This was the first time Puck Daddy had a presence at the NHL Player Media Tour, which was being run out of the MasterCard Centre For Hockey Excellence (actual name) in Toronto this year.

We experienced many things, as you’ll see in the stories and videos we’ll run over the next few weeks. There was a lot to take in. So here are 20 things we learned at the NHL Player Media Tour this week in lovely Toronto:

1. Our Room

We were given our own space by the NHL for interviews and video, which was really cool. It was a locker room next to a practice rink with two long wooden benches, a few folding chairs, a shower that was actually a trash room and one toilet that we’re proud to say Jonathan Toews used in full uniform. And that’s why he’s The Captain.

Alas, the room wasn’t without its challenges. First there was the constantly running fan, which you can hear in this video. However, the alternative was having a room like our friends at NBC did next door, that didn’t have a fan but had a vent from which you could hear everyone talking in the room next. And we’re rather boisterous people.

The other challenge was the motion lights. There was no light switch. The lights were operated by walking past or waving at a sensor in the ceiling near the front door. Which meant that the room would suddenly go pitch black in the middle of the interview until someone triggered the light.

When the lights fell during his interview, we’re pretty sure Sean Monahan thought we were going to chop him up and eat him.

2. Speed Dating

If you aren’t hip to the NHL Player Media Tour, here’s how it works: From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you get 15 minutes with players from all 30 NHL teams over two days. Frequently, they follow each other in rapid succession – “Thanks, Duncan Keith, oh hai Zdeno Chara” – so you have to really be prepared. It’s a lot like speed dating, only with more emotional baggage.

You end up with an amazing amount of content and sympathy for the players who have to hear "so any update on your talks with the Lightning, Steven?" 105 times.

3. Geno and Sid

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Would watch “Geno and Sid 24/7” in a heartbeat. Like, everyday. Like, all day. Like, we wish it was like “The Truman Show” and we could see them brush their teeth together each morning.

4. No Patrick Kane

Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks is the kind of player you’d expect to find on this NHL Player Media Tour, except he wasn’t in Toronto for obvious reasons. And outside of Gary Bettman having to address it during the World Cup presser, no one was talking about him. We tried to ask Duncan Keith whether he, like so many Blackhawks fans, was disappointed in Kane. “We’ve been told not to comment,” he said.

5. John Tavares vs. Hot Dogs

The NHL Player Media Tour was really run rather efficiently, as most players sync’d up with their schedule. Alas, some guys were caught in traffic (because Toronto is why), and so a few schedules had to be shifted around.

Which brings us to John Tavares.

The New York Islanders captain was a little late to the rink, so his time with us was moved later in the day on Wednesday. As Tavares made his way down media row after filming some on-ice stuff, we figured he would roll into our room in about 25 minutes. Our own Sean Leahy decided to grab us lunch, consisting of coffee, a Powerade and a couple of hot dogs from the rink café.

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