Great White North Division
Canada’s NHL teams ready to get familiar in 56-game sprint
Paul Maurice was getting asked the usual training camp questions — line combinations, off-season moves, his thoughts on prospects hoping to crack the roster.
When the conversation pivoted to the NHL’s one-time-only, pandemic-necessitated all-Canadian division, the Winnipeg Jets head coach melted from hardened bench boss to a fan excitedly recalling his childhood Saturday nights in front of the TV.
“I’ve got to say this the right way,” Maurice began after taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “It’s the spectacle. When I grew up it was the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, and I don’t know if I was aware of any other teams. When you grew up in Canada, that was it.
“You were so wired into the Canadian culture.”
Well, the Great White North now has seven franchises. And thanks to COVID-19, they’re going to be seeing a lot of each other in 2021 once the new season gets going Wednesday.
The Jets, Leafs, Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators will play in a newly-formed circuit — known officially as the North Division — because of border restrictions related to non-essential travel.
That should make for a hectic, at times chaotic, 56-game slugfest sure to rekindle old rivalries and stoke new ones.
“It’s the scrutiny of it that will be intense,” Maurice continued. “Everybody is going to get wound up. We’ve had the entire country locked down for (almost) a year, it’s an all-Canadian hockey division.
“It’s going to be fantastic.” Similar to Maurice, Calgary captain Mark Giordano reminisced about yesteryear when asked about the unusual schedule.
“Growing up I always loved watching Canadian teams playing,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of excitement.”
The Battle of Alberta, Battle of Ontario and Leafs-Canadiens are tried and true showdowns. But what about the Senators and Flames — featuring brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk — going head-to-head eight times, including three times in five days similar to a baseball series? Or Connor McDavid’s Oilers going toe-totoe with Auston Matthews and the Leafs nine separate occasions, with another three-in-five set on the docket?
“I’m just thrilled,” Toronto captain John Tavares said. “We know what the game and the league means in Canada, how special it is. As difficult as the circumstances in the world we’re living in right now (are) — playing without fans and a lot of tough times a lot of people are going through — this is such a unique opportunity for something that can be really special.”
Apart from the world-class talent on display with so many stars playing north of the border, there will undoubtedly be moments where the temperature rises.
“It’s going to be intense,” Vancouver head coach Travis Green said. “It’s going to be like playoff hockey. There’s going to be a lot of people watching games across Canada.
“Can’t wait to get going.” Ottawa counterpart D.J. Smith recalled his time in the minors as a player when teams would meet a dozen or more times from pre-season through the playoffs.
Not surprisingly, emotions had a way of bubbling to the surface.
“You’re going to grow a hatred for certain players,” Smith said. “Things are going to happen in games where people aren’t going to forget.”