Leafs’ Robidas up against injury, age

Veteran finally back after broken leg

TORONTO • It was the morning of his first exhibition game for the Toronto Maple Leafs — the first game he had played since breaking his leg more than five months ago — and Stephane Robidas was talking about the role that confidence plays in hockey.

Specifically, he was talking about his son, who plays in a Quebec youth league where they split the kids up by twoyear increments. The first year can be rough, said Robidas, because the kids are playing against older kids who are bigger and better. The important thing is that they do not lose their confidence.

“Hockey is 85% mental,” said Robidas, jabbing an index finger to the side of his head. “I truly believe that.”

In that way, the veteran defenceman could have been talking about himself and the challenges that await. This is Robidas’ 15th season in the NHL. And, after what happened last season, it could be his most challenging.

Last November, Robidas broke his leg while playing with the Dallas Stars. Five months later, after being traded to the Anaheim Ducks, the same leg broke in the playoffs. Doctors told him he might not play again. But Robidas, who has been practicing during the entire training camp, is confident he can find his game in a hurry.

“I came back last year, March 21st,” he said of returning from his first broken leg. “No pre-season. Nothing. I just played a full NHL game. I think it’s enough for me. I would like to have played more, yeah. But that’s what I’ve been dealt with. I’m good with that.”

Robidas is not only battling back from injury. He is also battling time. At 37, he was drafted a year before William Nylander was born. At his age, he should be slowing down and taking on a more secondary role. And yet, the Leafs have high expectations for Robidas, who scored five goals and 10 points in 38 games last season.

They are not just looking for him to be a mentor for Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly. They hope he can be a minute-munching defence partner for Dion Phaneuf.

“This is a new start in my career for me,” Robidas said of signing a threeyear contract worth US$9-million to play for the Leafs in the summer. “I’ll do whatever it takes. Whatever role they want me to fill in, I will do that. I’m at the stage in my career where I know what I can bring to a team and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.

“I want to be part of this team, part of the solution. Obviously, we have high expectations here in Toronto. I want to help this team win and get this team back in the playoffs.”

It might sound like the Leafs and Robidas both have unrealistic expectations. After all, he did miss more than half of last season with a career-threatening injury and is the oldest player on the roster by five years. But Robidas said he signed a three-year deal with the Leafs because he believes he has a lot more to give and because he believes the team is trending upwards. The Leafs, apparently, feel the same way.

Rather than have Gardiner play with Phaneuf, which would have necessitated one of the defencemen playing on his opposite side, head coach Randy Carlyle believes Robidas has the composure and experience to be a settling presence for the Leafs captain.

“I just think it’s about keeping it simple,” said Carlyle. “A big part of his game was his mobility. I think in this situation, I’d like to see him use his thought process more than his physical presence out there. He’s a competitive guy. He’s going to play the game the way he knows how to play it.”

While Robidas averaged more than 21 minutes in Anaheim and was used in a top-pairing role at times in Dallas, the Leafs are hoping to avoid what happened last season when Carl Gunnarsson and Phaneuf were stuck on the ice for almost half the game. As Robidas said, it is about taking baby steps and getting the confidence back.

“Get a feel for the puck. Close gaps,” he said. “Get back to being the defenceman I was before the injury.”