The Woz is Leafs’ big secret
Unheralded Wozniewski makes mark Klee may be ready for Canadiens game
GRAVENHURST— There is a sign over the ice here at the Centennial Centre, just a little past the mini- shrine to native son Kris King, that promises one of the local restaurants to be “ The best kept secret in Muskoka.” Not on this day. Not with the Maple Leafs visiting this playground for cottagers and, judging from the number of kids on hand to watch, truancy officers.
That big secret here, right up there with coach Pat Quinn’s resurrection of the phrase “ upper body” injury, was the large fellow with the thick eyebrows skating on defence. Andy Wozniewski has been at Toronto’s camp from before Day 1, when the freshmen gathered in Ottawa for a rookie tournament. He just seemed to get overlooked, as much as any 6foot- 4, 220-pounder can be overlooked.
Throughout camp, Wozniewski seemed an afterthought to the glowing praise heaped on the sometimes spectacular Carlo Colaiacovo and the fascination with import behemoth Staffan Kronwall. But when the defence had to be pared, it was Colaiacovo and Kronwall who were invited to ride the buses in the minors. Wozniewski got his ticket to the big time, a team bonding excursion to Gravenhurst, and his presence must have provided the 300 or so onlookers with a few head- scratching moments. He soon won’t be a mystery because the 25- year- old’s role on the team may be bigger than first anticipated. Toronto defencemen are dropping like blackflies and Wozniewski is inching up the depth chart as the Leafs prepare for tomorrow’s season opener against Ottawa at the Air Canada Centre. Wade Belak couldn’t practise yesterday because of an infection in his foot and Aki Berg departed early because of the re-
currence of an upper- body injury — which is actually a rib muscle problem. That meant spare forward Clarke Wilm had to play defence in drills just to give Toronto six blueliners. And that was with injured Ken Klee taking part in his first practice in four days. Klee has a severely bruised heal bone, one that had been causing him debilitating pain when pushing off and turning on the ice.
That he was able to participate in a full 90-minute workout when the team had expected less than half that is a sign that the solid veteran is close to returning — though possibly not for the Senators.
“ I think Saturday ( when Montreal visits) is more realistic,” said Klee. “ As long as I wasn’t getting the sharp pain they told me I could stay out but at the same time, I have to be smart and not set myself back. Once you get a deep bruise, almost like little breaks in there, it just takes time.” Quinn said if Berg and Belak can’t play tomorrow then the team will make roster moves. Bryan Marchment’s tryout contract expires today, but the coach indicated he would not be one of the options Toronto will look at to patch its defence. The Leafs are at 24 players right now and must be down to 23 by this afternoon. They could put a player or two on injury reserve but that would put them on the shelf for a week, not the preferred option if they might be ready for Saturday. But it would allow the Leafs to meet the roster limit and promote a defenceman from the Marlies, though in a fill-in basis they might opt for more of a veteran presence such as Brad Brown or Marc Moro rather than a Colaiacovo or Kronwall. Quinn was going to ponder the options with Toronto’s management team last night after he joined some of his players on an afternoon golf outing; others went fishing on Lake Muskoka. Wozniewski, meanwhile, seems to be trying hard not to act like he’s a fan who just won a spot in the lineup through some radio contest. But the wonderment seeps through. He gushed that it was an “ unbelievable feeling” being on the bus with players he, until recently, admired from afar. He talked about how his phone “rang off the hook” as word spread amongst his family and friends that he’s made the team. And he shrugged off being lost in the camp hype surrounding Colaiacovo and, to a lesser extent, Kronwall.
“ I don’t mind being the underdog; things worked out my way,” he said.
Raised in Buffalo Grove, Ill., a northern suburb of Chicago, Wozniewski is just two years removed from being a co- captain with the Wisconsin Badgers, where he earned a reputation for being a steady, tough, stayathome defender.
It is his rock- solid approach, and remarkable foot speed for a big man, that Quinn and his Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves believe will give him a chance to succeed at the NHL level.
“ Getting used to the pace will be the toughest adjustment for him to make,” said Eaves, who spent eight seasons in the NHL himself. “ But he’s a big guy that can move. He just has to keep his game simple but his mobility will be a plus.” Wozniewski is not a player you’d grab for your hockey pool. In 116 games with the Badgers, he had 10 goals. But his 104 penalty minutes in his senior year topped the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. In 28 games at St. John’s, he had a goal and four assists.