Dress rehearsals are at an end.
Dim the house lights. Cue the orchestra.
It's showtime, folks.
While the O.R.G. China Games commitment certainly presented its share of quirky obstacles, it has undeniably set the tone for Oct. 3.
"Putting those guys together on a plane for 14 hours … it's like speed-dating,'' reckoned Treliving. "You do get to know each other pretty quick.
"And that, as I've said before, has been important. New head coach. New players. These guys saw an awful lot of each other - maybe more than they'd have liked - but when you're thrown together like that, into the deep end, you start counting on one another to reach the edge of the pool safely.
"They've been together, every day, since Sept. 10. Good days and challenging days.
"As quick as you can bring a group together - with the changes in personnel and coaching - the better off you are."
What's stood out through the past three weeks of experimentation and evaluation?
Well, the big-league statements made by young 'uns such as Dillon Dube, Juuso Valimaki and Ramus Andersson, for starters.
Inbound Elias Lindholm, every bit as well-rounded as advertised, slotting in to provide a sublime balance to the top line.
Sean Monahan, wrist completely healed, back to full power. Austin Czarnik's pacy presence. The growing karma of Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin on the second defensive pairing.
"I like the vibe of the group, the attitude of the group,'' said Treliving. "Granted we're real, real early, haven't played. Lots of people have performed well. I think Travis Hamonic has had a real good camp. I like the fit with him and Hanifin. Lindholm's been impressive, real solid, plays in the guts of the game, cleans up a lot of messes. I think the Bennetts and Jankowskis have been good. And the players we've wanted to get a better read on - the Dubes and Valimakis.
"Do we know today how every piece is going to fit? Maybe not. But. Two things have become very clear: We're a much deeper team. And we do have some kids, legitimate players, who are pushing. Whether that means today or tomorrow or a week from now, we'll see. But it's a great sign.
"As unorthodox or weird or however you want to describe our camp, we've been able to see a lot of different people in a lot of different situations.
"And we've given our coaches options.
"We don't have enough seats for everybody. But that's way better than looking up, seeing all these empty seats and wondering how you can possibly fill them.
"It's like the adage my dad (Dragons Den impresario Jim Treliving ) used to say: Paydays, the 1st and the 15th of every month, aren't the crucial days. The crucial days are the 31st and 14th when there isn't enough in the bank account to pay everybody on the 1st and the 15th.
"So when you've got too many players for chairs, that's a good thing.
"It sorts itself out."
The Bill Peters era opens Wednesday at Rogers Arena.
"I know everyone's focused on the Day One roster,'' said Treliving. "But things change, fast. It's 12 noon? Well, guess what? Things can change by 12:30.
"Sure we've got to make some decisions. But they're not 82-game decisions. Are they: 'Matthew Tkachuk? Does he go back to junior and we don't see him again?' type decisions. No.
"Some guys may not start here but that doesn't mean they won't be coming up Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday."
Yes, even before actually starting, it has indeed been a Long, Strange Trip.
Wednesday they set sail on a longer, more important trip.
"You think you've done the right things,'' says Treliving. "At this time of any season, everybody likes their team, everybody's optimistic.
"Now we start finding out who was right.
"We'll see.
"Let's get this going."
