Ceremonial puck drop: Leafs start in space, Aly Raisman and Zdeno Chara

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The Toronto Maple Leafs fan base is so big, it even extends to outer space.

For their home opener on Monday night, the Maple Leafs went to inifinity and beyond for their ceremonial puck drop, actually a collaborative effort. It began with Chris Hadfield, from the International Space Station, dropping the puck down to the Earth below.

Thankfully for everybody involved, he has incredible accuracy and was able to drop it right into the waiting glove of former Leafs goalie Felix Potvin. From there it was a relay to Darcy Tuckey and Darryl Sittler to Johnny Bower, who dropped the puck to a loud ovation from the Leafs faithful. The former Leafs were by his side for the puck drop, but as you can imagine, Hadfield couldn't make it.

To drop the first puck from space is pretty awesome, I must admit. But the ceremonial puck drop in Boston on Monday might have been just a little better, if only because of the visual.

For their Monday matinee, the Bruins welcomed Needham, Mass., native and U.S. Olympic gymnastic star Aly Raisman to drop the puck. Being a gymnast, she's really short. And as you know, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is really tall. This was the result:

Zdeno Chara stands next to Aly Raisman. (Getty Images)

That photo right there has the makings of a sitcom. I mean, I know Chara is on skates in this picture, and it's not the perfect angle, but my goodness. In this photo he looks three feet taller than her.

For Raisman, dropping the puck wasn't the only thrill, we're sure. She also had the chance to meet Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand in the locker room. Considering the past reports of flirting between Raisman and Seguin, that had to be the highlight.

Anyway, well done to the Leafs and Bruins. I usually tune out the ceremonial puck drops, but those were both worth watching.

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