Season Selects: Mark Blinch's Favourite Photos

Maple Leafs team photographer Mark Blinch looks back at his favourite photos from the 2019-20 season and offers insights into what went into those captures.
Mark has been the Leafs team photographer since 2016, capturing every home game, training camp, outdoor practice, community events and more. He is the 1st place winner of the 2019 World Press Photo Award in the "Sports Singles" category. In addition to covering the blue and white, Mark is a contract photographer for the NBA, Getty Images, The Canadian Press, Reuters, and the Globe and Mail.

The outdoor practice is one of the events I look forward to shooting every year. Outdoor hockey is the best to shoot, as it takes us outside of the normal environment. This photo was shot at Nathan Phillips Square, outside City Hall, in downtown Toronto. A sky filled with clouds against the city of Toronto backdrop makes for a different type of hockey picture.

Before the outdoor practice, the guys usually walk to the subway station, to catch the train to Nathan Phillips Square. While the subway pictures are always classic, I like showing the guys walking down the city streets in their practice gear. It's something we definitely don't see every day.

For the past two season the Leafs have taken the TTC to the outdoor practice at Nathan Phillips Square. I like the way the guys are casually holding the subway rail, going to work during rush hour with everyone else.

This photo of Morgan Rielly celebrating his overtime goal with Mitch Marner is one of my favourite celebration pictures of the season. I always go to this corner to shoot overtime because t's the same side as the bench and players usually always celebrate in this direction after a game winner.

Martin Marincin scored this beauty of a goal against the Canucks. This picture was made using a remote camera that is fastened in the rafters, and is fired by radio while I am sitting at ice level. The shadows are caused by the arena strobes, which are giant light flashes which are also fastened to the rafters. By leaving the left strobe off, the right strobe casts a shadow on the ice.

This is one of the first images of John Tavares wearing the "C". Three days before opening night, Leafs management called Tavares into the office for a surprise meeting at the arena to give him the Captaincy. This image was made quickly, I probably only took about 10 pictures. It was to be kept a secret until opening night, where Tavares would be revealed as the team's next captain. As soon as Tavares was introduced on opening night, the Leafs used this picture on social media as part of the announcement.

This is Tavares saluting the crowd for the first time as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was quite a moment to see in the building.

This image of Tavares was from opening night, the first game he played as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was trying to make as many images as I could with the big "C" visible. I used a 400mm lens to capture this image just before a faceoff.

This image was taken during training camp in Newfoundland. Nylander had changed his number from 29 to 88, so wanted to make sure to get a nice moment of him wearing his new number with the Leafs faithful on The Rock.

Hockey players are creatures of habit, and it's amazing to see how they prepare for each game. Every game, Marner stretches out on this face off circle. It makes a nice image shooting from the top of the building.

Goal celebration shots are some of the most used pictures in hockey. The energy is always high, especially when the Leafs score at home. I love the energy in the background as Hyman celebrates his goal.

This image was made using a remote camera in the dasher, fired by a radio. Whenever the play gets close to the dasher, I fire this camera in hopes of making a good image. It's a good spot to photograph a defenceman battling for the puck.

Auston Matthews is always the last to leave the ice after warm ups. He usually leaves the ice after the house lights go down. I have tried to make this image over a number of games, but it's hard to focus on him when it's dark. This one worked out finally after a number of attempts.

After the players leave the ice, they walk down a few hallways to get back to the locker room. The hallway coming off the ice is particularly dark, but when they walk under the pot lights, they are illuminated for a half second, making a nice moody scene. The glossy paint on the wall allows for a reflection to be made to add to the picture.

This image was made using a netcam, which is a camera housed in a strong plexiglass, fired by a radio. When a play comes close to the net, I just fire the radio in hopes of getting a good picture. Here is Andersen making an absolute robbery glove save against the Sabres.

This is a big time celebration by Jason Spezza, on a wild night against the Hurricanes two days before Christmas. There were so many goals scored, and the energy in the building was crazy.

I love this picture of Mitch Marner scoring, as you can see the puck just slipping through the legs of the goaltender. This was the same game from the Spezza celebration above. This goal set the building right off.

It's always great to have Matthews and Marner celebrating together. As part of the core group, these pictures will have great historical value. I love when both of these guys are on the ice at the same time.

Sometimes it's nice to get players in more quiet moments. The game and everything leading up to it can be hectic, so it's nice to slow it down. Here, Marner is taking a break from warm ups before the game.

This picture was made using a remote camera in the rafters, fired using radios from ice level. Andersen is seen here making a save on Patrik Laine. This view offers a good view on things from overhead, where you can make pictures showing nice goalie saves.

This picture was made at Madison Square Garden in New York, during the Mentors Trip. I really wanted to make a picture showing the guys under the iconic roof at Madison Sqaure Garden, and this was a nice angle to do it from.

This image is another quiet moment, just before the period starts, with the house lights down. I am always in search of these moments. The lighting and the quietness make the picture.

Nick Roberston is an exciting young player, and his first taste of the NHL was in the NHL bubble due to COVID-19. I like this picture as he takes the ice, where you can see the focus on what he needs to do as a young player to start his career.

In the NHL bubble, the league set up a giant set over the seats, as no fans could enter the arena due to COVID-19. This was a totally different setup. Normally, Matthews would be surrounded by fans as he walked back to the locker room after warm ups, but instead he is surrounded by a giant graphic covering the seats.

This is probably the craziest Leafs game I have ever covered, where the Leafs came back late in the game to force overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In a fanless arena, due to Covid-19, Auston Matthews potted the winning goal and the guys went crazy. I couldn't imagine how loud that would have been if fans were in the arena.