Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/375259
F a l l 2 0 1 4 | w e s t w o r l d 31 comes to a dramatic conclusion. After Mon- treal rallies from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the third period, James van Riemsdyk scores the winner for Toronto with 5:33 left on a beautiful pass from Tyler Bozak, beating soon-to-be Olympic gold medallist goalie Carey Price. e Leafs salt away the victory with an empty-net goal. I leave the arena on a hockey high, know- ing this is far from the last instalment in this storied rivalry. Canadian visitors from coast to coast will unite in support of both Toronto and Montreal when the two cities co-host the 2015 and 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Champi- onships. I can't wait to come back to this hockey mecca. The sport is always more exciting when you can feel the passion of the fans, and Toronto has taken my passion to a new level. W Lucas Aykroyd's hockey writing has appeared in the New York Times, Hockey News and Globe and Mail. He's covered the Stanley Cup Finals, four Olympics and 15 World Hockey Championships. – that marks where centre ice once was. As we took photos, a middle-aged woman whose cart we were blocking quipped: "Is this the first time you boys have been grocery shopping?" Yet no snarky remark could steal my appe- tite for discovering Toronto's hockey gems. In the red-brick Distillery District, once the world's largest 19th-century whiskey pro- ducer, I toured around on a Segway, parking my two-wheeled transport outside the Sport Gallery. e cozy shop sells reproductions of photos from Sport magazine (published 1946 to 2000). I got a kick out of "Best Buds," 1948, with Leafs legends Syl Apps and Turk Broda facing each other in the dressing room. Further afield, I shopped solo for used hockey books in Bloor West Village, purchasing a (perceptively titled) 1982 paperback called e Great Gretzky by Edmonton writer Terry Jones at the cheerfully chaotic Dencan Books. A late lunch at Shakey's, founded by ex-Leaf Mike "Shakey" Walton, showcased not just delicious homemade chili with sour cream, but also eye-catching mementos like artist Daniel Parry's print of Leafs centre Darryl Sittler's famous 10-point game against Boston in 1976. At dinner, I got another taste of greatness when I ordered a bottle of Wayne Gretzky Estates Merlot at Joe Badali's, a homey Italian eatery on Front Street. Full-bodied and fruit- forward, the wine perfectly complemented my spaghetti poncetta and crab cakes as I dined with Ivana Paulova, a Czech hockey journalist friend. Such heavy hockey-themed indulgence demands a little detox. On Sunday, my final morning in Toronto, I will visit the Ritz-Carl- ton Hotel for a "Blokes & Beer" spa treat- ment. Following a Swedish massage and facial at Canada's top hotel spa (as voted by Travel + Leisure readers), I'll sip the award- winning, locally brewed Mill Street Organic Lager and watch Boston goalie Tuukka Rask stop Chicago's Patrick Kane in TV shootout highlights. It'll be a fun way to experience hockey, even in such a calming, gracious atmosphere – a world away from the wild- ness of the Air Canada Centre. A t the arena, it's hard to disagree with Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, who says: "If you don't get shivers and chills with Montreal-Toronto on a Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada, then I don't think you understand the true meaning of the game here in Canada." With NBA star Kobe Bryant and Toronto mayor Rob Ford among the spectators, the Leafs-Canadiens game