‘Nice change of scenery’: Maple Leafs suit up for fan-filled outdoor practice

The Toronto Maple Leafs got dressed like they usually do at Scotiabank Arena, minus the skates. Then they walked to Union Station and rode the TTC two stops north, to Queen, so they could head to nearby Nathan Phillips Square for their yearly outdoor practice in the heart of the city they call home, just outside City Hall.  

Captain John Tavares called the TTC journey “great,” and veteran defender Morgan Reilly smiled and said it was “smooth sailing.” 

But it was forward Ryan Reaves who delivered the straight goods on the TTC experience that brought the Maple Leafs to Nathan Philips Square. 

“It was like a petting zoo, to be honest with you,” Reaves said with a laugh. He had taken public transit to a practice before, when he played in New York. “But yeah, that was the first time with that many fans, for sure,” he said. 

There were hundreds more fans turned up at the skate itself, more than a few kids skipping out on school on this Thursday afternoon, all clamouring around the fence surrounding the rink to see the Leafs play a fun three-on-three tournament.

Fans yelled “Auston Matthews!” and “Mitchy!” and “Willy!” and even “Sheldon!” in hopes that the Leafs would stop and sign autographs and pose for pictures. Mitchy et. al obliged, and Marner did so while sporting the type of cool sunglasses you often see on Blue Jays star Bo Bichette. 

Mayor Olivia Chow even turned up at the practice, just steps from her office. The Mayor said one of the first things she learned to do when she moved from Hong Kong to Toronto at the age of 13 was to skate. The words “bring the Stanley Cup home” even came out of Mayor Chow’s mouth, to the delight of fans there who sure want the same for their Maple Leafs. But that’s not what Thursday was about. It was about fun. 

The three-on-three tournament featured Team Ontario, Team North America and Team Europe in what had to be the first of-its-kind format when it came to geography-determining teams. When Nylander potted one for Team Europe, his “Woo!” was audible even over the fan reaction. 

Of course the NHL’s leading goal scorer Auston Matthews scored the first and final goals of the tournament, leading Team Europe to a win. No need to double-check his passport: Matthews is from Arizona, but was on Team Europe since he played in Switzerland for a season. Fellow Arizonan Matthew Knies, whose parents are from Slovakia, also played on Team Europe.

There were plenty of smiles out on the ice Thursday, in part because it was a blast to skate outdoors in front of all those fans, but also since the Leafs are coming off a 5-4 win on Wednesday over the Dallas Stars, one of the best teams in the league. 

When the 3-on-3 tournament was over, Nylander, who nearly had a hat-trick a night ago but settled for two, played out on the ice with his fluffy dogs, Banksy and Pablo. Reaves was out there playing with his daughter Kamilla and his son Kanen. Tavares’ kids were skating around too, one wearing a black Leafs jersey with the ‘C’ stitched on the front, and his No. 91 on the back, and “Daddy” written on the nameplate. Coach Keefe was skating around with his two sons, too. 

It was a special family kind of day for the Maple Leafs. 

“My boy just started getting big into hockey,” Reaves said. “He scored five goals the other day and he rubs it in my face every day.” (Fair enough, Kanen: Dad has two goals in 24 games this season.) 

Keefe says he doesn’t get out to skate much with his sons, Landon and Wyatt, during the season. “You try to cherish moments like this when you can,” the coach said. “My kids are getting older here and we try to cherish and maximize every chance you got to do something like this. I miss a lot, you know, I miss being their dad a lot, so to have the privilege to get out here and take part in the event, you want to make sure they’re out there too.” 

Next up for the Leafs is Ottawa on Saturday night in the capital, against the Eastern Conference’s worst team. 

Tavares heads into that game riding a three-game goal streak. “I’ve been really happy with my game all season long,” he said. “It’s good to see things going in and get rewarded, so I’ll just keep playing well and I’ll want to keep that consistency.” 

News emerged yesterday that the captain is in an $8 million tax dispute with the CRA, but the 33-year-old Torontonian noted “it’s in the court process now,” and added Thursday’s fun practice wasn’t the time to address it, and that it wasn’t “weighing” on him. 

“I think everyone’s probably feeling refreshed,” added Tavares, thanks to the recent all-star break. “You get a little break and recharge.” 

“It’s just enjoyable, it’s a nice change of scenery,” Reilly said, of the chance to play outside. “It’s a long season, so to come out and play outdoors and be right in downtown Toronto, it is a lot of fun.” 

There wasn’t anything on the line Thursday aside from bragging rights, but some players were hoping their play drew notice. 

“I hope coach was watching, because I had a goal,” said Reaves, who went bar down to score one for Team North America. (Hopefully Kanan saw it.) 

“Maybe you’ll see me in overtime soon, we’ll see,” Reaves added, grinning. “No, that was fun. You can see hockey is alive and well in Toronto, the support that comes out is unbelievable. It’s something you don’t see in any other city.”