What Happened
The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their season with a 3-2 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Defenceman Darren Raddysh was among 10 players making their Maple Leafs debut, and he described an emotional first skate after spotting his son Beau in the lower bowl. Raddysh's father, Dwayne, died of pancreatic cancer in March and never saw him play for Toronto. Forward Gavin McKenna had not played a meaningful pro shift, while Kirill Marchenko learned about his move to Toronto roughly 26 hours before puck drop.
Key Details
- Maple Leafs fell 3-2 at home to the Canadiens in their season opener.
- Ten players made their Toronto debuts in the game.
- Raddysh's father Dwayne died of pancreatic cancer in March.
- Raddysh saw his son Beau in the lower bowl during his first skate.
- Gavin McKenna had not played a meaningful pro shift before the game.
- Kirill Marchenko learned of his Toronto move about 26 hours before puck drop.
What It Means
Toronto iced a heavily turned-over roster with a new coaching staff after a shortened training camp, so early chemistry is a work in progress. The opponent was the reigning conference finalist, a group largely intact from its deep playoff run, making the opener a difficult first test for the rebuilt Leafs lineup.