The Town of Bracebridge welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs into the Muskoka Lumber Arena on October 1 for a special community practice.
According to Katie Gruetzner, Recreation Coordinator at the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, this is the second time the Maple Leafs have chosen to bring their practice to the community centre.
She says the practice was invite only. Town officials say the crowd had 900 people including students from Muskoka Falls Public School, Bracebridge Public School and Monsignor Michael O’Leary Catholic School.
Also in attendance were players from South Muskoka Minor Hockey and St. Dominic Catholic Secondary School hockey team.
“Having the Toronto Maple Leafs return to Bracebridge for a community practice is an unforgettable experience for our students,” said Bracebridge Mayor Rick Maloney. “Opportunities like this inspire young athletes and create lasting memories for everyone in attendance. On behalf of the Town, thank you to the Toronto Maple Leafs for bringing such incredible energy to the Muskoka Lumber Arena.”
Gruetzner says different from the previous year, the team decided to exit the building through the main doors to share interactions with the students.
“It’s pretty amazing when you see Auston Matthews with a big smile on his face because he just made a kids day,” said Gruetzner. “…it was a nice opportunity for us as staff too – this is why we do this, to see the change made in those kids.”
She says it was exciting to be there with all the kids and to see how excited they were and how loud they were cheering.
