QUEBEC CITY — The great hockey fans in these parts don’t need another Roch Carrier short story to rekindle their dislike of the Maple Leafs hockey sweater — and the hole in their NHL heart.
Auston Matthews is about to reopen those wounds, though it’s nothing intentional on behalf of Toronto’s young centrifuge.
When the Leafs met the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night at Videotron Centre, it was another taste of what this town used to revel in during the Nordiques era, when its provincial team did battle on the big stage. The back drop was the joi de vivre in the stands at old Le Colisee, a true Quebecois feel that’s usually muted when Toronto plays at the Bell Centre with so many Leaf sweaters stacking the house.