Captain John Tavares was one of the few Maple Leafs to sport an orange shirt in support of Canada’s first National Truth and Reconciliation Day. It had the Leafs logo and the words “Every Child Matters.”
“It is extremely important to learn and understand where we come from, and (indigenous history) is an important part of our history and an important part of our culture that should really be a part of all of our lives,” Tavares said.
The Leafs center grew up playing lacrosse, a sport played by the Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora) long before European settlers arrived on the mainland, and gave Tavares an early education about discrimination that Canadians face. Indigenous peoples, among which the atrocities of residential schools stand out.
“I was a lot in that community and that culture. Tremendous people, ”Tavares said. “It has a little additional meaning to me. But I think it should have additional meaning for everyone just because of what happened and how we can learn from it.
“And (we should) not only reconcile, but make indigenous peoples and their culture part of our society.”
- Matthews and the man advantage: Assistant coach Spencer Carbery worked on what appeared to be the first power play drive before practice. John Tavares was positioned in front of the net, William Nylander and Auston Matthews were on the flanks, Mitch Marner was in the slot and Morgan Rielly was on point.
It was the only exercise Matthews participated in while rehabilitating his wrist.
“It’s about developing the strength in your wrist to the point where you have confidence to receive passes, lean into shots, and of course fighting and contact and that sort of thing,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “But seeing him every day without a hitch is a very good thing.”
- Blue and white: The Leafs will play their blue and white game on Friday night, honoring essential and front-line workers while supporting their own charitable foundation, which aims to remove barriers to youth sports.
The game will feature two 20-minute periods, followed by a third session with five power plays set aside. There will be a shootout after the first period and some 3-on-3 action after the second.
“We have to prepare them for the season and this is an opportunity to control some of the variables,” Keefe said. “You don’t always have that opportunity in preseason games. Sometimes you will get 10 power games. Sometimes you can get one or two.
“But we can control it here. We will go through a few different things there. We will involve different people both in the power game and in the penalty. The coaches will have the opportunity to work with different guys and for anyone who is watching, it will be a slightly different opportunity for them to see that kind of thing being done. “
Matthews (wrist) and Pierre Engvall (lower body) will not participate.
- First cuts: The Leafs made their first cuts, sending defender William Villeneuve to Saint John of the QMJHL, and assigning Curtis Douglas and Rich Clune to the Marlies in the AHL. Clune was the captain of the Marlies last season.
Villeneuve, 19, will not walk away empty-handed. He was awarded a three-year entry-level contract through the 2023-24 season. Villeneuve has registered 97 points (13 goals, 84 assists) in 152 Quebec League games and his Sea Dogs will host the Memorial Cup next spring. He appeared in two games with the Marlies during the 2020-21 campaign. He was originally selected by Toronto in the fourth round (122 overall) of the 2020 NHL draft.
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Reference-www.thestar.com