If he's the city's adopted son, this was baptism.
Waking up to an alarm set before standard, Auston Matthews threw on an extra layer when he emerged from his slumber Saturday, and headed out to the rink for an early-morning practice in frigid conditions.
This is holy ritual in Canada, and one his teammates, and the thousands of kids who now idolize him, know too well. But windburned cheeks and toes tingling as they returned to temperature in the locker room were unfamiliar sensations for the teenage star with the Toronto Maple Leafs on the eve of the Centennial Classic.
Feeling any more Canadian now, Auston?
"I feel very Canadian today," he laughed, shortly after the Leafs practiced on the NHL-grade rink built on the frozen grounds of BMO Field.
This, too, was a foreign feeling for Matthews. The marquee attraction at the NHL's annual open-air New Year's Day showcase hails from Scottsdale, Ariz., where the margaritas come frozen - not ponds.
Having never earned his ice with a shovel, scraping away snow to reveal a fresh sheet, Matthews doesn't know the seasonal luxury that many NHL stars used to hone their talent, innovate, and grow an obsession over a game in their impressionable years.
It's the reason Canadian kids, as well as many Americans who share their climate, wear frostbite like a badge of honor. Because in many cases, time invested is what set them apart.
"I loved playing outside, it always seemed like it was more fun," Matthews' linemate and local kid Connor Brown said. "That's where I grew up learning to play and really love the game."
A disadvantage? Maybe. But no hurdle Matthews couldn't clear.
Eschewing other interests to maximize his time at a local rink about as old as hockey itself in the Valley of the Sun, Matthews acquired essential skills to surface on the radar of the U.S. Development Program, and then under expert tutelage, he evolved into the top prospect in his NHL draft season.
Now, the No. 1 overall pick is having one of the finest rookie campaigns in the franchise's 100-year history. Which, as it happens, is the cause for celebration this weekend.
Matthews is on pace for more than 40 goals, 300-plus shots, and if he can maintain his colossal attacking rate, he'll obliterate the club's rookie records. And while he's exceeded expectation on the ice in 35 games, he's also handled the often-blinding spotlight brilliantly.
His temperament to this point has been irreproachable.
It seems every time he answers a question, Mike Babcock should be seen off in the distance, nodding in approval.
"(It was my) first time skating outdoors (in preparation) for a game, so it was definitely exciting to go out there and get used to the ice. I enjoyed today - it's fun. But come tomorrow, it's all business."
As the novice arctic outdoorsman in a sportive room, Matthews will have been subjected to his share of good-natured ribbing when the weekend is over (and there's three generations of Maple Leafs packed into one room to dish it out.)
But under the arctic clouds and while breathing in chilly air Sunday, the ice will be immaculate and the dimensions just the same as inside Air Canada Centre. It'll be hockey. Nothing more or less.
And when it is, Matthews ends up being the difference for the Leafs more often than not.
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