Leafs’ new boss Leiweke gives tailgating father and son a home opener to remember,
Tailgate party outside ACC kicks off season home opener
A sea of blue and white appeared in Maple Leaf Square Saturday, as Leafs fans flocked to a tailgate party before their team’s first home game of the season.
“If there was ever a fan base that deserves a Stanley Cup, it’s this one right here,” Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd., told the crowd.
Leiweke made the night for two fans, giving Mitch Gauthier and his son Lucas prime seats for the show.
Watching the Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators capped off a full day of hockey for the Gauthiers. Lucas, 5, played his first hockey game of the season Saturday morning, then spent the afternoon at the Hockey Hall of Fame with his dad.
The pair had planned to catch the first period on the giant screen in Maple Leaf Square.
But when Leiweke asked the tailgate crowd for a father and son who didn’t have tickets, the plan changed. Lucas was going to his first-ever Leafs game.
“My son was disappointed a little earlier when he asked me if we had tickets,” said Mitch, a long-time Leafs fan. “And now we have tickets. It’s awesome.”
Other fans stuck to their plan to catch the action on the big screen.
Watching games in Maple Leaf Square has become somewhat of a ritual for Chris Bain and Chris Byrne. The pair dressed for the occasion, sporting shiny blue tinsel wigs under their baseball caps and blue fabric moustaches pasted above their upper lips.
“We were here for game six and seven last year and it’s a great atmosphere, compared to just watching at home,” Bain said.
The pair are optimistic about their team’s chances this year.
“They’ll definitely be a contending team,” Bain said.
But they’ll need to beat elite teams such as the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings to make it all the way.
“They’ll beat Boston,” Byrne said confidently.
The party gave the fans a chance to get an autograph from Leafs alum Darcy Tucker.
“My grandmother’s known him for a long time, so I thought it was pretty cool to finally meet him myself,” Byrne said.
Not everyone at the tailgate was bedecked in white and blue, however.
Steven Leeks came all the way from the nation’s capital for the game, and bravely sported a black retro Senators jersey.
Cheering for the other team did make Leeks a bit nervous.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine though,” he said with a chuckle.