Opening night naturally invites the opportunity to start anew and localize the focus on your team’s internal goals. You have to practically measure that it’s just one of 82 games, against the idea that it sets the tone for a new season. It’s a season full of change for the Toronto Maple Leafs and while the team isn’t going to submit to the idea of additional pressure, there’s nothing quite like the rivalry against the Montreal Canadiens to begin the year.
“It’s the best. We did it last year too in Montreal and it was just so cool,” Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz told The Leafs Nation after Tuesday’s practice. “It was the first time there was a real, meaningful game in the standings with the Leaf on my jersey. It brought back a lot of memories of being a kid and hating Montreal growing up, and I still have that feeling. It’s nice that we can get everybody excited for the first game of the season, everybody’s always excited for the first game but the fact that it’s against Montreal, it’s such a historic rivalry, it’s just special.”
Lorentz is from Kitchener, an hour south of Toronto, and went viral last year when his yearbook quote reemerged about his goal to play for the Maple Leafs. It’s a dream that’s been actualized in full measure, and the 108-year history of the Maple Leafs-Canadiens conflict adds a new dimension to the beginning of a new campaign.
Chris Tanev is a bonafide top-pair defenceman in the NHL, but he was a late bloomer and played hockey in Toronto’s high school circuit for East York Collegiate nearly 20 years ago. Tanev spoke about both fan bases and the flow of the rivalry in a brief conversation Wednesday.
“I think rivalries, they have their ebbs and flows,” Tanev said to The Leafs Nation. “When both teams are good, the rivalries are more prominent and more pronounced. When teams are struggling, they’re not as big. At the end of the day, it’s one game out of 82. It’s always a fun atmosphere to be in, and it’s just a fun game to be a part of, two Original Six teams.”
Max Domi’s ties to the Maple Leafs-Canadiens rivalry are obvious. Domi’s father, Tie, was a legendary enforcer for the Maple Leafs, and the 30-year-old spent two seasons with the Canadiens, before moving onto the Columbus Blue Jackets. And perhaps there’s an endearing, lasting quality to the history of the rivalry. Some things aren’t meant to change, some shared bonds can transcend time.
“I’ve only been here three years, and it’s kind of the same since I’ve been here,” Domi said Wednesday. “We don’t like them, they don’t like us, but it’s really any team in the NHL. You get rivalries, it’s always a treat.”
Brandon Carlo certainly understands the rivalry with the Canadiens, perhaps from a different vantage point. Carlo played nine seasons with the Boston Bruins, before being acquired in a trade at last year’s deadline. The 28-year-old has quickly familiarized himself in Toronto, benefitting from another year alongside Morgan Rielly, and spoke enthusiastically about playing in the city’s hockey-crazed market.
“I think it’s great, I love being in a market where there’s so much passion,” Carlo said. “I can’t imagine wanting to be in a different place where you wouldn’t want to win. I really appreciate the passion; it’s ingrained in everybody’s blood here. I see bumper stickers all the time. I see kids with jerseys at school and I absolutely love it. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
There’s some external factors that have reinvigorated the battle, or perhaps more simply: Montreal is on the verge of contending, it is still a year away from meaningfully pushing the top-tier teams, but it boasts the most exciting prospect pool in the NHL. Ivan Demidov is the consensus Calder favourite, while Lane Hutson’s dynamism with the puck elevates the Canadiens into must-watch territory, if approached neutrally. Toronto is the figurative and literal older brother in this matchup, but Montreal will have its day soon, and Wednesday’s opener will provide a glimpse of an established power looking to get over the hump, while trying to fend off a young, upstart rival maturing into the spotlight.
“I mean, it’s awesome whether we’re there or they’re here,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said after Tuesday’s practice. “I mean it’s always an exciting game. You know, both teams will be fired up tomorrow night and, you know, it’s again, it’s just about executing and, you know, playing the game properly and playing with the team.”
It’s a new season for the Maple Leafs, who are betting that the aggregate sum of their improved depth will outweigh the loss of a 102-point winger. And with a new season comes new promises, refreshed Stanley Cup expectation, with an opportunity to localize their focus on their team goals. The popular messaging will suggest that it’s merely one game of 82 — practically and statistically that’s true, but look within the margins and there’s nothing quite like the excitement of the Leafs-Canadiens rivalry on Opening Night.