Notebooks drawn and cameras charged, the swollen beast known as the Toronto hockey media will be waiting for Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason this morning in the Air Canada Centre.

Mason, one of the biggest stories in the NHL this season, grew up in Oakville, Ontario, about 24 miles south of Toronto. He was a huge Leafs fan as a kid. Favorite player? Goaltender Felix Potvin.

"I'm looking forward to a special evening," Mason said. "Hopefully, it's going to be a good game for me. I'll be a little nervous, maybe when the anthem starts. But after a couple of minutes, I'll get into game mode and it'll feel like any other game."

Mason's mother, Donna, is handling the ticket distribution to friends and family, but Mason expects 50 or more to be on hand.

There could be a hitch in the plans.

Mason started last night against the St. Louis Blues in Nationwide Arena, and though it seems unfathomable that coach Ken Hitchcock would start backup Wade Dubielewicz in front of Mason's family, the coach left open the possibility yesterday.

"It depends on Mase's energy level," Hitchcock said. "It's not based on him being from Oakville or anything like that. I mean, hopefully he can play every game, but if he doesn't feel good, we're not going to play him."

Then Hitchcock smiled and noted that Mason, whose mononucleosis was diagnosed in January, hasn't been exactly forthcoming with the medical staff this season.

"We're assuming he's not going to tell us the truth about how he feels, either, because we've already had that happen," Hitchcock said. "We have ways of telling, too. We know his tendencies. If he feels good, we can tell it in the net and see it in his energy and attitude."

Wary of the Leafs

The players have been urged to ignore the Maple Leafs' record. They're 12th in the Eastern Conference with 52 points, one of only a handful of clubs out of the Stanley Cup playoffs picture.

"Those teams make me really nervous," Hitchcock said. "They have no pressure on them. They play loose and hard.

"You have a tendency to make the biggest mistake, which is looking in the standings. When you make that mistake, you're already 50 cents down on the dollar. If you're not ready to play at a high level, you can get hammered there."

The flu continues

Left winger Raffi Torres was scratched from last night's game against St. Louis because of the flu. He didn't even make it to the morning skate.

"There's a one-day flu and a five-day flu," Hitchcock said. "They're both going around the room. Let's just hope he doesn't have the one (Derek) Dorsett and (Marc) Methot got."

Slap shots

The NHL trade deadline of March 4 is less than two weeks away. Edmonton and Minnesota had scouts in Nationwide Arena last night.

aportzline@dispatch.com