OTTAWA — In his first regular-season NHL game as head coach of the Ottawa Senators this past October, it didn't take long for Guy Boucher to discover just what the bitter Battle of Ontario was all about.
Every time he looked at the Maple Leafs and their coach, he was smacked in the face by reminders of what this provincial rivalry really means. Standing behind the Toronto bench was Mike Babcock, the man got the job Boucher had been a finalist for in 2015.
Out on the ice was Auston Matthews, the wunderkind whom Boucher had coached against in the Swiss League seven months earlier.