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Within sight of fans at elegant tables and a wine cellar, the Maple Leafs will begin taking a much more scenic route to the ice for Saturday's opener.
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The new MNP Pass social club, with its corresponding platinum seat behind the players' benches, would feature a “Smartglass” system that would allow approximately 200 members to watch the Leafs, the visiting team (and the Raptors and their opponent) come out of the locker room and onto the ice. The 7,350-square-foot tunnel was part of the $350 million renovation of Scotiabank Arena.
“It's great,” forward Max Domi said. “But our room is exactly the same and the ice is the same. I don't think these things matter to us.
The debate as to whether the Leafs truly enjoy home ice advantage is still widely debated. The Leafs have a large portion of “corporate” fans in their season ticket base, who tend to be less demonstrative, especially on weekdays, while Saturdays and the occasional “Next Generation” games with younger fans tend to be louder.
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“It's still a hockey game and you have to execute,” Domi said. “Sometimes the key is to play an away game at home.”
WELCOME AGAIN
It was the official homecoming of East York's Chris Tanev.
“We've had a few (exhibitions) behind us to get to know the group,” the defender said. “It will be nice to be there for my first home opener. No matter what team you play for (Tanev played in Vancouver and Calgary), the games are very popular and sell out.”
Tanev says he has sorted out ticket requests from his family and friends.
“Everything's fine, nothing crazy.”
REBELLION SIGNAL
Former Leaf Michael Bunting is a better fit for Pittsburgh after this training camp, as he was acquired from Carolina by old Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas at last year's trade deadline. He was part of a package for Jake Guentzel, the Pens missed the playoffs, Carolina won one round.
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The naturally sprightly Scarborough winger is delighted to see Sidney Crosby up close.
“He has a lot of activities (team captain, top scorer, preparations for the 4 Nations Cup, charity work and advertising). But he's so humble. And he has time to talk (to himself, alone, to help Bunting adjust).”
Bunting is doing well in that department, says head coach Mike Sullivan.
“The more time you spend with the players, the more you get to know them, personally off the ice and on the ice, with their habits,” Sullivan said. “You have a better idea of what might excite them. Bunts was a really good player for us. He seemed to fit into our lineup very well, he played a lot with Geno (Evgeni Malkin).
“It gets people into the fight, so to speak, and that's an asset to the game that has really helped our team.”
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RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Sullivan was going to pay a little more attention to Auston Matthews on Saturday.
He is also the coach of Team USA in the 4 Nations Cup, and captain Leaf Matthews is one of the Americans' previously selected players for the February event.
“Auston and I have talked about this before,” Sullivan said. “I try to respect (players') time and space. However, we will certainly continue discussions in due course.”
DANFORD IS BACK IN THE GAME
Ben Danford, the Leafs' No. 1 overall pick this year, who missed rookie camp and part of the Leafs' main roster with a concussion, has played three games for the Oshawa Generals as of Saturday morning and recorded one assist.
“I didn't get to fully experience it, but it was still fun,” Danford told CKDO Radio's Terry Johnston this week. “I had to meet all the players. After the draft, I played golf with (former Generals captain) John Tavares and went to his cottage. Just a person of high character, very hospitable. He tried to show me what I could look up to by being someone I could look up to in terms of preparation.
LOOSE LEAVES
Saturday's pregame was supposed to be the Toronto 48's next appearancevol The Highlanders Pipe team, which had played in every home opener since 1931… Toronto coach Craig Berube wasn't exactly sentimental about keeping the puck after his first win in New Jersey the night before. Rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby won it for his first NHL victory, and Berube had no problem with it… Some SBA renovations continue during the regular season, including possible “seamless” security gates to speed up entry into buildings.
lhornby@postmedia.com
X: @sunhornby
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