eli in my Scrawler or Joe Fan columns because not only is he loyal but super knowledgeable and constructively critical.

He puts a smile on everyone’s face when he’s in the room. This guy has always defied the normal set of rules on both how to survive and prosper in a life of challenges and roadblocks.

Leafs players don’t have far to look for a role model in how to stare adversity in the face. There’s not a mountain he won’t climb.

But it’s not easy. No great accomplishment ever is. The pandemic was particularly hard on him because he found himself housebound and missing seeing his games and his friends.

“I have put on a lot of weight over the past year,” he said. “I used to be really skinny but the feeding tube has really fattened me up.”

He’s ready for hockey season and for his birthday celebrating 50 years of winning.

Happy birthday Eli. And Go Leafs Go.