Leafs grinder relishes surprise role
D’Amigo gets first NHL goal, assist
TORONTO — It was a few minutes before Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks when Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle walked into the dressing room and proceeded to give Jerry D’Amigo a heart attack.
“He said, ‘They’re starting Toews, Sharp and Hossa,’ ” said D’Amigo. “And he goes, ‘D’Amigo, McClement and Kulie.’ ”
D’Amigo sat there stunned, his heart speeding up a few hundred beats per second. The 22-year-old, who had been called up a week ago from the minors because of injuries and suspensions, was playing in only his sixth NHL game. And now he was matching up against one of the best forward lines in the world.
“I was a bit shocked,” said D’Amigo. “I did a little, ‘Wow, are you sure about that?’”
Except, there was not time to ask questions. Before he knew it, D’Amigo was standing on the blue line for the national anthems and then he was lining up next to Marian Hossa for the opening faceoff and then his instincts simply took over in what he described as the game of his life.
D’Amigo scored his first career goal and picked up his first career assist — “It was a hot stick,” he joked — but the thing that helped seal the 7-3 victory was his defensive play. In a game against one of the top offensive teams in the league, the Leafs’ third line won the matchup battle against the Blackhawks’ top line, limiting Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Hossa to no goals, two shots and a minus-6 rating.
“They gave us safe min- utes,” Carlyle said after the game. “It was a little bit of a risk to put D’Amigo with (Jay) McClement and (Nikolai) Kulemin, but they did a heck of a job for us.”
It is a job that comes naturally to D’Amigo. He was Toronto’s sixth-round pick in the 2009 draft, which included first-rounders Nazem Kadri (seventh overall) and Peter Holland (15th). But unlike those two players, who have been groomed for top-six roles, D’Amigo fully understands his limited skill set.
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound winger is a grinder. With the Toronto Marlies, he kills penalties, plays a shutdown role and more often uses his speed to finish checks rather than to create offence. His game is not unlike that of Leo Komarov, who led the Leafs in hits last season and then returned to Russia, opening up a void that was not filled in the off-season.
D’Amigo said he was aware of this. Whenever he would watch the Leafs play on TV this season, he knew he could help.