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Professional athletes often have very little say as to where they live. Some athletes hop from team to team, doing short stints all over the continent. Then there are the lucky few who spend time in a couple cities before they’re ultimately brought home to play. New Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev is one of those players.
“Growing up here, a lot of friends and family are big fans of the Leafs, so that aspect is really fun. It’s definitely an honour,” Tanev says.
With the joy of playing at home, you might think there’s an added pressure to perform, but Tanev says he doesn’t feel it. “There’s pressure everywhere you play. Teams expect results,” he says. “Obviously, the fan base is a little bit bigger here. Maybe things are more magnified.”
Tanev is from East York and played throughout the city growing up, predominantly for the Toronto Red Wings.
“Having fun, that’s the biggest thing,” Tanev says about the biggest lesson he learned playing in Toronto. “Kids get burned out and stop enjoying the game. Once that happens, it’s tough to perform and succeed.”
Thanks to his teammates, Tanev has spent over a decade in the league and has yet to lose his enthusiasm. “It’s like you get a new family almost every year — obviously you have your family — you start a journey with a bunch of other people and build great bonds, which sometimes last a lifetime.”
FAST FACTS
Name: Chris Tanev
Fave T.O. memory: Getting up at 5 a.m. and going to the hockey rink village
Go-to restaurant: DaiLo
Fave local athletes: Vince Carter and Sebastian Giovinco
The Leafs are one of the few teams in the league where there’s often an abundance of players from the city in which they play, but this hasn’t changed the way Tanev has approached his new team.
“I knew a few guys coming here, but not too many, so I’m still trying to get to know everyone and fit in and find my role within the team.”
Joining the Leafs reunites Tanev with his 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation defence partner Morgan Rielly, with whom he won gold.
“He’s such an incredible player, incredible skater, so it’s definitely a privilege for me to be able to play with him,” Tanev says of Reilly.
Off the ice, Tanev is focused on spending time with family, especially since being back in the city.
“[I’ve been] hanging out with my son, going to the park five times a day and walking the dogs, trying to get as much family time as I can and sort of get away from the game.”
Getting away from the game may prove difficult if you’ve got a brother in the league like Tanev does (Brandon Tanev plays for the Seattle Kraken), but having someone close to you that understands exactly what you’ve been through is unique. “We work out together every day in the summer. We talk quite a bit throughout the year, which is cool. Not everyone gets to experience that.”
Having not lived in the city for nearly 15 years, he’s certainly noticed a difference between the Toronto he grew up in and the one he finds himself in now. A few of his favourite restaurants have closed since the pandemic, but his primary observation? “It’s busy. I feel like, over the last five years, the city’s gotten crazy busy. There’s a lot of traffic, and I’m trying to navigate that. But I’m able to see friends and family a little bit more, which is awesome.”
