Craig Berube on what the Maple Leafs can learn from the Blue Jays: "The guys are seeing the emotion and the team camaraderie of the Jays... They're a very tight-knit group"

"Do you think the enthusiasm for the Blue Jays can rub off on your team? Berube: Well, it can. I think guys are watching and seeing the emotion of the game and the team camaraderie when you watch the Blue Jays. They are a very tight group. It is very visible. What kind of sports fan are you? How do you behave when you watch other sports? Berube: I don't cheer."

"Berube: For sure. I watch the Blue Jays, and I have watched them pretty closely throughout the playoffs, and a little bit before. I have had the opportunity to meet the manager, the coaches, and some players. They are a very tight-knit group. I watch their guy, Vladdy, closely. I watch how he interacts with all of the guys, how much energy he brings all of the time, and the happiness for his teammates when they do something well."

The Maple Leafs opened with a morning skate lineup featuring Knies–Matthews–Domi; Maccelli–Tavares–Nylander; Joshua–Roy–McMann; Robertson–Lorentz–Jarnkrok, with McCabe–Tanev, Rielly–Carlo and Benoit–Ekman-Larsson on defence and Stolarz starting while Primeau is available. Players have been watching the Blue Jays' playoff run and visible team camaraderie, noting Vladdy's constant energy and positive interactions that lift teammates. The Leafs view that contagious enthusiasm and attention to little things can influence their own locker-room atmosphere. Vladdy's appearance in an Auston Matthews jersey underscored shared fan support, and Max Domi was reunited with Matthews in the lineup.

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