Maple Leafs and Canadiens set for emotional season opener

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For the 851st time — and 29th to open the National Hockey League season — the Maple Leafs and Canadiens will stare across centre ice, waiting for bilingual O Canada to end so they can bump helmets in the game’s oldest pro rivalry.

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But a truce will be in effect Wednesday before the match as both clubs remember the late Ken Dryden — a Hall of Fame goalie for the Habs in the 1970s, Leafs president in the late ‘90s, Team Canada ‘72 hero and a national figure as writer, commentator and politician.

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The Leafs will mark Dryden’s September passing at age 78 with a yet-to-be-revealed ceremony, while the Sportsnet broadcast will eulogize him as well.

The pre-game also will feature the 48th Highlanders pipe and drum band, who’ve played every home opener since the club began at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931.

Toronto, which exited last May in a meek 6-1 home playoff loss to Florida that marked Mitch Marner’s final game as a Leaf, will start with Matias Maccelli in Marner’s right-wing spot alongside centre and captain Auston Matthews. The latter intends to back up his off-season vow to start at 100% health after a nagging back-related problem cost him games and goals.

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“Camp was solid and I felt physically better and better each day,” Matthews said after Tuesday’s final full practice. “I just want to continue that momentum into Game 1, do what I can to help the team win, offensively and play sound defensively.

“It’s about putting us in position each night to win. I know what my job is out there.

“There are so many new faces here (Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, Sammy Blais and Cayden Primeau) and now we get going and start this journey.”

lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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