They'll practice two days in Cleveland (Tuesday and Wednesday), and on Tuesday afternoon, they have team bonding activities planned. It's all part of fostering the feel of togetherness before embarking on an 82-game -- and hopefully longer -- journey that demands a strong internal support system.
But those events are not without a purpose, because what the players do off the ice this week is just as important as what they do on the ice.
“It’s a bonding thing,” captain Nick Foligno said of this week’s activities. “We want to get together and really start the season off the right way.