I could have sworn you were a Middleton fan too
I switched allegiance at around the time Middleton played with the Bruins. I got tired of having my heart broken year after year by the Habs in the quarter or semi finals. That series against the Habs when Don Cherry was coaching & they got that 'too many men' penalty with just a couple of minutes remaining to play in regulation (with the Bruins leading by a goal at the time), only to have the game tied & later won in overtime on an Yvon Lambert goal.....was the final straw for me.
Sure, the Leafs were still competitive at the time (with Roger Neilson as coach) and very exciting to watch....only to become the league's joke once Neilson was fired & Punch Imlach was brought back. However, even the Leafs had become a Mickey Mouse outfit under the ownership of Harold H. Ballard, their bad play & lack of success was expected. When they won a game, it was a bonus! However, it didn't hurt as much as the Bruins constantly losing against the Habs year after year.
For the record, i started to become a Maple Leafs fan the night Lanny McDonald's overtime goal eliminated the Cup-favored N.Y. Islanders. They wound up losing against Montreal, but what a great playoff run it was! At the time, the Leafs were contenders & possibly only a couple of key players away from challenging for the Cup. Great young coach, young goalie (Mike Palmateer), HOF defenceman (Borje Salming), HOF forwards (Sittler & McDonald), grinder/heart-and-soul type (Dave "Tiger" Williams), etc. It was hard not to root for them at the time, especially when they played the hated Philadelphia Flyers (Broad Street Bullies) in the playoffs.