Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Last night the Leafs were in Ottawa doing their usual Leafy things in one of their many vacation homes, and their home base of Scotiabank Arena was handed over to the Toronto Scepters.

It was their annual Battle of Bay St. game, and the guest this year was the New York Sirens. The Scepters have had a terrible season so far, sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 4-0-2-6 record, giving them only 14 points. Compared to the first place Montreal Victorie's 6-2-1-2 record.

However, in front of their largest crowd of the season (19,102) the Scepters defeated the Sirens 4-2 thanks to two goals from Hannah Miller and a game winner from Sarah Nurse.

Sarah Nurse scores late winner, Toronto Sceptres top New York Sirens at Scotiabank Arena | TSN
Sarah Nurse checked in with a late game-winner on the power-play and Hannah Miller scored twice to lift the Toronto Sceptres to a 4-2 win against the New York Sirens on Saturday.

Megan Carter made her PWHL debut in the game, missing the beginning of the season due to injury.

NURSEY NETS IT 🚨 Sarah Nurse scores for the @pwhlsceptres.bsky.social lead!

PWHL (@thepwhl.com) 2025-01-25T21:36:03.879Z

If you're looking for a good community focused on the Scepters, I would join the Scepters subreddit. The posts are supportive of the team, and the fans are all there for each other. There were actually several offers for free tickets to this afternoons game from fans who couldn't make it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TorontoSceptres/new/

While there, I found this story from CBC Sports about Toronto head coach Troy Ryan's story from finding his way through hockey.

As he waited at a gate to enter the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony in 2022, Troy Ryan's mind flashed back to the people who helped him get here.
There was the teacher back in Spryfield, N.S., who told Ryan he wouldn't give him a passing grade unless he signed up for all the sports at school, knowing it would keep him out of trouble.
His mother, who always found a way to help Ryan raise the money to play sports, and taught him the value of hard work. Along with his sister — the most consistent person in his life.
The minor hockey coach who taught him how to put shingles on a roof, exchanging the labour for the cost of Ryan's hockey school fees.

How did the Leafs fare in Ottawa? They lost, it wasn't great.

Recap: Leafs low-event their way to a loss to the Senators
Not the most exciting game ever.

There was a nice story in there as Jacob Quillian made his NHL debut for the Leafs tonight, and with some good news about a bad player in a bad game.

The NHL’s Dirtiest Player Takes a Run at Leafs Rookie Jacob Quillan and Suffers Horrible Injury
Nick Cousins is widely considered the NHL’s dirtiest player, but after taking a run at Leafs rookie Jacob Quillan, it was Cousins who suffered a horrible injury.

Many Leafs prospects were up to their old tricks tonight and Brigs has the scoop for you.

#Leafs prospect Sam McCue gets the primary assist during a scrambled goal in front of the net. He has two assists on the game, bringing him to 39 points in 41 games in the OHL this season.

Nikita GREAT-byonkin (@brigstew.bsky.social) 2025-01-26T01:52:19.498Z

If the Oilers are at the top, there's nowhere to go but down.

From worst to first, Edmonton Oilers reach top of midseason mountain
Edmonton trailed the Sabres 1-0 in the first period, 2-1 in the second as they hung on for a too-close-for-comfort 3-2 decision.

As the game grows in popularity, will we see history be made at the draft this year with Simon Wang being the first Chinese born first round pick? You can check him on the Oshawa Generals for the rest of this season.

NHL Draft: Simon Wang Tops Junior A Players Listed By Central Scouting - FloHockey
Several familiar names from the BCHL and CJHL earned spots on Central Scouting’s 2025 NHL Mid-Term Draft Rankings, highlighted by defenseman Simon Wang.

If you're here you probably don't need this, but you may know someone who does.

Everything you’ve wanted to know about hockey games but were too afraid to ask
I went to a game to answer all the questions I had about becoming a hockey fan.

Finally, the US Pond Hockey Championships were this weekend in Minnesota, and outdoor hockey gives you some beautiful shots.

Photos: U.S. Pond Hockey tournament at Lake Nokomis
The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships wraps up this weekend at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. Lots of players love reconnecting with friends, taking time off work and skating fast.

Enjoy your day everyone!