LANCE HORNBY
Toronto Sun
Scotiabank Arena’s hockey fans were a little late flocking to the boo-bird nest, but made themselves heard when the Star-Spangled Banner started up Saturday’s 6-3 Toronto win.
The Leafs had not played at home since Jan. 29, before Donald Trump ratcheted up the trade war and his rhetoric about the 51st state. However, after the Bell Centre in Montreal started jeering the anthem in the first Canada – U.S. meeting of the 4 Nations Face-Off and Canada won the final in hostile Boston, about half the 19,000 fans were ready to razz when Natalie Morris began to sing.
When she reached the high notes of ‘the rockets’ red glare’, the booing increased, but Morris was unfazed and those who’d stayed neutral during the song cheered loudly at the end as several Leafs and Hurricanes tapped their sticks.
Conservative SBA usually doesn’t join in O Canada so lustily, but Saturday was an exception. At ‘the true North strong and free’, there was extra audience shouts of ‘free’.
The Leafs have eight Americans on their roster, including captain Auston Matthews, the Canes’ six. While Bell Centre patrons were asked in a public address to respect the anthems just before the U.S. game, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertaiment did not make such an announcement Saturday.
MORRIS RESONATES
One part of Saturday’s program everyone could agree on was cheering a video tribute to late Maple Leaf Gardens announcer Paul Morris, who died this month at 86.
Morris’s call on goals by Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler and Doug Gilmour were replayed, as was his rare appearance on the closing night of the Gardens in 1999 and his deep-voiced delivery “last minute of play in this period”, which was used in real time during Saturday’s match.
EBUG AYRES MAKES TRACKS
When talking to David Ayres about his once close ties to the Leafs, you can safely say the train has left the station.
He had his Toronto tee on under his sweater and played with borrowed Marlie gear, but after his emergency back-up feat gave visiting Carolina an improbable win that caused huge embarrassment here, he’s not shocked they didn’t retain him, either as practice goalie or Zamboni driver.
“My relationship with them? There is none,” the famous EBUG quipped to the Sun on Saturday’s five-year anniversary, which conveniently came with Carolina in town. “Don’t get me wrong, I made a lot of friends there. The equipment guys I still talk to. But I’m good with where I am and where hockey has taken me.”
Now 47, he still plays for the Ontario Super League Richmond Hill Coyotes (“just had a shutout,” he said proudly), a 14-team provincial senior loop that has lured minor pros and even one-time NHLers such as Rob Schremp. That keeps Whitby native Ayres active enough to play NHL Alumni games (hey, he qualifies) to raise further charitable funds for Hockey for the Homeless and the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Part of the amazing Ayres story was his mother, Mary, donating him a kidney in 2004. When Ayres beat the Leafs, the oldest NHL goalie ever to win his debut, he travelled the U.S. network talk circuit, where an emotional Mary came on a video link for NBC’s Today Show.
Today, you’ll likely find Ayres riding the rails more than tending twine. When his 15 minutes of fame were up and COVID-19 struck soon after, it was back to work. After a stint at a Burlington, Ont., refrigeration company, he took a course to become a Canadian National train conductor.
“Yeah, I really switched career paths,” he laughed. “My Dad was a conductor when our family was growing up. It was something that felt right.
“I go all over the place (he spoke to us driving to Buffalo to meet a train crossing the border). I’m not a certified engineer (who drive the trains), but I monitor freight and signals. There’s a lot of paper documents involved, kind of archaic, but our trains can be any length, for 10 cars to 105.
“Right now, with the threat of tarriffs it’s a very uncertain time in our business.”
There’s some levity that hockey fans among U.S. border inspection officers instantly recognize him when he pulls out ID – “hey, you’re that guy, that goalie!”
Ayres has his souvenir Carolina sweater (No. 90) and his stick went to the Hall of Fame, but the story had a limited shelf life outside of hockey. A movie that comedian James Corden’s production company approached Ayres about didn’t fly, nor did discussions with Disney and NBA star Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media.
‘It’s just not how I wanted it to be,” Ayres explains of the plot and scripts that were suggested to him.
Then COVID kiboshed any such projects as did the Hollywood writers’ strike, but there’s renewed talk of a small scale EBUG movie that will soon begin filming, with details of his participation to be determined.
“I would be cool playing myself,” he added.
LOOSE LEAFS
Scratched Saturday were winger Max Pacioretty with muscle tightness and Connor Dewar with a lingering upper body injury. It’s likely Dewar and Ryan Reaves play in Chicago on Sunday with goalie Joseph Woll and possibly defenceman Philippe Myers … Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour anticipates the final eight weeks of regular season will be “nuts” with the trade deadline March 7 and games condensed by the 4 Nations break. “But that’s for everybody,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s not like anyone has an advantage or disadvantage.”
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