Barrie Colts gear up for playoff journey without key players in series opener
Playoff hockey has arrived in Barrie, with the Colts opening its best-of-seven series with defending OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs.
"Today, I was pretty excited. I woke up, and I was a little nervous, but it's the same routine. You don't really think about it too much. It's just another game day," said Colts Forward Declan McDonnell.
"When you get to the playoffs, it's simple. You need to worry about the team, and you need to do whatever it takes," added fellow Colts Forward Cole Beaudoin.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Sixteen teams are 16 wins away from becoming part of hockey history or four losses away from careers and seasons ending.
The Colts start that journey Thursday evening without two of their top players.
"I think a lot of guys have to step up, myself included. We are missing a few guys tonight who are key parts of our team," said McDonnell.
Definitely got some top guys out, but you can't do anything about that. There's adversity along the way, and you've just got to keep going," said Beaudoin.
The 16-year-old rookie knows his playoff debut will be an emotional roller coaster, but veterans like Brandt Clarke have told the first-round pick to take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.
"Clarkey definitely, and all the coaching staff has said just stay calm and have fun while you're having it. It's my first playoff, so I'm excited," explained Beaudoin.
"It's just another game. You come in, and you know, obviously, the energy is going to be ramped up. You know the building is going to be excited tonight, so I think you just have to stay even keel. Don't get too high or too low," added McDonnell.
McDonnell, 21, is staring down his final chance at a Memorial Cup and his second career playoff series in three seasons.
He says he will cherish every moment of this experience.
"The regular season ended the other day, and I wasn't too upset because I know we are going to go on a long run here. We are only getting started. It's like a new season, clean slate, so we are hoping to be here for another two and a half months," said McDonnell.
Tickets are still available for game two in Barrie on Saturday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.