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Toronto Sun
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
MAPLE LEAF NOTES: Draft pick Tyler Hopkins already a card-carrying fan
Tyler Hopkins poses after being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 86th overall pickof the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Peacock Theater on June 28. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Picked between two fellow prospects born in China and Slovenia, Tyler Hopkins definitely has the better connections to the Maple Leafs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Campbellville native has been to many games at Scotiabank Arena and follows the team religiously, thus the sweater and cap looked perfectly natural when he put them on Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Hopkins was at one of the playoff games in the 2023 series where the Leafs eliminated Tampa Bay, their first series win in 2013. 'It's every kid's dream to get drafted and to be drafted by your hometown team is the jackpot,' said the 6-foot-1 Kingston Frontenacs' center. 'Two birds with one stone.' Waiting in the seats with his parents and relatives as the third round progressed was tense. 'I was checking in on the Toronto picks and knew I'd be in that range (86th overall),' he said. 'When that moment happened, it was just pure excitement.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When Mitch Marner's new address is settled and Toronto's full free agent situation is settled, general manager Brad Treliving will get down to some book worming . Specifically, studying the new four-year collective bargaining agreement tentatively approved by the commissioner's office and the players association last week, completed a year ahead of scheduled talks. While the basic financial framework of salary cap and most contract language stays in place, changes set to begin in 2026-27 include a playoff salary cap, holding the rights of unsigned players until age 22 and a return to the 84-game schedule of the early 1990s. 'It's a road map moving forward,' Treliving said. 'Before, we'd get to this spot a year out (from CBA expiration) and use assumptions (on what a new pact could contain). This helps you plan a bit, gives you a better idea of what the future holds.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Treliving didn't get into whether he was among the majority of 26 GMs who voted for a de-centralized draft. The widely-panned, slow-moving format created some awkward TV moments when the team and its prospects connected for the first time via a live broadcast. Yet Treliving saw some positives. 'You are able to freely communicate in the (team war room) a little more than be jammed up at tables. I love the draft. It's unique in our sport to talk face-to-face with other managers and you lose that feeling. But the benefit of being de-centralized is the calendar. We'd be all scrambling back on planes right now (to cram in meetings for July 1 free agency). That's the big benefit of being at home.' LEAFS LIKE LEKSANDS The Leafs will be paying lots of attention to the Swedish junior league club Leksands the next few years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They now have two picks on that team, defenceman Victor Johansson, chosen 120th last season, and Saturday's first selection, centre Tinus-Luc Koblar, who went 64th overall on Saturday. 'It will be a benefit for these kids, it's a really good organization,' said Mark Leach, director of amateur scouting for the Leafs. 'They have a history of developing players and it's a good spot for our development people to go to.' Leksands NHL grads include Filip Forsberg, Pelle Eklund and current Leaf defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. MORE DRAFT TIDBITS Koblar wouldn't be the first Leaf of Slovenian descent. Both early 2000s' forward Matt Stajan's grandparents were from there … The two-day draft's 224 total picks covered 17 birth countries, the most in 21 years. They included Koblar, Belle from Dongguan, China, Simon (Haoxi) Wang from Beijing, chosen 33rd by San Jose and Jakob Ihs-Wozniak from Adelaide, Australia, a second rounder of the Golden Knights … Kitchener Rangers' winger Matthew Hlacar, Toronto's last pick at 217th, has a long road to the NHL from that slot. But another Leaf chosen at 217, Cornwall (OHL) forward Mike Tomlak, played 141 games in the show, albeit for the Hartford Whalers six years after Toronto selected him in 1983 … The lowest drafted Leaf ever to play for the team (285th) was Swedish defenceman Staffan Kronwall, brother of Red Wings' Niklas, who played 52 games in the early 2000s. Lhornby@ X: @sunhornby Read More Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA Sports Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
LEAFS NOTES: Toronto not feeling a first round draft as picking starts
