‘He knows he’s my guy’
James Reimer came back to Toronto to see a rookie sensation wearing his old No. 34, but also landed amid a familiar Leaf goaltending controversy.
At least his new team, the Florida Panthers, won’t add to it by starting him against his old club on Thursday, while Leaf coach Mike Babcock backed his struggling $25-million man Freddy Andersen to the hilt, greenlighting his return to the crease after a team debacle against Tampa Bay. Andersen has a .851 save percentage.
“He knows he’s my guy,” Babcock said after practice following Andersen giving up four goals on 11 shots to the Bolts, seven in all on 24 shots. “I know things have a way of evening out and when you’re good, you don’t just lose (ability), there is something affecting you, so we talked about that today. I expect him to be back and rolling (Thursday).”
Babcock stopped practice a few more times than usual on Thursday to explain drills and his voice was a few decibels higher barking instruction as the Leafs (12-3) try to re-group to play Florida.
But the coach was adamant he would not mess too much with Andersen’s routine. Andersen and Jhonas Enroth came out for the usual pre-practice work with goalie coach Steve Briere, but other than indicating he’s spending more time breaking down video with Briere, Andersen repeated that he’ll work through some mental issues he’s having on the ice.
“Let’s not over-think this,” Babcock added. “We’ve made a real point with not doing too much (extra cirriculars) with Freddy. He’s obviously had a way he’s done things and it’s important until we get to know him that we don’t change anything. He’s the guy and he has to fight his way through it.
“We play in the greatest hockey market in the world, the most fans, the most media and whether people believe this or not, they’re cheering for you, they want you to be great. That’s what you have to get through your head. There’s no witch hunt here. If you’re great, they’re cheering for, if not, they want a new guy, it’s that simple. I think that’s fair.”
As bad as Andersen’s initial numbers are in Toronto, he’s not the first to struggle mightily in October.
Going by the criteria of at least five games in October, Andersen’s 4.29 goals-against average is not even in the club’s top 10 highest for the month. Vesa Toskala (5.13 GAA and an .836 percentage) were the worst in October since 1991-92, based on at least five starts and a couple of goalies were worse in the 1980s.
The night Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut Roberto Luongo joked that Reimer would get any start involving the Leafs, but for whatever reason, Florida coach Gerard Gallant played Reimer in Pittsburgh Tuesday and will go to Luongo against the Leafs. Reimer, Toronto’s two-time Masterton Trophy nominee for dedication to hockey, played 207 games, 10th in Leaf history.
“I enjoyed my time here, the city, the team, a lot of good memories,” Reimer said. “It was a real special time. With Florida, we have a pretty good squad and we’re trying to get a feel for the team.”
Reimer didn’t want to comment on the net nuttyness in Toronto, having been in a few stories, involving Jonathan Bernier among others.
“Obviously, you keep tabs around the league on some things being said and whatnot. I don’t know the complete ins and outs of it. I don’t know Andersen too well, but I think he’s an elite goaltender and things will play themselves out and he’ll get back to the puck stopping everyone knows he’s capable of.
“It’s like anything, you have to bury your head in the sand, whether it’s Toronto, Florida, San Jose, Vancouver. You just lean on what you believe. Everyone is going to voice their opinion. Everyone is allowed to do that, people can boo and cheer, but you have to focus on what you can control. That’s what I had, great support from my family, my wife. my team.
“It’s a fun market. As a goalie, there’s a lot of pressures and expectations on you. One positive is that there is always excitement and a buzz in the air. It was a fun time to be here.”
As for Matthews taking his number — and jumping to the NHL scoring lead — Reimer joked: “It’s terrible, I can’t believe the kid did it. I’m pretty choked, but maybe I’ll slash him in warm-ups or something.”