SIMMONS SAYS: Keon's No. 14 was special for this Toronto kid

Maple Leafs captain Dave Keon scoring on Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden. (Postmedia Network file photo)On my first day of minor hockey, the coach dumped a box of team jerseys on the floor and told us to pick one.

The number 14 was the jersey that fell right in front of my hockey bag.

And I froze. I couldn’t, wouldn’t grab it. It didn’t seem right.

I knew I wasn’t a 14. Dave Keon was 14. I was just another kid who couldn’t skate.

I searched the pile for another number. I wanted something innocuous like a 2 or a 3. I could have grabbed 7, but that was Tim Horton. My mind raced and I thought that 15 is a good number. In the context of atom house league hockey at North Toronto, I figured I…