It is playoff season for the NHL so this sculpture by artist Patrick Amiot was quite suitable when it was displayed outside a gallery in the Yorkville neighbourhood. All the sports bars are happy this week.
All eyes are on the puck as the players try to stay in position. Half the time during the game they would all chase the puck into the corner leaving the whole rink open space. It is still fun to watch the kids at play though.
A hockey rink looks very big when the players are 9 year old kids as they were in this game. It was good to see that there were boys and girls on both teams and they all could skate really well but the puck handling needs a bit of work. It was just a coincidence that I was at the game just after seeing yesterday's truck.
This float from the Santa Claus Parade is a tribute to our beloved hockey team, the Toronto Maple Leafs who haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967 but we keep hoping that this is the year. The float shows the old Maple Leaf Gardens on Carlton St, the mascot Carlton the Bear, and the wonderful Johnny Bower who was playing goal for us when we last won and is now 93 years old!
This float from the Santa Claus Parade shows the very popular Canadian sport, street hockey. All you need is a net, a ball and a couple of kids and you are ready to play. What makes this particular game different is the goalie the kids are playing against - it is supposed to be Jonathan Bernier of our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs!
I really liked this float from Tim Hortons at the Santa Claus Parade with the work crew of elves churning out the coffee and baked goods. Tim Hortons restaurants are everywhere in Canada and apparently account for over 60% of the coffee sold here with the next best competitor being at around 7%. I can easily walk to at least 6 Tim Hortons stores from my place (if I drank coffee) for a coffee & donut!
Tim Horton was a legendary hockey player for our Maple Leafs during the 50s & 60s and started the shops in 1964.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE for more signs from around the world.
This wonderful Rococo style building located at Yonge and Front Streets has been home to the Hockey Hall Of Fame since 1993. Designed by architects Darling & Curry and built in 1885 for the Bank Of Montreal it remained in use as a bank until 1982 before undergoing a $27 million renovation which also restored some of the beautiful original features of the building including the huge stained glass dome above the central banking hall. Today it is a shrine to hockey in a town that loves hockey and its Maple Leafs despite their horrible record for the last 47 years.
I was wandering around in an industrial area in the east end of the city and spotted this hockey goalie painted on the emergency exit door of a factory. Our Toronto Maple Leafs are much loved in the city even though they haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and it is almost impossible to get tickets to a game here and if you do you will be paying big bucks for them. New Years Day is a big event for Toronto hockey fans since the Maple Leafs will be playing the Detroit Red Wings outside at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Michigan, a stadium that holds 105,000 fans and is only a few hours drive away. Busloads of people from here are heading down to the game, if they can get tickets!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
