The preseason opens with a loss to the Leafs
As the Ottawa Senators made their way into this small town just north of London, Ont., on Tuesday morning, the sign on Main Street told the story:
“Welcome to Kraft Hockeyville 2018.”
And, of course, the Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs were greeted with open arms as they faced off at the 1,600-seat Lucan Community Memorial Centre on Tuesday night.
This wasn’t just any other NHL pre-season game on the calendar. The players who made the trek here Monday night were greeted with a red-carpet arrival by local schoolchildren who were given the opportunity to have a few hours away from the classroom so they could be on hand for the morning skate.
The Senators and Leafs opened a back-to-back series of the Battle of Ontario here in the township of 4,700. It continues Wednesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.
“Any time we get a chance to be with the communities, give back by just being there ... it’s a great opportunity for them to be close to the big league and this rarely happens,” coach Guy Boucher said after the morning skate.
“This is something they’re going to remember the rest of their lives. For sure, I would, if I were them. I’m from a small town and I can’t even imagine the NHL coming to me when I was young. This has got to be a dream, this is a once-in-alifetime thing. Yeah, you grow a fan base, but more than that you touch hearts and that’s probably the most important (factor).
“The depth of the impact that it has is immeasurable.”
It’s days like this that you find out what kind of impact that hockey has in this country. The Senators saw it last year when they faced the New Jersey Devils in Summerside, P.E.I., after nearby O’Leary won the Hockeyville competition.
This never gets old for NHL players because opportunities don’t come along like this often. It takes them back to their youth because they grew up playing in these kinds of rinks and there weren’t thousands of people in the stands (or watching on television) critiquing their every move.
You don’t usually see the kind of excitement level in the rink that was witnessed during this morning skate. Sure, it was largely a Leafs crowd because of the proximity to Toronto and the organization’s popularity across the country; however, the whole town was ramped up for this game.
The players were happy to be part of it. Even the Stanley Cup made the trek here so that fans could pose for photos.
“It’s a little different ice sheet than we’re used to playing on and it’s exciting to see all the smalltown fans come out,” centre Matt Duchene said.
He couldn’t have imagined what this would have been like if his hometown of Haliburton, Ont., had the chance to host a game like this between two NHL rivals when he was growing up.
“That would have been really cool and that would have been something special,” Duchene said. “As somebody who dreamed of playing in the NHL, I know there’s going to be a lot of kids who feel that way here (Tuesday) night so we want to give them a good show.”
Lucan was awarded the Hockeyville game after winning
a competition that takes place across the country. As part of being chosen the winner, the rink is getting $250,000 in upgrades from Kraft and part of that included the new scoreboards that were on display.
This is a day many will never forget.
“The greeting that Lucan is showing both organizations is overwhelming,” said Leafs forward Nazem Kadri, who grew up in London and played junior with the OHL’s Knights.
Of course, there’s competition for jobs and the players who participated from both teams are battling for roster spots to impress management.
Tuesday, they were given the opportunity to just enjoy the chance to be part of it and this was a memorable day for everybody involved.
As somebody who dreamed of playing in the NHL, I know there’s going to be a lot of kids who feel that way here.”