TODAY: FACING THE PACK

Through the end of the year, the Star’s photography department will showcase some of its best work from 2018.

Over the years, Maple Leafs training camp has become an extremely efficient and well co-ordinated event. That usually means bad picture day. Professional athletes are more constrained in their actions with the media circus atmosphere we have here in Toronto.

The big get of the day would be the Leafs’ big off-season signing of free agent John Tavares. News and sports outlets were setup outside the Leafs dressing room waiting for the PR team to trot out the big jewels of the MLSE crown, mainly Tavares and Auston Matthews.

I was on the other side of the rink, standing on the elevated level overlooking the ice surface, trying to get something interesting of players posing for those CGI photographs you see on televised games days of someone shooting a puck or a goalie making a save.

Earlier in the day, I saw Marner making the sports radio show rounds, off camera dressed in T-shirt, shorts and shower shoes. I figured he was done for the day. Then, as I was getting ready to walk over to the media scrum, I noticed a fully equipped No. 16 skating across the rink.

With a telephoto lens, I followed his route toward the dressing room, thinking there’s no way he’ll make it through that crowd without getting pulled aside or asked to make a statement. As Marner squeezed past the packed media gaggle, he dropped his head and put a glove up to cover his face. The media, not expecting a player to cut through that side of the arena, were caught off guard.

I just find it a unique look at the coming of age of a new generation hockey player.