I thought the whole evening was a downer yesterday, starting with the opening ceremony. Acknowledging first nations' land claims and fighting the pandemic with vaccines and masks may be pressing social issues but they have no place at a hockey game, where people go to be entertained and to escape their everyday lives. Why not have a video about homelessness and deaths from drug overdoses as well, then the crowd can be really depressed.
The muted cheers from the crowd seemed to get to the players, who put in a lacklustre performance. Where was the energy that we all expected and hoped for on opening night, with fans in the building for the first time in ages?
All in all a very forgettable event.