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman talks in front of a video of each team's remote location before the first round of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at the Peacock Theater on June 27, 2025 in Los Angeles. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images The Maple Leafs weren't out to quench any thirst for a first in Friday night's first round of the National Hockey League draft. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Having made their bed, trading the 25th pick to Chicago for Jake McCabe two years ago, they seemed ready to sleep through the opening chapter versus trading up and get back to work Saturday morning. They will have six picks in the ensuing six rounds, starting at 64th overall. General manager Brad Treliving was suggesting this week there was an equal chance the Leafs move further down the order, not higher, if another team liked a player at 64th and perhaps offers them two picks in return. It's not unheard of for Toronto to find a diamond in the rough at 64, with 1990s forward Frederik Modin and current defence prospect Topi Niemela, but any choices at that position are usually long-term projects. 'I'm just interested in the best available talent and the guy who competes and works hard,' amateur scouting director Mark Leach told reporters on Thursday of what he would seek at that spot. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When we asked newly re-signed John Tavares where his game is at in his mid-30s, he threw his name in the ring for another shot with Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Tavares has played on various national sides in his career and it was a huge letdown for him not to be invited to the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. But it will have been 12 years since he won Olympic gold in 2014 at Sochi and this time he'd be nearing age 36. 'I really take a lot of pride in how I try to get better, approach the game and my craft,' he said. 'There's a tremendous amount of belief in who I am and what I can do. 'I have always stated my desire to give it every opportunity to play for Team Canada on the biggest stage at the biggest events. You hope you can earn that, There's tremendous amount of belief I have to play at an elite level and continue to evolve. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I understand I'm getting older, but I have tremendous people around me and tremendous (Leaf) resources.' KIDS' ROAD TRIP Leafs rookie camp will once again be capped by a four-team mini-tournament in Montreal. The Canadiens announced this week that their Prospect Showdown returns to the Bell Centre, Sept. 13-14. The best young Habs and Leafs will be joined by the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets. Toronto plays the Sens at 1 p.m. on Sat. Sept. 13 and Montreal at 3 p.m. next day. Tickets from $10 in the Bell Centre's upper bowl to $25 in the lower tier go on general sale July 31. The Leafs will likely have a mini-camp at the Ford Centre preceding their trip. Development camp with their 2025 picks, those of the past few years and guest free agents who were not drafted this weekend, will be held late next week. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Forwards Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten, Toronto's two highest picks in 2022 and 2023, received plenty of coverage the past few years, Minten now Boston property in the Brandon Carlo trade. For Oshawa Generals defenceman Ben Danford, 2024's first rounder at 31st overall, it has been a different road. A training camp injury meant the 6-foot-2 Danford didn't really get rolling until the end of the OHL season, his production numbers dropping a bit. 'Ben's a real good player, has a really good skill set and is getting stronger every day,' said Leach. 'He had a really good playoff run (21 games), he's just a young man who needs time and maturity to play the pro game. 'It doesn't happen overnight. You're talking about a 19 or 20-year-old going up to play against men. He could take a year or two or three. We'll see how it looks when we get there.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Of course, every team craves a home-grown blueline giant. 'I do like size. Look at the playoffs,' Leach said. '(Cup-winning) Florida has a big team and you have two months of (playoff) grind. Size is a factor, but also if the kid has a big heart and a big compete level.' WELCOME TO THE FISHBOWL As for local prospects being negatively affected by developing in the much-discussed hockey media capital in Toronto, Leach just shrugged. 'Kids today are a lot more worldly than 20 years ago. They have youth hockey growing up and play all over the world. Toronto being a big market, it's no different than New York, Detroit or Florida. There were 500,000 people at their (Panthers') parade and they're always under the gun (as defending champions). 'The media, the way it is today, there's pressure anywhere they play. I haven't heard anything (negative about a player not wanting to be a Leaf draft). It's Original Six and a lot of kids want to play for a team like that. There's definitely something special about that.' Lhornby@ X: @sunhornby Toronto Raptors Columnists Music Toronto Raptors Crime
Toronto Sun
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
LEAFS NOTES: Experiencing a long-distance draft, and a new job for Rick Vaive
