A great one from Braydon Holmyard -- Maple Leafs trolls? Or anti-heroes? Meet the viral fans who wear the visiting team’s jersey at every home game thestar.com/sports/leafs/2… via Toronto Star

Another good one from Dave Feschuk. And it's true: Nylander's advanced stats were stellar: he was just not close to an impactful player if you watched. thestar.com/sports/leafs/o…

I went very long on Connor Bedard and how he became one of the best 17-year-old hockey players we've ever seen. It's a story of unique hockey parents, a boy deciding on a path, the trick of supporting a child instead of the sport, and love at first sight. thestar.com/sports/hockey/…

Some of the details in Bruce's column are... quite something.

In advance of the draft lottery, my deep dive into what made Connor Bedard a generational young player: a family that valued the kid over the game, and a kid who fell in love with the game so hard that the family had no choice. Great people, the Bedards. thestar.com/sports/hockey/…

Another big ask of the Toronto Maple Leafs Core 4 tonight vs Florida Panthers +Mike Babcock next coach of the New York Rangers ? Toronto Star Sports Toronto Star #RealKyperandBourne

The Leafs didn’t say goodbye to Kyle Dubas because of money. It was about power, and a lack of faith thestar.com/sports/leafs/o… via Toronto Star

The Toronto Star is hiring for our one-year internship program. We are looking for ambitious and enterprising early career journalists to work in various parts of our newsroom, from podcasts and social media to breaking news and politics. jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Torstar/743999…

Youth soccer referees are quitting due to abuse from the sidelines. Ontario hopes body cameras are a solution. From Kerry Gillespie thestar.com/sports/soccer/… via @torontostar

John Herdman leaving Canada Soccer for Toronto FC, sources say. Latest from Bruce Arthur thestar.com/sports/soccer/… via Toronto Star

This is a thank you to Kelsie and Chris Snow, for sharing how hard it was. I’m sorry. thestar.com/sports/hockey/…

🚨 SPORTS FANS 🚨 Want a chance to win two Raptors season tickets? Get an annual subscription to the Toronto Star to be entered for a chance to win. Contest ends Oct. 16. Details here: thestar.com/subscribe/rapt…

The Maple Leafs are finally changing their goal song. What will it be? Stay Tuned. Summer survey of fans and players suggested it was time to change from You Make My Dreams by Hall and Oates, partly because it had become polarizing. trib.al/B2uGxbI

I feel awful for Bob McCown: a series of strokes have left him in a hard place, and everything in his life is a trial now. The only joy? Cigarettes. I worked with Bob, for a time: he was one of the great sports radio men there ever was. thestar.com/sports/how-a-s…

“She’s uncrackable. You can’t crack her.” As her towering Canadian career comes to a close, Christine Sinclair has tried to avoid attention even as she kept dragging herself into the spotlight. What’s clear is that all of this was harder than it looked. thestar.com/sports/soccer/…

#Breaking: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins the Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete in 2023 trib.al/R3Byscy

I am late on posting the series on Toronto sports that Dave Feschuk and I have written: The Beaten Path. Here's the opener, on the sorry state of sports in the city: thestar.com/sports/leafs/p…

“Summer, she has no limit.” This week was Summer McIntosh in full: three world records, and two of the great swims on top of that, to the point where her coach was fighting back tears. It’s on the table, now: she can be the greatest swimmer of all time. thestar.com/sports/amateur…

You all are going to have more of me! I'm now writing sports business & media for the Toronto Star !!! 👀👀 thestar.com/sports/sportsn…

Officially, Ramón Laureano is shorter this season. The Padres left fielder also might be as good as he's ever been: nytimes.com/athletic/72087…