Shanahan, Maple Leafs enjoy 'great day' at outdoor practice

TORONTO -- Any time NHL players take the ice on an outdoor rink, there is bound to be an element of nostalgia that runs through their heads. But for Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, their annual outdoor practice carried a deep personal connection.

“This is one of the very first, in fact it might be the first rink I ever skated at as a 5- or 6-year-old,” Shanahan told NHL.com at Prince of Wales Rink. “So, to be able to come back here this many years later with the Maple Leafs, I feel really blessed to do that and bring it back to the community. It’s a lot of fun here, we’ve got a beautiful day right on Lake Ontario and it was a great day.”

In full sun and a crisp 28 degrees Fahrenheit, the Maple Leafs competed in a round-robin tournament on the rink, the downtown skyline serving as the backdrop. More than 1,000 fans took the day off from school and work to cram into the park for a glimpse of their favorite players.

“More than anything is the turnout,” coach Craig Berube said. “There’s a lot of people here today to come watch this and enjoy it. I don’t know if they’re not working or at school today or what’s going on. It’s the support that we have here in Maple Leaf land (that I’ll remember).”

The pride Shanahan felt was apparent, watching from the bench while his team he’s led since 2014 skated on the same rink where he fell in love with the game. He played minor hockey in Long Branch, just west of the rink, and his elementary school is a six-minute drive.

This was Shanahan, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, an Olympic gold medalist, an eight-time NHL All-Star and an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame, back to his roots.

Despite his now long and extensive resume, his love for the Mimico neighborhood where he grew up has never diminished.

“This is combining my two loves, my hockey team the Maple Leafs that I grew up loving and watching, and now have the privilege of working for and my neighborhood, my hometown,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got Mimico down here, New Toronto right here, Long Branch up the street, it’s where I started playing my hockey and my lacrosse.

“It’s hard not to come here and not think about my dad bringing me here in 1974, ‘75. It hasn’t changed that much to be honest, but just what a full circle it’s been.”

Auston Matthews understood the significance for Shanahan, though the Maple Leafs captain was puzzled by one thing.

“I’m sure it means a lot to him,” Matthews said. “I’m surprised he didn’t bring his skates and gear up there with us. There’s a lot of guys from Toronto and who have grown up around this area, so it means a lot to come out here and see this support and everything.”

Forward Bobby McMann did not grow up in Toronto but was no stranger to outdoor hockey in his hometown of Wainwright, Alberta, a two-hour and 15-minute drive southeast of Edmonton.

“It’s got to be special for (Shanahan),” McMann told NHL.com. “I remember the outdoor rink I played on, and there’s just so many memories on it that it makes it that much more special and nostalgic to come back and play there. It has to be really cool.

“That was what we were doing all the time, Christmas break, New Year’s break, we’d always be out there and even when I got older, like 18, 19 with my buddies.”

Matthews’ team won the round-robin tournament that had bragging rights and a supposed free lunch on the line.

“’Chief’ (Berube) said something about losers buy lunch,” Matthews joked. “Who knows if we’ll ever see that? We’ll see.”

Matthews could not relate to the experience of playing on outdoor rinks having grown up in Scottsdale, Arizona, but he did have something in common with a lot of the young fans in attendance -- missing school for hockey-related reasons.

“All the time, all the time (I’d miss school for hockey),” Matthews said. “It’s the best, it’s a good feeling, so I can only imagine today must have been a pretty good day for a lot of these kids.”

Though it was not a typical practice in the sense that there was no attention devoted to systems work, strategy or tactics, Shanahan said he believes these types of events pay off in the long run.

“It’s a busy season and a grueling one and at times like this; they reconnect with the community and they get a chance to have a bit of fun, get competitive, and it reminds you how far the Maple Leafs’ fandom has,” Shanahan said.