The NHL entry drafts in 2020 and 2021 were held virtually because of the pandemic. The 2025 draft will be held in a similar, decentralized, format. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images The Maple Leafs' first 2025 draft pick, whoever he is and which day of the draft he is announced, likely will be 4,000 kilometres away from his new team when chosen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But Toronto's hockey department, working out of their Ford Performance Centre office this Friday and Saturday, won't be alone with any separation anxiety in this de-centralized draft. Most other teams will be at home bases, while 100 or so prospects are gathered with commissioner Gary Bettman at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. While Leafs amateur scouting director Mark Leach told the Toronto Sun last week that things should go smoothly, given 'COVID' drafts in 2020 and 2021 had to be virtual, all teams and the viewing public will have to manage some technical challenges of being scattered across the continent. 'We thought this would be simpler, and it's actually become way more complicated,' Steve Mayer, league president of content and events, told the Associated Press this week as he monitored the L.A. set. 'Everything has to be spot on. It was so much easier when you can look at (draft) table No. 6 and they were making their pick.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The first 32 players will be chosen Friday night. Toronto's first-round pick is owned by Chicago from the Jake McCabe trade two years ago, meaning it won't pick Friday unless trading up, and is currently up 64th at the end of Saturday's second round. SAINTLY REVIVAL FOR RICK In the 1980s, Rick Vaive and other Leafs were familiar with coach John Brophy's stark description of being sent down the QEW in St. Catharines with the American Hockey League Saints. 'It's 75 miles to get there and 75,000 miles back,' the late Brophy would direly warn the players, hoping to motivate them to fight harder for jobs with the parent team. Now it's the 66-year-old Vaive who will be coaching where Brophy once did in St. Kitts, with the newly created senior Saints of the Allan Cup Hockey League. This will be a more player-friendly, a five-team league with roster ages in the late 20s and early 30s. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vaive has been bitten by the coaching bug again. After AHL and ECHL jobs, the one-time Leafs captain last ran a bench in 2001 with the OHL's Mississauga IceDogs. 'This just came up and I remembered how I loved doing it,' Vaive said. 'I'm starting from scratch, but I still love working with players. They have day jobs and we'll practice just once a week. And it could lead to something else for me, who knows.' Vaive was impressed with St. Catharines owner Pat Smith's plans to renovate Bill Burgoyne Arena, which currently holds close to 1,000 spectators, and his plans to recruit local Niagara Peninsula hockey talent at October's training camp. Vaive, who lives in the area, agrees his NHL fame won't hurt in attracting other free agents. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Four other teams in the league are the Dundas Real McCoys (Vaive and other retired Leafs played for them), Stoney Creek Tigers, Wentworth Gryphins and Cambridge Hornets. As the name suggests, the league playoff champion will go on to compete against other top clubs across Canada for the Allan Cup, the country's senior amateur trophy since 1909. It was won last season by Wentworth, which had former NHLer Cory Conacher on the team. MATT MARTIN MOVES ON Winger Matt Martin, who played two seasons with the Leafs among more than 1,000 games as a New York Islander, announced his retirement this week. Martin signed with Toronto in the summer of 2016, his job to 'keep the flies away' from young stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander in the words of then-coach Mike Babcock. Martin had 21 points and 173 penalty minutes before returning to the Island, part of a well-regarded fourth line in the league with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 36-year-old Martin will take an advisory role with new Isles general manager Mathieu Darche. LOOSE LEAFS Though they're not lifetime Leafs, this week's inductees Alex Mogilny and Joe Thornton represent the 63rd and 64th Toronto players to be named to the Hall of Fame … Mogilny is the most recent of four NHL players to share the record of a goal five seconds into a game — while playing for Buffalo against the Leafs in 1991 … Former Leafs assistant coach Manny Malhotra's Abbotsford Canucks won the AHL's Calder Cup against Charlotte this week … Ex-Leaf and Marlie captain Rich Clune has changed his assistant coaching address from Anaheim to rejoining GM Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh under new head coach Dan Muse … It was 16 years ago Thursday that the Leafs drafted London Knights centre Nazem Kadri seventh overall, to a chorus of boos at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Lhornby@ X: @sunhornby Toronto & GTA Other Sports NHL Music Columnists
Toronto Sun
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Defending champion Panthers head back to Cup final with 5-3 win over Hurricanes
