Finally! A long summer wait is over, and our beloved Maple Leafs are back on the ice! It’s so exciting!

Our Maple Leafs opened the 8-game pre-season with a match against the Edmonton Oilers. Coach Paul Maurice decided that the first 4 games would go to each of his 4 goalies, that is, 60 minutes of hockey each.

Game 1 went to hot prospect Justin Pogge. He looked good in net too. Last season on the Marlies really paid off, as Pogge looked comfortable playing in his first NHL game. Yes it is a pre-season game, but it’s NHL talent he’s stopping.

The Leafs came out strong, but eventually lost in OT. We took some Oilers with us though. Three Oilers were injured, even a couple bleeders. No Leafs were hurt, which is good for a change.

All in all, it was a good effort by our Maple Leafs. The young guys looked ready to go, and that’s good news for the upcoming regular season. Let’s see what Andrew ‘Razor’ Raycroft can do against the Phoenix Coyotes.