Our Maple Leafs are back in Toronto to face the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Then they will be jetting off again to face the Ottawa Senators in Saskatoon.

Why travel to Saskatchewan for the pre-season? I assume the World Cup organizers expected Tyler Seguin's partying would cause so much damage to the ACC locker rooms they would need a two week buffer to clean up the place.

Get pumped for tonight's game with this Komarov highlight video!

(that shorthanded slapshot.... sploosh)

Numbers indicate World Cup of Hockey was half empty, organizers say otherwise - Globe and Mail

SPECIES: I was there on Tuesday for the final, and there were empty seats. My ticket had a face value of $266.17. I paid $50 for it on Stubhub. While a lot of the final series was boring, I think people did miss out on some amazing hockey games in the round-robin, and most Torontois will never again in their life have a chance to see in person a line of Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand; or Matthews, McDavid, and... someone else on that line no one will ever remember.

However, I can understand why attendance was so low for the rest of the tournament. These games were priced too high, played in a year with a lot of special hockey events in Toronto, and, worst of all, game times were awful. 3PM and 8PM? I have work. So does everyone who has $100 to drop on a hockey game. You can't expect us to show up to an 8PM game on a Tuesday at that price.

Oh, and, by the way, and it makes me feel dirty to say it, Marchand totally should have been MVP. Giving it to Crosby felt like a default option by a PHWA that didn't actually watch the games.

The Fan Village was weird too. There were big turnouts and a great atmosphere (despite the lack of seating) for the Canada games, but here is a photo from the night Czechia beat Team USA.

That was actually a great hockey game, but the sparse attendance is the result of arranging a tournament where meaningless games are played starting at 8:00 PM 8:20 PM after all the damn banners and gifts are exchanged, and we listen to the national anthems. That isn't workable for most people. Adopt the IIHF practice of dropping the puck right on time and only playing national anthems at the end of games for only the winning team.

Last night's ugly moment

I don't know what Hjalmarsson is thinking here. He even jumps up with his feet off the ice. That's always cited by player safety as a major infraction. This suspension may go past the pre-season, unlike Shaw's.

WATCH: Nikita Korostelev’s hat trick leads Sarnia Sting to 7-4 win over Ottawa
After a disappointing first round exit for Sarnia in the playoffs, a trade in the KHL saw his rights move from Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg to CSKA Moscow in early September 2016, spurring some speculation about whether he was staying in the Ontario Hockey League this season. Korsotelev put those questions to bed after participating in the 2016 rookie tournament — where he impressed onlookers in the Sunday game — and appearing briefly at the Maple Leafs‘ main camp before returning to Sarnia after the first round of cuts.

Did Claude Giroux run off with the World Cup trophy? - Broad Street Hockey
Maybe.. yes he actually did!?! This was the most Giroux thing possible to come out of the entire tournament.

Comprehensive Sharks training camp preview - Battle of California
Here's the official BOC guide to the Sharks training camp, including in-depth analysis of all players, and projected starting lineups for the season.

Bernier likes environment with Ducks after surviving pressure-packed Toronto - The OC Register
[SPECIES: Bernier's Leafs legacy: a shitty Nordstrom photoshoot plastered all over the Y-U-S stations adjoining the Eaton Centre, and Remernier fanfic. I think the latter is better.]

Fantasy Hockey Tips Part 1: Best Sleeper Picks & Overrated Picks to Avoid! - Shanaplan Debate
Want to WIN your Fantasy Hockey Pool this Season? Avoid these overrated players, and keep your eye on these sleeper picks, and you might just win your pool!

There's a ton of players on waivers from all teams right now. Check in at noon to see who else is added.

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