Ask any pro hockey player: the road to the NHL is not a solo endeavour. Coaches, teammates, trainers, billet families, the friends who offer up rides to and from bantam practice; it really does take a village.
This was the motivation behind the Maple Leafs' first-ever mentors' trip, an opportunity for players to invite along an influential person from their own lives to see the Leafs at home last night and join the road trip to New York later today. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both sides: pulling back the curtain on NHL life for the mentors, while giving the players a chance to recognize them for their invaluable contributions, both past and present.
Grandparents, former coaches among those celebrated during Mentors Trip
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