Published May 28, 2025 • 2 minute read Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers looks on during the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy after his team' defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 28, 2025 in Raleigh, N.C. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images RALEIGH, N.C. — Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Florida beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers will face the winner of the Western final between Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 in that best-of-seven series to put them within a win of a rematch with Florida for the Cup. Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes. That capped a wild night that saw the Hurricanes jump to a 2-0 lead, and Florida answer with three second-period goals, only to see Carolina's Seth Jarvis beat Sergei Bobrovsky midway through the third to tie it at 3. When it was over, the Panthers posed for pictures on Carolina's home ice during the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy for the conference winner. Some Hurricanes fans remained defiant, offering scattered 'Let's go, Oilers!' chants. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The angst is appropriate considering how Florida has now twice ended Carolina's push to its first Cup Final since winning the franchise's lone title in 2006 when now-coach Rod Brind'Amour was captain. Florida had won the first three games of this series but lost 3-0 at home Monday night as the Hurricanes averted a second straight sweep against Florida. But by the final horn Wednesday, the Panthers had won all three games in Raleigh in the series, pushed their road winning streak in these playoffs to five games and earned an eighth postseason road win overall. Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell scored on consecutive shots during Florida's second-period flurry, while Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Barkov's assist on Verhaeghe's winner also stood out as its own terrific individual effort. Florida's captain was jostling with Carolina's Dmitry Orlov in a battle near the boards on the left side when he turned toward the crease, stepped inside of Eric Robinson and sent the puck over to Verhaeghe for the finish that silenced a Hurricanes home crowd in full-throated roar after Jarvis' tying score. Sebastian Aho scored twice in the first period for Carolina, both on neutral-zone giveaways — the first being one from Gustav Forsling that hit Aho in stride for a a breakaway chance that ended up in the net. Aho added another off a giveaway from Niko Mikkola with little more than a minute left in the first for a 2-0 lead. Carolina has won at least one postseason series in its current run of seven straight playoff appearances, though three have now ended in the Eastern final. Toronto & GTA Toronto Raptors Canada Columnists Tennis
Toronto Sun
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Did Brad Marchand really have a Blizzard between periods of Game 3?
He said he did, though it's possible he was telling a frozen fib Published May 26, 2025 • 2 minute read Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on May 24, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images North America FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A controversy — a creamy, delicious one — is brewing in the Florida Panthers locker room, surrounding some potentially decadent behaviour on the part of Brad Marchand during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The issue: Did he REALLY have ice cream after the second period Saturday night? He said he did, though it's possible he was telling a frozen fib. 'I know he said it,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'I'm just not sure that makes it a fact.' This sugary story started to hit the spot soon after the game. Marchand did an interview with Sportsnet following Florida's 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and reporter Kyle Bukauskas asked the Panthers forward about a video of him eating something off a spoon between periods. Mindful that the Panthers had gotten some notoriety for visiting a Dairy Queen last week in North Carolina — one was near the hotel where Florida was staying for Games 1 and 2 against the Hurricanes, and a fan's social media posts about seeing the Panthers having some sweet treats went viral — Bukauskas wondered if Marchand was still getting his dessert fix. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'No chance you were fueling with a Blizzard there, were you?' Bukauskas asked. 'Yeah, that's a little chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard right there,' Marchand said. Now, there is a Dairy Queen about 2.4 miles away from the Panthers' home arena — and it was still open when the game was in its second intermission Saturday. So, is it possible that ice cream could have been sent to the arena? Yes. Is it likely? No. The Panthers, like all teams, have a slew of high-protein snacks available for refueling between periods. It's not uncommon for players to enjoy a spoonful or two of peanut butter, which some suspect was Marchand's actual snack item Saturday night. Maurice didn't debunk the story — but cast some doubt on it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There are cameras everywhere, man. We can't get away with anything anymore,' Maurice said. 'But that would be a good story.' As it turns out, Marchand may have had a bit of a motive for telling Bukauskas that it was a Blizzard. The TV-savvy Marchand looked directly into the camera afterward — and hinted he might want to add a DQ sponsorship to his endorsement portfolio. 'You can't beat it. It's the best dessert in the world,' Marchand said. 'So, I better get a lifetime free supply of Dairy Queen now. Thank you, fellas.' It should be noted that whatever Marchand ate between periods worked. He scored a goal in the third period, a few minutes after the snack — part of a five-goal, um, blizzard by the Panthers to seal the win. Ontario Music Sunshine Girls World Opinion
