**Warning…This article may contain the rants and biased opinion of a true, bleed blue, hometown leaf fan. The contents & opinions contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions and team preferences of Riley & all its employees. (But honestly…it doesn’t matter…its a blog…lighten up….Go LEAFS GO!)***
Well it has come that time of the season where us Canadians hold out as long as possible before grabbing a sweater & putting away the summer shorts, while at the same time reaching for the hockey gear and hitting the rink!
For those of you in the know, and even for those of you who don’t care to know…The NHL Hockey Pre-Season begins tonight, with a game between The Toronto Maple Leafs & The Ottawa Senators! Yes i know it is only the Pre-Season, it doesn’t count towards anything…but for us long suffering fans of the buds…its the first time we have seen the boys hit the ice since the taking the Presidents Trophy winners, and highly favored Capitals to task in the 1st round of last years playoffs.
This is an especially exciting time for Toronto fans, as it marks the first time in decades that the performance expectations of the team, actually match reality. Last year marked the 100 year anniversary of the franchise, and it also gave us another year without a Championship. Toronto now ranks in the top 10 longest active droughts in North American Pro Sports History. However these days, with the crop of young players (The Big Three…you know who they are); who combined for a total of 201 points IN THEIR ROOKIE YEAR…you can see why there is plenty of reason to be optimistic! Heck even some of the 4th line guys were putting up 20 goals. Regardless if you are a Leaf fan or not, you have to admit…this could very well be history in the making, and those kids sure make things interesting!
Even though I may be a leaf fan, Riley is a proud supporter of all things hockey & a supplier to many different levels of the sport. We have been working tirelessly with all of our clients and suppliers to make sure everyone’s facility is up and running as the hockey season approaches. (Including the Senators, Capitals & Defending Stanley Cup Champs Pittsburgh Penguins). So if you are managing a facility and notice that there are some repairs or replacements needed, then we want to hear from you! You can also visit our Online Store to purchase directly from there!