The Toronto Maple Leafs have come into the '19/'20 season with a lot of hype, once again. There has been significant turnover from last season, but with some much needed improvements on the blue line having been made during the summer, many are beginning to view his Leafs team as a legitimate threat to compete for the Stanley Cup this season.
The Leafs are hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Toronto Raptors, whose NBA Championship win in '18/'19 shocked the basketball world. The Leafs are looking to make a similar historic run on the ice this season.
Following the Leafs' home opener win against the Ottawa Senators, Head Coach, Mike Babcock, entered the Leafs dressing room to send a message to his players. That message was simple. "It's our time."
The message from Babcock was accompanied by an official NBA basketball, that was used by the Toronto Raptors in their championship series against the Golden State Warriors. The Raptors have loaned the ball to the Maple Leafs, to help instill a championship mentality in the players. "We believe it's our time and we want to go out and dominate every single night."
The Leafs' Head Coach plans to name a "player of the game" and pass that player the championship ball, following each win this season, hopefully en route to a championship of their own. That player, on Wednesday night, was none other than Auston Matthews. Matthews just seems to be on another level this season, the 4th of his very promising NHL career. Matthews recorded 2 goals in Wednesday's tilt with the Sens, including an absolutely lethal snipe, top shelf, off of a sensational cross-ice pass from Mitch Marner on the powerplay.
As Babcock passed the ball to the Scottsdale, Arizona native and first recipient of the championship game-ball, the room erupted with cheering and clapping as Matthews dribbled the ball behind each leg and spun it from arm to arm, like a kid in gym class.
The use of a player-of-the-game token award is not an uncommon occurrence in locker rooms around the NHL. Some teams pass around a hat. Some, a gold belt, similar to a pro wrestling belt. It's hard to deny that something like a championship basketball will hold a more significant meaning, especially due to the fact that the Leafs, who share a building with the Raptors, have now gotten to experience first hand how important the Raptors' championship was to the city of Toronto. This is, no doubt, a post-game ritual that the Leafs players will truly appreciate in their pursuit of the club's first Stanley Cup since 1967.
-
