Although John Tavares didn't participate in the outdoor practice, he and his two boys were on the ice following the team's skate.

As the Toronto Maple Leafs' outdoor practice at Prince of Wales Park wrapped up on Monday, several players brought their children — and even dogs — onto the ice to enjoy the experience.

The team participated in an hour-long three-on-three tournament, and captain Auston Matthews' team — Team Wendel Clark — came out on top.

"Chief (head coach Craig Berube) said something about the losing team has to buy us lunch or something like that, but who knows if we'll ever see that," Matthews smiled after the practice.

As always, the outdoor practice attracted a massive turnout. It was moved from Nathan Phillips Square to the Prince of Wales rink on Lake Ontario's shore in Mimico, right down the street from the team's practice facility.

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"It's hard not to come here and not think about my dad bringing me here in 1974, 1975," Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan said as the festivities wrapped up. 

"It hasn't changed that much, to be honest with you. Just what a full circle it's been. I feel really blessed to be able to bring the Maple Leafs here."

Matthews referenced it being close to home for Shanahan following the skate.

"I'm sure it means a lot [to him]," said Toronto's captain. "I'm surprised he didn't bring his skates and gear up with us."

Thousands of screaming fans gathered around the rink to see their beloved team skate. They saw their favorite players and had a front-row seat to practice goaltender Andrew D'Agostini's strong performance in the net.

The 31-year-old, who also hails from Toronto, made save after save on some of the Maple Leafs' top players. Morgan Rielly called D'Agostini's performance on Monday "outstanding," adding with a smile: "He needs to get signed right now."

Although there weren't many rinks for Matthews in Arizona, he remembers being a kid and attending hockey events. He said there were plenty of times when he missed school to observe a hockey-related function.

"All the time," he smiled. "All the time."

"It's the best. It's a good feeling, so I can only imagine," Matthews added. "Today probably has been a pretty good day for a lot of these kids. It's been a lot of fun for everybody."

This was Berube's first experience with the Outdoor Practice after being hired by the team in the summer. Standing on the ice after the skate, he remembered his time on the outdoor rinks in Calahoo, Alberta as a kid.

"I think I started at seven (years old). Outdoor rink in Calahoo before we built an indoor rink," he said. "I forget the year they built that rink, but definitely [played on the] outdoor rink quite a bit in my whole area, like in the league, we played in a lot of outdoor rinks. A lot of cold feet."

It's always an entertaining day. Fans, who may not attend many games, get a free up-close-and-personal look at their favorite team. At the same time, the players are happy to be there and skate in front of Toronto's faithful.

It's a day to look forward to throughout the long grind of a season.

"It's great. It's a fun day. Obviously, the guys have fun with it. The support you get here in Toronto is fantastic. It makes the event a lot more fun. There's a lot of people out here cheering. It's a good day for the guys. Something different, right?" Berube said.

"There's a lot of people here today to come watch this and enjoy it. I don't know if they're not working or if school's on today or what's going on. I think more than anything, the support that we have here in Maple Leaf land."

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