I Watched (and Listened to) This Game: Happy 100th

Photo credit: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP

With the calendar year turning to 2017, that means the NHL, as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs turn 100, both having been established in 1917. So, what does one do to celebrate this occasion? Hand the Leafs their very own outdoor game and against an Original 6 rival in the Detroit Red Wings. Yes, I watched, and as you will read on, later listened to, this game known as the Centennial Classic.

• 30 minute delay as the teams wait out a sun glare issue.
• Ceremonies before the game push the actual start time back to around 2:50 PM CST. The first 28 of the top 100 players were announced, with that group being represented by their family members. Five more were announced, and they made their way out on their own.
• Because of the channel flipping, I only caught the end of "O Canada," and it sounded a little rushed.
• Nothing really doing in the first period, as both teams were rather tentative, although Nazem Kadri drove to the net on one play and drew a penalty on Brendan Smith.
• No score after one. Also, no comment on intermission entertainment, having learned from the debacles of the Winter Classics past.
• Switching over to radio, and the I Listened to This Game portion, 
• Detroit actually had the better chances late in the first period, and they continued their momentum, drawing a penalty on William Nylander for holding the stick.
• They don't score on the power play, but Anthony Mantha puts the team on the board. If Detroit were wise, they'd give him top six forward minutes, as he's a goal scorer and Detroit needs scoring badly.
• Connor Brown goes off for hooking, and the Leafs are down a man again. Again, the Wings don't capitalize.
• Nick Jensen (no, not the Vancouver Canucks draft bust) gets too grabby, and is sent off. However, the Leafs' power play is abruptly halted, as they are caught with too many men on the ice, and Mitch Marner takes one for the team.
• In between the calls, Jake Gardiner nearly ties it up, but gets gonged by the post. Detroit heads into the final frame with a 1-0 lead.
• The beginning of the third period sees Uncle Leo Komarov head to the net and tip in a shot to tie things up and that also wakes up a Toronto crowd that was last seen awake during the baseball playoffs.
• We get a fight, as Steve Ott and Matt Martin have a disagreement and drop gloves. Decision goes to Martin.
• Marner puts the Leafs ahead after carrying the puck from the corner to roof one past Jared Coreau. Those Patrick Kane comparisons aren't off.
• It's raining goals, as Connor Brown doubles the Leafs lead, and a short time later, Auston Matthews makes it 4-1.
• Detroit answers back, as Jonathan Ericksson cuts the lead down to two. A JVR mistake leads to a Dylan Larkin goal that puts the Wings back within one.
• A furious finish sees Mantha tie up the game with 1.1 second left, though there was a wait, as the play was under review.
• Free hockey, as overtime commences and both teams trade chances, but fail to score.
• Before the shootout could happen, Matthews comes through to score the game winner for Toronto. He was on the wrong end of overtime matches in both his debut and the first game against fellow 2016 draftee Patrik Laine, but this may very well be to him what the Winter Classic in Buffalo was to Sidney Crosby.

The game got off to an excruciatingly slow start, but from the third period on, it was one of the more exciting tilts of the season. The Leafs need to figure out how not to blow three goal leads in the third period, and that will come with experience, but there is much to like here with the roster as constituted. As for the Wings, they have a lot of work to do, as the only guy who stood out was Mantha, who needs to be a top six forward. Remember, he was drafted to be a goal scorer, and the Wings would be wise to put him in a spot that best suits his skill set. That means letting him learn on the job in the NHL, as he's been more than ready this season.