As the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] filtered onto the ice for practice on Monday morning, a crowd watched on, eager to see how the session was run. It wasn't just any ordinary crowd; it was the Maple Leafs' players' mentors. Monday marked the first day of the team's mentor's trip. It's an annual event where each player invites someone important in their life to come on the road to see what life as an NHLer is like. They first got to watch a Craig Berube-run practice, which had its fair share of, well, swearing. "Too f***ing slow!" Berube yelled during a puck movement drill. Following practice, the players, mentors, and the rest of the hockey club headed to the airport for a flight [https://www.instagram.com/mapleleafs/p/DWPU8hSgfuR/] to Boston ahead of Toronto's Tuesday-night matchup against the Bruins. "It's always a good trip, and it's kind of a staple in the NHL now. I think almost every team does it," said Berube following Monday's practice. "It's great to have them around, and they're involved in sitting in and listening to meetings and things like that. So it's always a fun trip." Last year, the Maple Leafs had plenty of unique guests, including former Maple Leaf Joe Thornton, invited by captain Auston Matthews [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/report-sounds-like-surgery-could-be-part-of-auston-matthews-recovery-from-grade-3-mcl-tear]. Everyone enjoyed being in his presence throughout the few days together. "He seems like Mr. Popular," Steven Lorentz quipped last year. 'He Seems Like Mr. Popular': Steven Lorentz And Other Maple Leafs Reveal What It's Like To Have Joe Thornton On Team's Mentors Trip [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/MjEyMDAxNzg0NDg1MzkwMzEy/usatsi_24838499.jpg] 'He Seems Like Mr. Popular': Steven Lorentz And Other Maple Leafs Reveal What It's Like To Have Joe Thornton On Team's Mentors Trip Thornton played 44 games with the Maple Leafs during the 2021 season, scoring five goals and 15 assists. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-seems-like-mr-popular-steven-lorentz-and-other-maple-leafs-reveal-what-its-like-to-have-joe-thornton-on-teams-mentors-trip] This year has its fair share of fascinating invitees as well, like Brandon Carlo's grandfather, Ed, a former United States Air Force member. "He's really excited," Carlo said, beaming with exuberance. "Growing up, he was always there. He came to a lot of my games when I was a youth player as well. But, I think from a standpoint of just a human being and learning just character, things like that, very impactful. He's a great example. Air Force guy, pretty straight-edged. Very respectful. And a lot of great attributes that I can learn from." Carlo says that after his grandfather retired from the Air Force, he continued to help cadets in Colorado Springs. "He flew the tow planes in Colorado Springs for around 30 years. So with all of the cadets at the Air Force Academy and whatnot, he would pull them up. He would be in the tow plane, they would be in the glider, because the gliders don't have engines, so he would have to pull them up," Carlo continued. "He loved doing that job. I was still pretty young, I didn't get to go up in a plane with him, but yeah, it's pretty cool, and I'm very proud to be his grandson." Speaking of family members, William Nylander invited one of his sisters. Anthony Stolarz [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/it-s-an-occupational-hazard-maple-leafs-anthony-stolarz-ready-to-go-days-after-taking-puck-in-neck-during-warmups] is bringing his older brother, Todd, who was also on the trip last year. "He's probably been the biggest influence to me in my career, just driving me to the rink when I was younger when my parents had work," Stolarz recalled. "He was my goalie coach (in) Peewee, Bantam. And like I said, he's always watching my games, just giving me little tidbits here and there. So just excited to share our lifestyle and our day-to-day process with him." Matthew Knies [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/matthew-knies-says-i-m-going-to-play-through-knee-injury-despite-notion-that-maple-leafs-should-shut-him-down] also brought along a former player. Except Knies' invitee was someone he used to play against in college, while at the University of Minnesota: Spencer Meier [https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=202568]. "I just met him through a friend of a friend in Minnesota, and yeah, happy he's here. It's a lot of fun," Knies said. "I think he was the one that I would appreciate the most," Knies continued. "And obviously, he played hockey two, three years ago, so he's kind of still in it. And I thought it'd be a little bit nostalgic for him, and I think it would be cool to see how we do it here." When it comes to these types of trips, whether for moms, dads, or mentors, there are lots of eye-opening moments. It could be the chartered flights or the fancy hotels, but a few Maple Leafs noted on Monday, it's the amount of food that catches a lot of people by surprise. "I brought my dad a few years ago in Florida," Stolarz smiled. "He's like, 'There's no way you guys starve.' There's meals, and there's food everywhere after the game, at the hotel, on the plane." Carlo joked, "Even this morning, coming in and having an omelette being made, and things like that, my grandpa was like, 'What is this?'" 'That's A Cop-Out': Maple Leafs' Craig Berube Calls Out Another Player Following Loss To Senators [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9f129cf6-9e27-462b-8574-79b5fe0a0748.jpeg] 'That's A Cop-Out': Maple Leafs' Craig Berube Calls Out Another Player Following Loss To Senators Cowan said the first goal from the Senators "deflated" the team on Saturday night, which Berube disagreed with. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/that-s-a-cop-out-maple-leafs-craig-berube-calls-out-another-player-following-loss-to-senators] Not only is it the food, though. This trip also gives those close to the players a first-hand experience of what it's like to play for the Maple Leafs. "I think the army of people that we have for everything and how much resources we have, I think it's cool to see on their perspective," said Knies. "There's a lot that goes into it. There's a lot of people behind the scenes that do a lot of hard work that probably don't get the recognition that they deserve. "(The mentors) get to see that and that's really, really cool." For the trip, the mentors won't just be on the plane and in a box in the arena cheering on the team. They'll also join the players and coaching staff in the meetings ahead of their game against the Bruins on Tuesday. "I just think for them, being around, involved in the meetings and seeing what goes on there with the meetings, the preparation," said Berube. "They'll be in the meetings in the morning, and in the afternoon, they come in, and they sit in on it. Just see all the preparation and what guys go through and all the things that have to be done. "That's probably the biggest eye-opener."
