Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Boy were we worried about nothing with Morgan Rielly being suspended. Not a single loss so far, and the offense has been stepping up to fill the gaps.

Bobby McMann has been relishing his time in the spotlight, Auston Matthews continued to love hat tricks, William Nylander is Mr. 500, and the rest.

We beat the Blues, Flyers, and absolutely wrecked the Ducks at home and today the Leafs began to bring their tour of totality on the road, beginning today with a 1PM Presidents Day start in St. Louis. Then it's the Coyotes on Wednesday, and then Rielly returns just in time to face off against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

Once again, don't forget, today's game is at 1:00PM. In the afternoon. Just in time for me to get home from work. Love it.

So, let's enjoy some afternoon delight with the Leafs as they continue to never lose a game without Morgan Rielly.

Elsewhere...

I'm thrilled about the crowd at Scotiabank on Friday night and all the support the PWHL is getting, even if my van broke down just in time for me to miss the game and miss an SBA full of pure hockey fans and not a suit in sight. Damn it.

Record attendance at Toronto PWHL game shows interest, support in women’s hockey is growing, advocates say
The record crowd at Friday’s Toronto-Montreal Professional Women’s Hockey League game at Scotiabank Arena shows that women are “finally” getting the support they deserve, with more young girls showing interest in joining the sport, the director of girl’s hockey at the Ontario Hockey Academy says.
CBCDesmond Brown, Derick Deonarain

However, I don't want to be a downer but I don't want everyone to get ahead of themselves on what this means. It's year one of the league. Hype is still building. I wouldn't consider this a sign they could sell out an NHL arena regularly. Coca Cola Coliseum? That's a solid idea. I'll be more convinced about the SBA when it's still straight sellouts every night in season three or four.

I am still learning about guys the Leafs have signed. Who's the new guy?

Nice.

Even better.

Sheldon Keefe on the call-up of Marshall Rifai: “He has some NHL attributes: He skates extremely well, he closes space well, he’s physical, and he’s a competitor”
After practice on Sunday, Sheldon Keefe discussed the emergency recall of Marlies defenseman Marshall Rifai, the status of his injured players, and a five-forward look on the power play. Practice Lines – Feb. 18 #Leafs lines during practice Feb. 18/24 Knies-Matthews-MarnerBertuzzi-Tavares-NylanderMcMann-Holmberg-RobertsonGregor-Kampf-Reaves Rielly-BrodieBenoit-LajoieRifaiAbsent: Liljegren, McCabe, Domi (all maintenance days) Samsonov, Woll Jones did work before practice… […]
Maple Leafs HotstoveMLHS Staff

Heck yeah.

Auston Matthews will be the Leafs goal leader next season. Ovechkin better enjoy being top two all time while he can. Matthews is coming for the top spot.

‘It’s insane’: Another Matthews hat trick puts Maple Leafs on cruise control
Auston Matthews has not only cracked a cheat code for NHL goalies and turned the Rocket Richard Trophy race into a yawnfest. On Saturday night, he also figured out the best way to get benched.
Sportsnet| February 17, 2024, 11:51 PM

I love a good listicle.

Ranking NHL Stadium Series games based on venue, hype, style, competitiveness
Prior to this weekend’s two games at MetLife Stadium, there have been 13 Stadium Series contests. Which one rates the highest on our scale?
ESPNGreg Wyshynski

What's the mystery? I don't know I forgot to renew my subscription.

50 years after Tim Horton’s deadly car crash, we clear up one lingering mystery
The Leaf legend’s weakness for fast cars was his downfall on Feb. 21, 1974. But the story of his De Tomaso Pantera wasn’t quite what it seemed.
St. Catharines StandardEdward Brown, Special to the Star

That's a $5,000 fine.

Alright. Enjoy your day everyone!

From The Branches