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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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Zach Hyman is hoping to become the Ray Ferraro of the gaming world. Well, at least for one day. The Maple Leafs winger is serving as the colour commentator for Monday's NHLPA Open, a Fortnite tournament featuring more than 60 National Hockey League players.

​"Watch out Ray!" a smiling Hyman said in reference to the TSN analyst.　​

"He didn't want to embarrass anyone so we put him in the booth," joked Avalanche forward J.T. Compher, the driving force behind the event.

Hyman is well versed in the esports world having launched his own company, Eleven Gaming, a couple years ago.

"I know Fortnite well and know a lot of the players," Hyman said. "I can shed light on the players and their tendencies in hockey compared to how they play in Fortnite. It will be a challenge, for sure, to see how I handle the broadcasting stuff."

Sebastian Aho, Thomas Chabot, Johnny Gaudreau, William Karlsson, Clayton Keller, Travis Konecny, Mitch Marner, Bryan Rust and Alex Tuch are among those entered. Teams of three will represent their cities with $200,000 USD in prize money going to player-chosen charities.

"People are hurting all over the world and we want to do our part in stepping up," said Compher. "The idea came once the season got shutdown and we were playing video games a bit more. Guys on our team are very into Fortnite."

Compher played a couple seasons with Hyman at the University of Michigan and approached him about the idea knowing the Toronto native was well connected in the gaming world.

"We brought it to the Players' Association and got the PA's support and then brought it to Epic Games, who put up this prize pool and really facilitated everything," Hyman said.

ESPN is also on board. Fans can watch the action starting Monday at 2 pm ET via Twitch.tv/espnesports.

Compher will be playing with Colorado teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Nieto.

"We have a strategy," said Compher. "We're going to be aggressive. Those two probably play the most and are the best on our team. I found the best two players I could and will hopefully ride them to victory."

The Leafs team features Marner, Frederik Gauthier and Travis Dermott. What's the scouting report on Marner?

"He's the captain of the Leaf team so I hope he can hold his own," Hyman observed. "I've played with him a bunch so he’s great. He was complaining to me that we have a bunch of guys who are on keyboard and mouse in the tournament and how they have an advantage. If you play with keyboard or mouse you're much quicker than someone on console it seems."

Fortnite remains a popular game among NHL players even if it's not as widely played as it was a couple years ago when Auston Matthews declared it to be "sweeping the nation."

"The new hot game that a lot of NHL guys are playing is War Zone," noted Hyman. "It's Call of Duty's take on the Battle Royale so that's a lot of fun. The games go in and out but Fortnite's been around probably for the longest. I feel like Fortnite's always kind of there."

With the return-to-play timeline unclear, Monday's event provides an outlet for players.

"I think there's been excitement from the players to get the competitive side going and compete for bragging rights," Compher said.