Gay Blade

Is the Stanley Cup finally coming back to Toronto? If so, it’s definitely not in a way that former Leafs owner Harold Ballard ever dreamed of. In the weeks before TIFF, it was rumoured that the NHL would be sending the Cup to the world premiere of the movie Breakfast With Scot. A notable event, to be sure, but much more so given that Breakfast With Scot has been dubbed the “gay Maple Leafs movie.” In it, a very straight-acting gay couple—an ex-Leaf (Tom Cavanaugh, of TV show Ed fame) and his partner, Ben Shenkman (Cavanaugh’s co-star on the CBS show Love Monkey)—confront their closeted existence when they take custody of an eccentric 11-year-old named Scot. The Leafs and the NHL—two organizations not exactly known for draping themselves in the rainbow flag—embraced the project, permitting free use of the Maple Leafs logo. “We just thought it was an en­gaging, humorous, heartfelt story of a modern-day family,” says Bernadette Mansur, the NHL’s senior VP of communications. “This was not a political statement.” While a handful of pro players are expected to attend a public screening in early Sep­tember at the Toronto Inter­national Film Festival, don’t hold your breath that Lord Stanley’s Cup itself will make an appearance. “It’s very busy at this time of year,” Mansur says. Chances are it will still be on its summer tour with the Anaheim Ducks.—Ava Robertson