There were times when Greg Terrion savoured the fame he’d earned living his boyhood dream.



When his name rose through Maple Leaf Gardens as he frustrated opposing superstars like Gretzky and Lemieux with his relentless speed and checking-line grit. Or when fans lined up at the gas station he owned — Terrion’s #7, painted blue and white — and he’d take time to greet each car and pose for photos.



But near the end, few traces of Terrion’s great times remained.



For the fans who cheered his name through the 1980s, he was a faded memory. To many old friends, he seemed like a ghost. Only his family knew just how close he was to becoming one.



If you followed Terrion through his career, it’s unlikely that you’d recognize him now. The years had changed so much: His shape, his face, his spirit.



When he showed up at the annual gathering of former Toronto Maple Leafs in September 2018, his old teammates...