TORONTO -- For Morgan Rielly, the chance to play in his first NHL All-Star Game in his 11th season is an honor not to be taken for granted. That he gets to do it in Toronto as a member of the Maple Leafs is almost overwhelming.
"Yeah, for sure, there is no question it means a lot," the defenseman said Thursday at A Night With Blue & White. "It hit me more when I was talking to my dad about he was debating as to whether he was going to come or not and then he called me back and said, 'I don't know what I was thinking, I'm coming for sure, I wouldn't miss it'. Then I kind of put it together (how special this is)."
The Maple Leafs and Maple Leafs Alumni held their annual gala Thursday with a casino theme in support of the MLSE Foundation and the Change The Game initiative, a campaign launched in February 2021 with the aim to invest $30 million to continue to create positive outcomes for youth and help them reach their potential.
Rielly, who is in the second year of an eight-year contract, was selected No. 5 by the Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL Draft and has 452 points (80 goals, 372 assists) in 765 regular-season games.
"I feel very fortunate to be here and in the position I'm in and let alone play in a game like that," he said. "I just try to not take anything for granted, try to enjoy everything. I just feel grateful to be a Maple Leaf, let alone anything else."
The 2024 Honda (U.S.)/ Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game will be in Toronto for the first time since 2000. The Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft will take place on February 1 followed by the NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook on February 2. The NHL All-Star Game will be on February 3.
Doug Gilmour spent parts of seven seasons with the Maple Leafs playing in two All-Star Games in 1993 and 1994. He said he is excited to take part in as many events as he can and compare what the experience is like to when he was an All-Star.
"It's a lot different now," Gilmour told NHL.com. "The setups were a little bit different. I was in two good cities though, Montreal for my first one and then I was in New York City. It was tight-knit back in those days; you were kind of with your families and you did a couple things but not too much. So as alumni guys, we're all going to be all out as well and doing things. I'm looking forward to seeing the skills competition, that's my favorite part. Accuracy shooting, and obviously all the guys can skate so well, to see what time and speed they get to is going to be amazing."
There is no doubt in Gilmour's mind that Toronto will provide a memorable weekend for anybody who attends.
"Toronto is always a good host for anything," Gilmour said. "It's special because we've got great facilities, great restaurants, great hotels. Everybody is going to come into town and it's going to be a special time. The biggest thing is to just enjoy the moment because the chance to have it in your city doesn't happen all the time."
Rick Vaive, who spent eight seasons with the Maple Leafs from 1979-87, played in three NHL All-Star Games in 1982 (Landover, Maryland), 1983 (Uniondale, New York) and 1984 (East Rutherford, New Jersey). He said the chance to play in an All-Star Game in Toronto would have been special.
"You look at Toronto, Montreal, probably the two most iconic franchises in the NHL and to get a chance to host a thing like the All-Star Game and have all the best players coming to our city for a few days, I think will be fabulous," Vaive told NHL.com.
"I think just the city, it's going to be unbelievable with so many people coming to Toronto. It's going to help the economy a little bit in the city and I'm going to be at the game so I can't wait to enjoy it."
Rielly, who was born in West Vancouver, British Columbia, has come to love everything about Toronto. To pick just one reason why he thinks the city will thrive as the host of the All-Star Game, he said, is impossible.
"Everything," Rielly said. "This is home now for me. I've lived here for over 10 years. I'm completely in love with the city and the people and the diversity and the fans and what it has to offer. My answer is just everything. What the organization is going to offer, what the rink is going to offer the fans, the restaurants, the bars, the people, everything here to me is incredible and that's what made me fall in love with living in Toronto."
