Gavin McKenna made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs against Montreal on Tuesday, and the pre-game moment that was supposed to be his alone ended up being shared.
The rookie lap is one of the sport’s quieter traditions. Before a player’s first NHL game, he skates out by himself for a solo lap while the rest of the team holds back at the tunnel, letting the building acknowledge him on his own. A player only gets one.
What happened during Gavin McKenna’s rookie lap?
Sergei Bobrovsky stepped out ahead of him. The goaltender, who signed a three-year deal with Toronto on July 1, was on the ice before McKenna got there, leaving the 18-year-old without the empty sheet the tradition calls for. While some described it as a hilarious turn of events, plenty of supporters didn’t see the funny side.
“I respect goalie superstitions, but surely the line should be drawn where it takes a once-in-a-lifetime special moment away from your own teammate,” one fan wrote.
“This is a really bad look if it’s intentional,” another said. “If he was dialed in and straight up forgot about the rookie lap, that can be forgiven, but taking the spotlight away and confusing the fans takes away from the moment. Let the kid have his minute alone.”
Gavin McKenna’s debut
Others were less measured, with one widely shared post simply reading “Sergei Bobrovsky = bad teammate.”
There is a reasonable defense available. Goaltenders customarily lead their team onto the ice, and Bobrovsky has spent 14 seasons building a routine around that. He was also making his own Maple Leafs debut on the same night, which makes a genuine lapse at least as plausible as anything deliberate.
READ MORE: Gavin McKenna joins a list of Leafs rookies who lived with John Tavares
It’s also worth noting who wasn’t upset. McKenna described the whole evening in glowing terms afterwards, and specifically singled out the lap.
“Getting to have that rookie lap, seeing my family on the glass in warm-ups, hearing your name called in player intros, it’s all pretty special,” McKenna said. “There’s not much I’ll forget about this day.”
He did get his ovation during player introductions, with family and friends in the crowd. The hockey was less kind. McKenna finished minus-2 with one shot in 15:19 as Toronto lost 3-2, while Bobrovsky made 21 saves in Jim Hiller‘s first game as head coach.
Read more:
