Hyman blocks shots, pain to happily put team first
Leafs forward unselfishly takes aches in stride
Zach hyman finds it rather easy to block out the discomfort. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has missed a couple of games in the past few weeks after getting in the way of an opponent’s drive and had a simple explanation for taking the suffering in stride.
“Part of the job,” hyman said on Monday. “you have to go out there and play through discomfort and some pain.
“As long as you feel like you can help your team and you’re not hindered in any way, then you can battle through a little bit of pain.
“It’s more painful not playing, to be honest, when you’re out and you’re watching games.”
On Monday night in edmonton against the Oilers, hyman was set to play his third consecutive game after missing two of the previous three. hyman’s determination is matched by few of his teammates and going into the game, he was third among Leafs forwards with 14 blocks.
That he has absorbed bruises and other pains from putting himself in front of the rubber doesn’t cross his mind when opponents wind up to shoot. Little surprise, considering hyman’s team-first manner every time he goes over the boards.
“you don’t have enough time to think ‘Oh, I should get out of the way on this one,’” hyman said. “When you’re out there playing, you’re not hurt or injured or anything, you’re playing the game.
“you don’t think about it. I do my job and if there’s an opportunity to block a shot, then get in the lane.”
hyman wears shot blockers on his skates, a habit that began when he was playing with the Toronto Marlies in the American hockey League, and with an inadvertent assist from former teammate connor Brown.
“connor got hit in the foot and he broke a bone, and I’m like, ‘I don’t want that to happen to me’ so I decided to put them on,” hyman said. “I was penalty killing. It’s extremely important because you can’t control a puck hitting you in the foot, there’s nothing you can do. you can limit that damage and give yourself a better chance to get out of it with a less of an injury, so that was my thought process behind it.”
BOGO SETTLES IN
Through the Leafs’ first 22 games, general manager Kyle dubas could look back on his off-season acquisitions and feel good about nearly all of them with the exception of the underachieving Jimmy Vesey.
On the blue line, dubas’ wise additions include Zach Bogosian, who has settled into a firm role on the third pairing, whether his partner has been Travis dermott or Mikko Lehtonen.
The 30-year-old Bogosian was averaging 14 minutes, 39 seconds a game.
“I love to compete and found my confidence last year in the playoffs,” Bogosian said, referring to helping the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley cup. “That was a really fun experience. And then just being confident as a person and what I can bring to the team on and off the ice.
“I’ve shown over the last few years (that he has been) resilient.”
Indeed. Bogosian rebounded with Tampa after he was waived by the Buffalo Sabres last February, and then signed a one-year contract with Toronto in October.
“That’s so far in the past for me,” Bogosian said of
his untimely end with the Sabres. “I met some lifelong friends, but the way things ended, I was glad to go to Tampa for a new experience, and to win the cup was icing on the cake.”
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe respects how Bogosian has helped solidify the defence corps.
“In the early going, you could tell he was still adjusting
to being here and in our system and in his role,” Keefe said. “For the past 15-plus games, he has really settled in and he has provided what we thought and expected to get, which is a guy who has been a reliable defender, brought a level of physicality to our defensive group, a reliable penalty killer.
“And a great person to add to our leadership of our team. he has brought a lot to many important areas.”
LOOSE LEAFS
The demeanour of TJ Brodie — if the defenceman panics in Toronto’s end of the ice, there is scant evidence — has been a benefit for the Leafs. “I like that he doesn’t care about who he’s playing against,” Keefe said. “It doesn’t rattle him, it doesn’t concern him, he’s comfortable in his own game, and realizes that he has to stay within his skill set and do what works for him. even if he gets beat or makes a mistake, he’s just going to go back and drink some water and go out and give it his best shot the next time out.” … Keefe on forward Pierre engvall: “We’ve made things harder on him to earn his opportunity mainly because I feel like with a player with his skill set, his size, his speed, his physicality, the potential that he has, I don’t even know he realizes how good he can be. We didn’t want to hand him anything.” … A fine choice by the Marlies to name rich clune their new captain. clune for years has been taking on the responsibilities that a captain would, and now has the rightful letter on the front of his sweater.