Evan Gubernick - Hockey addicts guide Toronto: where to eat, drink & play the only game that matters

THE SPORT GALLERY Copyright 2019 by Evan Gubernick All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America All photographs by Evan Gubernick, unless otherwise indicated.
Pages : Graham Williamson/Gitch Sportswear For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, The Countryman Press, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830 The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Names: Gubernick, Evan, author.
Title: Hockey addictics guide Toronto : where to eat, drink & play the only game that matters / Evan Gubernick.
Description: New York, NY : The Countryman Press, A division of W. W. Norton & Company, [2019] | Series: Hockey addict city guides | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018056248 | ISBN 9781682681527 (pbk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: HockeyOntarioTorontoGuidebooks. | Toronto (Ont.)
Guidebooks. | OntarioGuidebooks.
Classification: LCC GV848.6.C45 G83 2019 | DDC 796.962/6409713541dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018056248 The Countryman Press
www.countrymanpress.com A division of W. W. W.

Norton & Company, Inc.
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www.wwnorton.com GREENWOOD PARK RINK

NO CURE EXISTS IF HOCKEY GETS IN YOUR BLOOD. And its not a seasonal condition, its a daily obsession. Hourly, even. An obvious symptom: Your life becomes a diversion from hockey, not the other way around. While (relatively) manageable at home, should you venture out of town, youre lost and you know it. Your radar is jammed.

Our solution: One city at a time, were creating a series of guides with recommendations made by those who share your passion for the only sport that mattersincluding food, drink, lodging, and, of course, where to skate. The guides are a product of local hockey communities, curated and written by your fellow puck heads, from fans to beer leaguers, with tips from a few industry pros sprinkled in. Hockey, at its core, is tribal, connecting us to our cities and to each other, so trust your tribe when you leave your home ice. HOW THE GUIDE IS ORGANIZED Like the game itself, think of this guide as organized chaos. A few set plays off the faceoff, a general gameplan, and then its on. Weve divided the city into Hubs, must-see places for the hockey-afflicted, and listed additional spots to check out nearby.

Think of these recommendations as mini walking toursand by walking we sometimes mean taking the subway or grabbing a Lyft. Your choice. And last, we give you a little local hockey history, so if you wind up talking to a local, maybe youll have a clue. This isnt a typical guidebook. Weve avoided the usual ratings, prices, and comparisons. (See Yelp for that.) If its in here, we like it.

We have one map: its crude, butlike a coachs scribblingsit does its job (sorry, not sorry). Do we miss some obvious hot spots? Probably. Do we lead you down some strange alleys? For sure. But this is a conversation, and were the only ones talking. If you know of a spot we missed, tell us. Listen, this guide wont solve all your problems.

Youre still going to have that nightmare where youre sitting on the bench with bare feet. But this guide should help you feel at home in Toronto. THE HOCKEY ADDICTS GUIDE TO TORONTO Hockey is absolutely everywhere, with more rinks than we knew possible, so weve decided to concentrate on the city of Toronto, with occasional ventures out into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). A few things you should know: 1) This is a city of distinct neighborhoods, whose personalities change within a few blocks. 2) The weather is better than you think. 4) considering that the Leafs havent won a Cup since there were six teams in the league. 5) Colorful characters fill the citys hockey past, like former Leafs owner Harold Ballard who, having booked the Beatles to play at The Gardens, disabled all the water fountains and turned up the heat so as to sell more triple-priced sodas. SOME ST. SOME ST.

MICHAELS ALUMNI HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

45 MANITOBA DR. 416.263.3900 Home ice of the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs AHL affiliate, this arena sits pretty much dead center between the MasterCard Centre (where both teams practice) and Scotiabank Arena (the Leafs home ice). Given that only three NHL teams share a city with their minor league squad, this proximity creates a somewhat unique opportunity for current Leafs to sneak a look at who might be replacing them in the lineup. Previously named the Ricoh Coliseum, a nearly 100-year-old structure outfitted for hockey in 2003, its naming rights were sold to Coca-Cola a month after the Marlies won their first-ever Calder Cup in 2018, so its only a matter of time before the obvious nickname of Colaseum takes hold. In addition to a few 11 a.m. school-day-game puck drops (only in Canada is hockey an excuse to watch AHL hockey), the rink is also available to rent for private games.

So assemble a roster, put word out to 8,300 of your closest friends to watch, and get after it. SKATE THE BENTWAY 250 FORT YORK BLVD. 416.304.0222 The roof was already there, and by roof we mean the Gardiner Expressway, a major artery running along the southern edge of the city where, 48 feet below, now sits a 700-foot-long skate trail in the shape of what locals call a lazy figure eight. Opened as the first phase of a larger urban parkification of previously ignored postindustrial space, the trail offers free skating with never-before-appreciated views of the fast-growing downtown area. The entire Bentway project will eventually span over a mile and include amenities for a wide array of cultural activities, in addition to the obviously essential recreational one already created. ANDRE LEGASPI