- Sergei Bobrovsky skated onto the ice ahead of Gavin McKenna’s rookie lap before Toronto’s opener
- The clip went viral and the Leafs goalie has been taking heat ever since
- Read below for the video, McKenna’s take on his debut night and the jersey number subplot
Gavin McKenna’s rookie lap came with a plus-one.
Sergei Bobrovsky stepped onto the Scotiabank Arena ice first before Tuesday’s season opener against the Canadiens, right as the No. 1 overall pick was set to take his solo lap. Toronto’s new goalie peeled off toward the bench and McKenna still got his moment, but the clip took off anyway.
Take a look at the tunnel and the lap:
It’s one of hockey’s simplest traditions. A player making his NHL debut skates out alone for warmups while the rest of the team hangs back in the tunnel.
Bobrovsky has a reputation for a strict pregame routine, and being first on the ice is part of it.
Fans weren’t interested in the explanation. The 38-year-old got called selfish and a bad teammate all over social media, and it wasn’t only fans. Montreal Gazette columnist Stu Cowan piled on Wednesday morning:
His jersey number doesn’t help Bobrovsky’s case. McKenna gave up No. 72 because the goalie has worn it for most of his career and took it after signing in Toronto this summer. That sent McKenna to No. 92, a nod to the retired 9 and 27 hanging in the rafters.
McKenna doesn’t seem bothered by any of it. The 18-year-old was asked after the game what stood out about his first NHL night.
“It’s pretty hard to forget a day like this,” McKenna said. “Coming out here, getting to have that rookie lap, seeing my family on the glass in warmups, hearing your name called in player intros, it’s all pretty special.”
Catch the full solo lap video:
Montreal spoiled the rest of the evening. The Canadiens won 3-2, McKenna finished minus-2 with one shot in 15:19, and Bobrovsky stopped 21 of 24 shots in his Leafs regular-season debut.
Toronto faces the Islanders Wednesday night in the back half of a back-to-back. There’s no rookie lap on the schedule this time, so Bobrovsky can lead the way out of the tunnel without anyone noticing.
