But Martin, of Mississauga, Ontario, was not shut out completely. He and a few fans gathered in Dundas Square in the heart of downtown Toronto to experience the 2014 Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off, a fan fest of the highest order. Wearing a Maple Leafs hat and No. 13 jersey with the name Sundin replaced by 'Leafsaholic' on the back, Martin and his pals were all smiles.

Oh, and his beard is dyed blue, too.

"When I was born someone game me a Leafs jersey and Leafs sock so I figure I came into the world a Maple Leafs fan and I'll go out of this world a Maple Leafs fan," Martin said. "This is sweet! This is all very exciting. It's opening night and it should be like this."

NEW YORK -- Following are NHL club rosters, as of 10 a.m., Eastern time today. Some players who recently have agreed to terms with their respective clubs but whose contracts had not yet been approved by the League are not included. The 2014-15 regular season begins tonight with four games.

The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers are set to renew their intense rivalry on the opening day of the NHL regular season in the first game of the NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry (7:30 p.m. ET).

The Flyers might be looking for a little payback against the Bruins after losing all three games against them last season, including a 5-2 decision April 5 in Boston that enabled the Bruins to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers have not beaten the Bruins since April 24, 2013, a 5-2 win at Wells Fargo Center.

The rivalry between the two teams has intensified in recent years. In the past 10 years the teams have met twice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston.

"With Philly there's some history there, obviously, having played them twice in the playoffs and in the Winter Classic," Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. "The teams are pretty good reflections of the cities, and when they get together it's always a battle."

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 8.

The one question 30 NHL teams have been asking themselves since before training camps opened is the same: Can we win the Stanley Cup?

Some teams can answer that question affirmatively; others are more hopeful than sure; and a few are focused on building toward winning the Cup in a future season.

There are some other pressing questions facing teams. Here are a few of them as we look toward the start of the season:

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins have stared down perceived disasters before and triumphed.

Shortly after defenseman Dennis Seidenberg left their game against the Ottawa Senators with an injury last December, the Bruins learned he was lost for the season and needed surgery to repair the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee. Less than a month later, a couple of injuries ended defenseman Adam McQuaid's season.

The Bruins still won the Presidents' Trophy with 117 points despite missing two of their most important defensemen.

With their regular season opening against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at TD Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN), the Bruins again are dealing with the loss of one of their reliable veterans on the blue line, but this time on a permanent basis.

Defenseman Johnny Boychuk was traded to the New York Islanders on Saturday for draft picks. The trade was made for salary-cap reasons; general manager Peter Chiarelli said, "Arguably this doesn't make us better now."

The new television deal between Rogers and the NHL begins Wednesday, providing unprecedented coverage of the League for fans throughout Canada.

In November 2013 the League announced a landmark 12-year, $5.2-billion national broadcast rights and multimedia agreement in Canada with Rogers Communications. The deal includes all national rights to NHL games on all platforms in all languages, marking the first time in history a North American professional sports league has granted all of its national rights to one company long-term.

In addition to regular-season games, Rogers has exclusive broadcast rights to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stanley Cup Final, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Draft Lottery, NHL Draft and NHL Awards.

Dave Nonis knew Brendan Shanahan could be his boss before Shanahan knew he would be. Nonis' information came directly from his other boss.

"They didn't give me the president's title; they told me there was a very good chance they were going to bring one in," Nonis, senior vice president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, told NHL.com. "Toward the end of last season, [Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO] Tim Leiweke came to me and said, 'We think we've got a guy who might be the right fit.' So we talked about it, and it's pretty hard to say it's not a good fit. In this case it was a president who knew the game and could help shape the team.

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Twenty-nine teams spent the offseason trying to determine a way to unseat the Los Angeles Kings, who won the Stanley Cup for the second time in the past three seasons. Some teams made major changes, others minor alterations.

Six teams have new coaches and general managers, one Hockey Hall of Fame member now working as a team executive and one future Hockey Hall of Fame member heading from the Eastern Conference back to the West.

Here's a look at 14 fresh faces, in no particular order, who will be expected to make an impact with their new teams this season:

The beginning of the NHL season is reason enough to throw a party.

And a party would be the best way to describe what will be happening Wednesday in downtown Toronto with the 2014 Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off, the fourth edition of a public viewing party and music festival marking the start of a new hockey season that aims to allow as many people as possible to experience the opening game of the 2014-15 season between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET, TVA SPORTS, SN).

TORONTO – On Wednesday, Oct. 8, downtown Toronto will host the 2014 Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off, the National Hockey League's 2014-15 season opening hockey and music festival and viewing party at Yonge-Dundas Square. The free and public festivities begin at 12:00 p.m. ET, rain or shine, through the conclusion of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game, which will be shown on giant outdoor video screens at Yonge-Dundas Square.

Fans should follow the NHL on Twitter (@NHL) and Instagram (Instagram.com/NHL) and use the official hashtag #NHLFaceOff to join the conversation.