While at the Sony PlayStation Preview event at the Sony Centre in downtown Toronto, hockey fans in attendance were given a treat, or at least the ones that aren't Ottawa Senators fans like yours truly.  
However, I was able to put my Senators fandom aside for a few minutes for a breezy chat with Toronto Maple Leafs stars Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, where we discussed gaming, a bit of hockey, and what cool stuff was on display at the show. After the interview, I came away satisfied that even while many Ottawa residents would maliciously hurl boos at these guys while on the ice, in person they're just a couple of cool guys who enjoy looking at neat tech and playing video games as much as anyone else.
 
So which Leaf is the biggest gamer? Read on to find out!
 
GamingExcellence: What's your favourite game that you guys saw today?
 
Tyler Bozak: Definitely Call of Duty: Black Ops. I'm a big Call of Duty guy, been playing them since the early ones. I spent a lot of time on that one. It was pretty sick to play Black Ops. It doesn't come out for another month and a half, so I was excited about that.
 
Phil Kessel: My favourite was this tennis game I played (Virtua Tennis complete with 3D glasses and PlayStation Move) up there is sweet. I was just up there playing. I have to take a glance to see what other cool stuff is around there.
 
GamingExcellence: (To Bozak) What was your favourite Call of Duty so far?
 
TB: My favourite is Modern Warfare 2. I got a lot of guys on the team hooked on it so every day after practice we head home and start playing.
 
GamingExcellence: Do you have a LAN set up?
 
TB: Yeah we do. We have a clan; we call it the SICK clan. A few of the guys are pretty bad, but me and (Leafs Centre) John Mitchell usually carry the squad.
 
GamingExcellence: Who's the worst at Call of Duty on the team?
 
TB: Definitely (defenseman Mike) Komisarek. By far. He plays at least, some guys on the team don't. I'm sure he'd be better than other guys who don't play, but we just persuaded him to get a system, and he's been struggling so far.
 
GamingExcellence: What system do you guys play on?
 
TB: I actually have both. We've been playing on Xbox lately, but I've been a PlayStation guy pretty much my whole life.
 
GamingExcellence: Do you have much time for gaming during the season?
 
TB: It's busy, but once we get home from practice we've got some time in the day. I usually spend some time on the system. You don't want to get into too much of a rest, so I sit on the couch and play some games.
 
GamingExcellence: (To Kessel)
 
GamingExcellence: Do you find much time for gaming?
 
PK: I used to play a lot more games, but I'm just so terrible at them these days.
 
GamingExcellence: What's your favourite?
 
PK: I don't even know anymore, it's been so long.
 
GamingExcellence: Are you in on the Call of Duty sessions?
 
PK: Nah, I'm not in on that, I can't keep up with this guy (laughs and points to Bozak)
 
GamingExcellence: Who's the biggest gamer on the team?
 
PK: Tyler or Mitchy. Probably Tyler.
 
GamingExcellence: (To Bozak) Any games around here really caught your attention?
 
TB: That 3D tennis game where you hold the remote and move around really caught my attention. It's actually a really good work out. I was pretty exhausted after this.
 
GamingExcellence: Is Kessel better at real tennis or the virtual version?
 
TB: He's better at virtual everything (laughs).
 
PK: Awww, you're so funny! (shakes fist at Bozak)
 
GamingExcellence: Tell Kessel he's a jerk for torching my team for two goals at the last Sens and Leafs game I went to.
 
TB: Yeah, he'll do that. (laughs) He'll do it again this season?
 
GamingExcellence: How do you feel about the upcoming season?
 
PK: I feel really good and healthy. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season and getting going.
 
GamingExcellence: Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to me, and best of luck in the upcoming season!
 
TB: Thanks a lot!
 
PK: Alright! Sounds good!