The Leafs and Habs have been going at it since 1917, but this year's NHL curtain-raiser will have special meaning.
For the 851st time — and 29th to open the National Hockey League season — the Maple Leafs and Canadiens will stare across centre ice, waiting for bilingual O Canada to end so they can bump helmets in the game’s oldest pro rivalry. Article content
But a truce will be in effect Wednesday before the match as both clubs remember the late Ken Dryden — a Hall of Fame goalie for the Habs in the 1970s, Leafs president in the late ‘90s, Team Canada ‘72 hero and a national figure as writer, commentator and politician. Article content Article content
The Leafs will mark Dryden’s September passing at age 78 with a yet-to-be-revealed ceremony, while the Sportsnet broadcast will eu