Brophy on Leafs: Braving the cold

The Toronto Maple Leafs took it outdoors Wednesday and if things work out, they’ll do it on a much larger scale next season.

The Maple Leafs held their annual outdoor practice at Sunnydale Acres Rink in Rexdale before a few thousand fans who braved the cold to watch their heroes go through a workout on the heels of a 7-3 whipping of the Tampa Bay Lightning the night before. The win was the day after the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers stole the hockey spotlight by playing in the annual Winter Classic.

If all goes as planned, the Maple Leafs will face off against the Detroit Red Wings in next season’s Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, nicknamed The Big House. It’s not a done deal, but it’s what the NHL, Red Wings and Maple Leafs want. The mere thought of playing in such a game tickled the fancy of the players.

“I think it would be great,” said defenceman Mike Komisarek. “I don’t know who would be more excited, the fans or the players. We’ve had a couple of outdoor practices and we’ve had Leafs Nation out to watch us. I can’t imagine how many people would come out for a game. I was a part of the Cold War – Michigan versus Michigan State – which drew 70, 000 fans. Those are the type of games as a player that you remember forever. You ask any of the guys and I guarantee they’ll say they’d love to be a part of something like that. It’s not only great for the game, but I know the guys thoroughly enjoy being a part of something like that. I watched it on TV the past couple of years and I think the guys all have their fingers crossed that we can be part of something like that.”

Added teammate Nazem Kadri: “I think that’s amazing; it would definitely be a privilege and an honor to play in something like that. The attendance wouldn’t be a problem so maybe we should be looking into it. I heard the Tigers owner might want it at the baseball stadium, but it would be better at the football stadium.”

This year’s Winter Classic held at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia was indeed a classic. The Flyers took a 2-0 lead, much to the delight of the majority of 46,962 in attendance, but the Rangers stormed back to record a 3-2 victory. It was the fifth Winter Classic.

The first, played in 2008, featured the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The following year the Detroit Red Wings traveled to Chicago to play the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field and then it was the Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park and last year the Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field.

The Leafs were downright giddy at the notion of playing in next year’s game.

“I’d love that,” said coach Ron Wilson. “I mean I’ve watched all the games and even though I see the coaches freezing their butts off, I want one chance to be as cold during a game as I am today. They get very nice jackets and you get to wear a hat. That would be cool.”

Having a Canadian-based team would certainly be a new twist on the event, but given the fact the Maple Leafs are a hockey institution, it will likely fly in the United States. HBO’s popular 24/7 series – a behind-the-scenes look at the build up of the game featuring the two participating teams – has been a hit and would likely be a big part of next year’s game. That, in itself, excited the players.

This year’s series featured the antics and musings of eccentric Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov whose views on the universe were, well, let’s be polite and say different.

“I watched the first episode,” Komisarek said. “I don’t know who the star would be from our team. I think Bryzgalov stole the show this year. It was pretty entertaining to watch. I know the fans want to see the different personalities behind the scenes. I’m a part of it and I enjoy something like that so I know the fans really enjoy it. It’s great for the game.

“Colby would be right up there and we have a few other characters,” Komisarek said. “I’m sure Dion would be a big part of it.”

Captain Dion Phaneuf presents himself as 100 per cent business when he’s on the clock, but behind closed doors, he can be quite a cut up.

“I think they do a really good job of making hockey look pretty cool,” said right winger Colby Armstrong. “I got to do it my first year in the minors when we taped ‘Chasing The Dream’. I had a lot of fun with that.”

“I’m assuming they’d do that with us, too,” Kadri said. “That would be really cool. I think the ratings from the HBO show the past two years has really blown up so it would be great for us to be a part of and something to look forward to.”

Even though it was darn cold outside, the Maple Leafs had a lot of fun Wednesday. And so too did the fans.

“It’s great for the kids and it’s great that this neighborhood gets a nice rink,” Wilson said. “This is the best one I’ve seen so far. The ice is perfect. In the past if it gets too sunny the ice starts to melt. We were able to get something accomplished today. It’s fun for our players to be outside. I know a lot of our guys never had the opportunity to play outside. They play in warm buildings since the time they were kids. But for someone in my age bracket I played a lot outdoors up until I was 12 or 13 years old.”

Toronto mayor Rob Ford was on hand and was delighted that MLSE, partnered with RONA, brought the event to the people.

“The kids will never forget this day,” Mayor Ford said. “Especially in this underprivileged area of Rexdale. Kids see this team on TV, but would never dream they’d have the opportunity to see the Maple Leafs up close like this in their own backyard.”