<p style="text-align: left;">It&#8217;s often been said that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the passion that unites us all, and that&#8217;s starkly evident on an unseasonably warm Monday in January, ahead of the team&#8217;s annual outdoor practice.</p>
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<p>On the walkup to the Prince of Wales Rink in neighbouring Mimico, fans from all walks of life are strolling into the park to see their heroes. There are school-aged children, particularly focused on getting a glimpse, and perhaps an autograph from Auston Matthews, four teenagers are blasting cigarettes while sporting identical Mats Sundin jerseys, grandparents are taking their grandkids out of school, and dozens of adults are playing hooky from work.</p>
<p>The annual outdoor practice is a celebration of the community that envelops the team, and the Maple Leafs&#8217; diehard fan base, who never waver in support, with feverish anticipation surrounding the team&#8217;s upcoming playoff run. Nearly a full hour after the practice formally ended, there are still legions of supporters waiting for the team bus. Taylor Swift already performed at Rogers Centre earlier in the NHL calendar, and you get the sense this is what it&#8217;s like to be a pop star, as the fans swarm the team&#8217;s bus.</p>
<p>Mayor Olivia Chow was in attendance for the second consecutive year and it takes her two attempts to lead the fans in a frenzied &#8216;Go Leafs Go!&#8217; chant to officially commence the proceedings, before the Leafs take the ice to voracious cheers. It&#8217;s a pandering address, but photo opportunities are a requisite part of the mayor&#8217;s duties. The passion unites us <em>all, </em>I suppose!</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Team Clark, led by Auston Matthews wins the 3-on-3 tournament.</p>
<p>&mdash; Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1883915993174732897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>As for the practice itself: it was essentially a three-on-three tournament, as Morgan Rielly and Fraser Minten tried out some cool moves, Steven Lorentz and Nikita Grebenkin connected on a few uncontested 2-on-0 rushes, but ultimately Matthews steered Team Clark to victory over Team Sundin in the three-team mini-tournament, sealed by an empty-net goal from Nick Robertson.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here&#39;s one of Auston Matthews&#39; goals from today – in both video and picture form. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/EGHG7hQ77w">pic.twitter.com/EGHG7hQ77w</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1883936199653614072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>&#8220;It was a great time! It&#8217;s always a fun event that we do, and the turnout is always great. It&#8217;s a lot more fun when you win it too, so it&#8217;s a nice victory for us today,&#8221; Matthews said, while noting that head coach Craig Berube promised that the winning team would receive a lunch courtesy of the losing squad.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can only imagine today&#8217;s been a pretty good day for a lot of these kids, so it&#8217;s been a lot of fun for everybody.&#8221;</p>
<p>Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan is perhaps Mimico&#8217;s most famous resident, which certainly wasn&#8217;t lost on anyone Monday afternoon. One fan, who appeared to be around Shanahan&#8217;s age brought a sign reading: HEY BRENDAN, WELCOME BACK TO THE HOOD, GO LEAFS GO. Most markets would hold their executives in contempt after eight years of early playoff exits, but he&#8217;s getting the rock star treatment that was habitual during his playing career, for one afternoon, anyways.</p>
<p>Shanahan told reporters he used to practice at the Prince of Wales rink as a kid growing up, as a member of the now-defunct Long Branch Red Wings organization.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s hard not to come here and not think about my dad bringing me here in 1974-75. It hasn&#8217;t changed that much to be inside to be honest with you, inside the dressing room and what a full circle it&#8217;s been. I really feel really blessed to bring the Maple Leafs here.&#8221;</p>
<p>Matthews drew the loudest cheers by far, with William Nylander and Mitch Marner in a share for second place. You have to be naturally cynical, to a degree, in order to cover the Maple Leafs fairly and accurately, but afternoons like this at the outdoor arena are designed to warm the hearts of even the most jaded reporters.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Leafs annual outdoor practice is underway with a ton of screaming fans! <a href="https://t.co/DSCwUm75AS">pic.twitter.com/DSCwUm75AS</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1883910379526623591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>&#8220;The turnout is fantastic, obviously. You don&#8217;t see that too often, the turnout we had today. It was a great little event,&#8221; Berube said, while sharing his experiences of playing on an outdoor rink in his hometown of Calahoo, Alberta.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s great to do something like this, it&#8217;s a fun day obviously. The guys have fun with it. The support you get here in Toronto is fantastic. It makes the event a lot more fun, a lot of people out here cheering. It&#8217;s a good day for the guys. It&#8217;s something different, right, from the daily grind.&#8221;</p>
<p>After the practice ended, it was a family and friends affair. John Tavares, Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev were among the players who brought their kids, while Mitch Marner brought his beloved dog, Zeus, for a few laps.</p>
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<p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🚨 ZEUS APPEARANCE 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/4QeMcFCiIj">pic.twitter.com/4QeMcFCiIj</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1883929222802186683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>There are 32 games remaining in the regular season, the first campaign of Matthews&#8217; captaincy which also serves as Berube&#8217;s initial year behind the Maple Leafs&#8217; bench. There are contracts to be resolved, a trade deadline which may lead to some roster upheaval, and the incremental weight of the previous eight years on the shoulders of the team&#8217;s core, as the Maple Leafs are firmly in contention, sitting atop the Atlantic Division, despite a wave of injuries across the board.</p>
<p>For one afternoon, these are just talking points. The passion truly unites us all, and Monday&#8217;s event is a firm reminder of the earnestness that comes from a fan base, frothing at the sight of their heroes, with everything at stake during the second half of the regular season and beyond.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tap, hold and load in 4K <a href="https://t.co/JJaHKHzfPd">pic.twitter.com/JJaHKHzfPd</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1883938871794450601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p style="text-align: left;">It's often been said that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the passion that unites us all, and that's starkly evident on an unseasonably warm Monday in January, ahead of the team's annual outdoor practice.</p>

