TORONTO — Gavin McKenna’s NHL opener did not deliver the kind of box-score splash Toronto fans saw from Auston Matthews a decade earlier, but the Maple Leafs rookie’s first night was never going to be measured only by points.
The 18-year-old skated 15:19, recorded one shot, finished minus-2 and was held scoreless as Toronto dropped its season opener 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Still, for McKenna and a 14-person contingent that travelled from Whitehorse, Yukon, the night marked the arrival of a player whose NHL dream began on a backyard rink beneath northern skies.
A first lap, then a first NHL game
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McKenna’s family entered Scotiabank Arena and quickly got a taste of the market he has joined. Within minutes, fans recognized his parents, Krystal and Willy, and asked for photos. Willy also posed with Maple Leafs legend Darryl Sittler near the arena gates.
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Before the teams took warmups, McKenna stepped onto the ice alone for the traditional rookie lap. He called that moment the most nerve-racking part of the evening.
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“It was awesome,” McKenna said. “That was probably when I was most nervous all game. You only get one chance to do it, so I enjoyed being out there.”
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During the full warmup, he spotted friends and family along the glass, went over and joined them for a photo.
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Toronto then opened its season against Montreal, with McKenna making his professional regular-season debut less than four months after the Maple Leafs chose him first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.
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The Canadiens took away room and time, and McKenna said the pace was evident even if he did not see the adjustment as overwhelming. “Maybe there were a few nerves,” he said. “But it’s fast out there.”
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After the 3-2 defeat, McKenna met his family and friends on the Maple Leafs bench for a group picture, closing a night that reached far beyond the final score.
Whitehorse roots on display in Toronto
McKenna’s family made the 2,550-mile trip from Whitehorse for the opener. The group included his parents, sisters Madison and Kasey, and grandfather Joe Mason.
For Krystal McKenna, seeing her son take the ice in a Maple Leafs uniform brought immediate emotion. Watching from near the glass during warmups, she fought back tears and said, “What the hell, my son’s in the NHL!”
Mason’s presence carried special meaning for the rookie. A member of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation, Mason survived Canada’s residential school system, which separated Indigenous children from their families for more than a century. Subsequent investigations documented physical, mental and sexual abuse suffered by many children in those institutions and the generational trauma that followed.
McKenna has said Mason’s history and perspective have shaped him as both a person and a player. He wears a detailed forearm tattoo depicting a mountain cabin Mason built, a permanent reminder of his family and Yukon roots.
“This is unreal,” Mason said. “This was always his dream when he was a kid. All his life, playing hockey, he said he would be in the NHL one day.”
Seeing it happen with Toronto added another layer for Mason. “It’s unreal. It’s surreal. And on a Canadian team too.”
McKenna ready for the next puck drop
There was no four-goal introduction like Matthews’ first NHL game in 2016, when the then-No. 1 pick scored four times against the Ottawa Senators. McKenna was direct in his own assessment after the Canadiens game.
“Not great,” he said. “I’m glad we’re playing again tomorrow so I can bounce back and regroup. Montreal is obviously a really good team. They don’t give you much time or space.”
Maple Leafs captain Matthews noted that a debut can be difficult to navigate, particularly with the attention surrounding a first overall selection playing his first game in Toronto.
“Your first game is tough,” Matthews said. “There’s a lot going through your mind. I thought he showed some good flashes. As a team, we were just a little too up and down.”
McKenna will get a quick chance to turn the page when the Maple Leafs face the New York Islanders on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on Prime and MSGSN.
For Krystal McKenna, the postgame bench photo was enough to bring the entire day back into focus. Her reaction was simple: “Unreal. Just unreal.”
