The unofficial start to the NHL season—as in, that’s purely my personal opinion and I have no idea if anyone else shares it—is tonight. The rookies return to London, the puck returns to the ice, and hyperbolic media coverage returns to our TVs and computer screens. I am so ready.
The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ annual Rookie Tournament is back in London this year. For anyone new, it’s a three-day puckfest of fast, entertaining, hope-filled hockey in which the junior-est/ish Leafs will compete against prospects from the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s a rare chance to see and compare a giant slice of the Leafs’ prospect pie (cupboard?