Hunwick makes most of Leafs’ clean slate
One of the few not on Babcock’s bad side
TORONTO • In his first training camp as the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, everyone is new to Mike Babcock, whether they’ve worn the sweater before or not.
Defenceman Matt Hunwick is taking advantage of that, quickly developing into the Maple Leafs’ most reliable off-season acquisition. He has drawn praise from Babcock and has been the anchor on the left side of a pairing with captain Dion Phaneuf since the start of camp.
Signed to a two-year $2.4-million free-agent deal, Hunwick is no stranger to the brand of hockey his coach demands. And he is used to a learning curve, having played for three other teams in eight previous NHL seasons. He spent just one season with the New York Rangers last year.
Several veterans have been called out by Babcock for the mistakes they have made in games, especially Monday’s 4-0 loss in Buffalo, but Hunwick is on the coach’s good side right now.
“It’s probably due to the fact that it is brand new to everyone, he’s coming into his first year,” Hunwick said. “I know when I was in New York last year, A.V. (head coach Alain Vigneault) and most all of the team had been there the year before. Everyone knew the system.”
Prior to his year with the Rangers, Hunwick spent time with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche. His career has had its fair share of ups and downs.
After his first NHL playoff game in April 2009, Hunwick had to have his spleen removed after complaining about abdominal pains, ending his season. In 2013, he averaged a career-high 21:31 in 41 games with Colorado in the lockout-shortened season. But his role diminished with the Avalanche and he spent most of the 2013-14 season in the American Hockey League.
In Toronto, where everyone has a clean slate, this chapter is off to a positive start. In three pre-season games, Hunwick’s ice time has gone from 16:49 to 21:19. In the Buffalo game, where every veteran was chided for mistakes, Hunwick earned a positive review.
“I thought he was pretty good last game,” Babcock said. “He does it right, we can all watch by learning. That’s why he’s here.”
Hunwick has been leaned on to carry the puck out of the defensive zone and push the play forward. He’s carved out this role throughout his NHL career and it came from his roots.
Growing up in suburban Detroit, Hunwick was a Red Wings fan. Living close to Windsor, he was able to watch Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday. Red Wings teams of that era featured the Russian Five — Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Sergei Federov, Slava Kozlov and Vladimir Konstantinov — who were successfully bringing the European style of play to the NHL.
“With the Russian Five back then, they kind of established that puck-control style,” Hunwick said. “And even when Mike (Babcock) came in, they still had that style where they like to control the puck and speed. So from a fan’s prospective, it’s always something I enjoyed because of the way they play.”
In many ways, Hunwick is the unofficial symbol of the system Babcock is teaching. It should come as no surprise all the factors have aligned for Hunwick to excel in Toronto.