<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
On the walkup to the Prince of Wales Rink in neighbouring Mimico, fans from all walks of life are strolling into the park to see their heroes. There are school-aged children, particularly focused on getting a glimpse, and perhaps an autograph from Auston Matthews, four teenagers are blasting cigarettes while sporting identical Mats Sundin jerseys, grandparents are taking their grandkids out of school, and dozens of adults are playing hooky from work.

The annual outdoor practice is a celebration of the community that envelops the team, and the Maple Leafs' diehard fan base, who never waver in support, with feverish anticipation surrounding the team's upcoming playoff run. Nearly a full hour after the practice formally ended, there are still legions of supporters waiting for the team bus. Taylor Swift already performed at Rogers Centre earlier in the NHL calendar, and you get the sense this is what it's like to be a pop star, as the fans swarm the team's bus.

Mayor Olivia Chow was in attendance for the second consecutive year and it takes her two attempts to lead the fans in a frenzied 'Go Leafs Go!' chant to officially commence the proceedings, before the Leafs take the ice to voracious cheers. It's a pandering address, but photo opportunities are a requisite part of the mayor's duties. The passion unites us <em>all, </em>I suppose!

https://twitter.com/Arunthings/status/1883915993174732897

As for the practice itself: it was essentially a three-on-three tournament, as Morgan Rielly and Fraser Minten tried out some cool moves, Steven Lorentz and Nikita Grebenkin connected on a few uncontested 2-on-0 rushes, but ultimately Matthews steered Team Clark to victory over Team Sundin in the three-team mini-tournament, sealed by an empty-net goal from Nick Robertson.

https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1883936199653614072

"It was a great time! It's always a fun event that we do, and the turnout is always great. It's a lot more fun when you win it too, so it's a nice victory for us today," Matthews said, while noting that head coach Craig Berube promised that the winning team would receive a lunch courtesy of the losing squad.

"I can only imagine today's been a pretty good day for a lot of these kids, so it's been a lot of fun for everybody."

Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan is perhaps Mimico's most famous resident, which certainly wasn't lost on anyone Monday afternoon. One fan, who appeared to be around Shanahan's age brought a sign reading: HEY BRENDAN, WELCOME BACK TO THE HOOD, GO LEAFS GO. Most markets would hold their executives in contempt after eight years of early playoff exits, but he's getting the rock star treatment that was habitual during his playing career, for one afternoon, anyways.

Shanahan told reporters he used to practice at the Prince of Wales rink as a kid growing up, as a member of the now-defunct Long Branch Red Wings organization.

"It's hard not to come here and not think about my dad bringing me here in 1974-75. It hasn't changed that much to be inside to be honest with you, inside the dressing room and what a full circle it's been. I really feel really blessed to bring the Maple Leafs here."

Matthews drew the loudest cheers by far, with William Nylander and Mitch Marner in a share for second place. You have to be naturally cynical, to a degree, in order to cover the Maple Leafs fairly and accurately, but afternoons like this at the outdoor arena are designed to warm the hearts of even the most jaded reporters.

https://twitter.com/arunthings/status/1883910379526623591?s=46&amp;t=ZScKpOPIyd2CPPkszRwq8w

"The turnout is fantastic, obviously. You don't see that too often, the turnout we had today. It was a great little event," Berube said, while sharing his experiences of playing on an outdoor rink in his hometown of Calahoo, Alberta.

"It's great to do something like this, it's a fun day obviously. The guys have fun with it. The support you get here in Toronto is fantastic. It makes the event a lot more fun, a lot of people out here cheering. It's a good day for the guys. It's something different, right, from the daily grind."

After the practice ended, it was a family and friends affair. John Tavares, Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev were among the players who brought their kids, while Mitch Marner brought his beloved dog, Zeus, for a few laps.

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1883929222802186683

There are 32 games remaining in the regular season, the first campaign of Matthews' captaincy which also serves as Berube's initial year behind the Maple Leafs' bench. There are contracts to be resolved, a trade deadline which may lead to some roster upheaval, and the incremental weight of the previous eight years on the shoulders of the team's core, as the Maple Leafs are firmly in contention, sitting atop the Atlantic Division, despite a wave of injuries across the board.

For one afternoon, these are just talking points. The passion truly unites us all, and Monday's event is a firm reminder of the earnestness that comes from a fan base, frothing at the sight of their heroes, with everything at stake during the second half of the regular season and beyond.

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1883938871794450601
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Maple Leafs’ annual outdoor practice is a celebration of community and a diehard fan base

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