The National Hockey League is finally back, with the Toronto Maple Leafs facing Ottawa Senators in the first game of pre-season.
The two Canadian sides are used to facing one another, but perhaps not twice in one day, which is exactly what will be happening on Saturday night. Double-headers are almost unheard of in professional sport, but it's become somewhat of a tradition in the NHL.
The Leafs will face the Sens at 6pm UK time, and again at midnight as they will be operating with split squads. And fans inside the Scotiabank Arena will get a real look at who's in the best shape ahead of the 2022/23 season.
The NHL regular officially gets underway on October 7, but the Leafs have seven pre-season matches before their campaign begins on October 13. The Leafs will be sticking close to home for pre-season, with the 'battle of Ontario' sparking things into life with two games in the space of eight hours.
Then, the Leafs will keep the intensity high with matches against arch rivals Montreal Canadiens before a short trip to Detroit to face the Red Wings. A double-header to begin pre-season has become a popular event put on by the NHL, but it was baseball that first inspired the idea within North America.
The Leafs will be hoping for a positive pre-season as they look to bounce back from another underwhelming play-off performance, with the post-season becoming a bit of a curse for the Leafs. They haven't won a play-off series since 2004, and continue to throw away the series from winning positions.
Last season, the Leafs were matched up against Stanley Cup champions Tampa Bay Lightning, but lost the series despite leading 3-2 after five games.
But their most humiliating play-off appearance was in 2021, when they led arch rivals Montreal 3-0, and went on to lose four-straight games and crash out at the first hurdle.
The Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967, and despite boasting some of the best talent in the NHL, Sheldon Keefe can't seem to find a winning formula. But another season brings fresh opportunity for the Leafs, and Keefe is hoping that Mitch Marner is going to have a statement season.
"Early indications are that he's come into camp looking good," said Keefe. "Certainly doesn't look like a guy who's resting on what he accomplished last season. He's looking to build on it."
Marner has bulked up over the summer, and is hoping that his physique change will boost his chances in battles this season. "It's not much of a jump, but it still is a couple pounds that make you feel a little stronger," said Marner, who weighed in at 181lbs to start training camp.
"Can kind of cut into the ice a little more, take guys on one-on-one a little more, but we'll see when the real season starts. Now, it's just maintaining that weight and keeping healthy with it and seeing how I feel with it."
