After months of hype, the game that many have been waiting for will finally come to fruition tomorrow. The “Outdoor Classic”, the “Steeltown Showdown”, the “Game that should’ve been played at BMO Field instead”, whatever you want to call it, it’s happening in just a few hours.
The ice is ready; several practices have been played on the surface, the public got a chance to skate on it, some mens leaguers have played some casual games, and we even saw an Alumni Game go down tonight between former Leafs and Habs. The weather has complied, with Southern Ontario finally loooking like it’s deserving of winter, a month in to the season. Needless to say – the conditions for tomorrow are fantastic.
Looking to wards the game, I have the following questions..
How many are going to show up? As much as I’d like to believe we’re going to see something close to capacity, the push to sell tickets has bordered on desperation by both Bulldogs and Marlies camps. I have a good feeling that we’ll see a sizeable crowd, but out of 29,600 people, I’d be pleasantly surprised if it tipped over 25,000. Though lets be real – both teams have been near the bottom of the attendance charts all season, and special event be damned, these tickets were expensive for AHL hockey. So reasonably, even selling half of the seats would be a victory to me – which is something I’m pretty certain they’ve done at this point.
Next up, I really want to see how this jersey looks tomorrow. I mean, its not going to be drastically different, but there has to be some sort of edge to it, right? Personally, I wouldn’t be shocked if they just ripped the logo off a Leafs 3rd and put the Marlies one on, seeing as it’s a one off. But we’ll see soon enough.
Looking towards the actual game – will there actually be a focus on winning? Dallas Eakins, when talking to the Canadian Press, certainly seemed to give that vibe, making it evident that a win was priority one. His wordless actions gave that hint too, with practices leading to the game being intense and not casual skate-arounds on the outdoor ice.
It’s a game that the team needs to win, that’s for sure. The Marlies recent games against against the Bulldogs have been disappointments, including their loss on Sunday. Suddenly, Toronto sees themselves just 6 points ahead of Hamilton despite two extra games played, so holding them back is big not just to make a statement for future matchups, but to maintain that division lead.
Likely starting in net for Toronto is Ben Scrivens. No significant changes in the roster, unless they come in the morning. Hamilton’s rosters appear to be held close to their chest as well. As a cheat sheet, I’ll suggest the same stuff as I do every time the Marlies face the Bulldogs, just because it doesn’t change much. Look for Aaron Palushaj to pick up points, Andreas Engqvist to score some goals, Louis Leblanc and Alexander Avtsin if you want to see some a rookie presence, and Zack Fitzgerald if you’re hoping for faces to be punched.
Stay glued to twitter! I’m going to be at Ivor Wynne early giving updates as I get them, including during the game, as always.
