Big chance for young Leafs
Lessons to be learned on star-studded trip
Think of this part of the schedule as a free Hall of Fame preview for the youngest players on the Maple Leafs.
In t he space of seven games, going back to Saturday’s loss to Washington, the Leafs are up close and personal with Alex Ovechkin, the Flames’ Jaromir Jagr on Tuesday, the ‘ generational player’ Connor McDavid two nights later, wrapping their road trip against the Sedin twins in Vancouver. Next week, it’s Jagr and McDavid again at the Air Canada Centre, sandwiching a test against Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh.
For Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and others there has to be some valuable lessons in seeing so many greats in the flesh — how they walk, talk and perform in the heat of National Hockey League battle.
“Those kind of challenges are the best thing for a person, individually and as a team,” said former goaltender and Hockey Night In Canada analyst Kelly Hrudey while watching the Leafs and Flames practice Tuesday.
“I know I always looked forward to them more so than a game against a team that didn’t really have the stars or one that’s not very effective.
“Those meetings get you excited about t he game again. I hate when people say ( a head to head with an MVP) is a measuring stick, because then you don’t truly believe in yourself. But if you relish the challenge of playing the really great ones, those are the players you want on your team.”
Lord knows the Leafs of the post 2004- 05 lockout years have seen a slew of stars come into the ACC and carry their team on their backs, bark commands, direct traffic or deal with offi- cials. Crosby and Ovechkin ( a hat trick against Toronto the other night) lit up the Leafs and now Toronto, having finally committed to a draft rebuild, has Matthews and the others starting their second full seasons.
“You watch Crosby and think ‘ what can I learn from him?’,” Hrudey said. “Not only what he does with his creativity, but how he prepares.”
That’s one of the reasons the Flames extended a contract to the 45-year-old Jagr. First line forward Sean Monahan directed reporters’ attention to Jagr’s cramped locker with its collection of fitness gear, such as ankle weights, with a path of different equipment samples leading to his stall.
“Everyone has a different way of preparing and it’s cool to see, especially at his age, someone you can look up to,” Monahan said. “He’s always paying attention to little details. Look, he’s got 10 pairs of skates.
“He obviously has a lot of passion for the game. Just talking to him in practices and stuff, he’s always trying to get better. Me, him and Johnny Gaudreau played together for awhile. He’d pull you aside and give you advice and he wants to learn more and more.
“To have the opportunity to share the ice and share the dressing room with him is pretty special.”
The Leafs already took a leap of faith in Patrick Marleau. At 37, there was concern the Leafs had overpaid or were jumping the gun on their patience plan. But Marleau is scoring, including a team- best four game- winning goals and leading by example in other areas not always detected by the TV camera.
Matthews says he’s picki ng up something useful every game, home and away.
“You are going against good players every night, regardless of who it is, how many years they’ve been in the league and their accomplishments. You’re not really looking at it as autographs, but there is a lot you can learn from players ( coming up on the schedule). You have to treat everyone like a hockey player out there.”