Hamilton awaits his turn
Marlies captain paying attention and hopeful his number gets called
BOSTON— Over-matter is a tough designation for a professional athlete to handle: the guys on the margins, at the periphery, up in the press box.
But the heart of the matter is that the Leafs need to alter the dynamics in their playoff series. And that means throwing a change-up at the Bruins.
A reconfigured lineup is what Randy Carlyle has in mind as he shuffles names around on his roster scratch-pad. “We’ll make some changes. I’ve got lots of paper.’’
Naturally, the coach wasn’t revealing his plans. He’s known to toss out practice combinations just to keep enquiring minds guessing. The optics look promising, though, for a handful of Game 1non-participants to get their post-season whistles wet in Game 2.
Ryan Hamilton is pining — quietly, patiently — for that opportunity.
TheMarlies captain has drawn approval from Carlyle for his lowmaintenance coping with up-anddown inclusion versus exclusion — 10 games for the Leafs and 56 this season for the farm team where he’s been an esteemed and undisputed leader. His heart is stretching both ways, one ventricle with the Marlies as they progress into the second round of their playoff labours; the other pumping as a Leaf awaiting game assignment. On Friday, Hamilton was on a red jersey line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov.
“Obviously, I care about the Marlies,” Hamilton said. “But this is a dream, this is an honour. It’s something I’ve strived for my entire life, being in the NHL playoffs. I’m trying to make the most of it.’’
The winger possesses assets the coaching staff appreciates and which the Leafs can certainly utilize against Boston. He’s defensively reliable, fearless in blocking shots, strong on the wall and a sturdy penalty killer. Carlyle has described him as trust-worthy, no small compliment.
“I just try to play my game, play hard, finish my checks, try to do all the little things. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll do my best,” Hamilton said. Yet Hamilton was a healthy scratch for nine games in Toronto since summoned in March, and a spectator amongst the media scruffs on Wednesday.
He’s tried to make good use of his status as a voyeur.
“You’re still consumed by the game. If you’re not playing, you’re watching and picking up on things so that when your time comes and get the chance, you can step right in, be ready to help.’’
What he saw, in just that single first game of this series: “It’s so intense. Everything picks up — the speed, the hits, the cheering, the fans.’’
And he hasn’t felt like merely a trivial outsider. “We’re such a tightknit group. You feel like a family. I’m part of that family. Every day I prepare like I’m going to play.’’
Carlyle has given him no indica- tion if that will happen in Game 2. But Hamilton hopes; oh how he hopes. “Playing for Toronto in the playoffs — it’s something you’d cherish for your whole life.’’ Publicly, Carlyle has contemplated the possibility of tapping Hamilton and Joe Colborne. “Both players have been great soldiers,” Carlyle said. “They’ve worked extremely hard. The thought process is, as always when you’re putting your lineup together, who is going to give you the best chance in the situation you’re pre- sented with?’’ Pondering lessons learned from Wednesday’s debacle, the time looks ripe for bringing Jake Gardiner back into the mix, too. Carlyle has largely ignored the Free Jake Gardiner movement in Leaf Nation, but the young defenceman has had his dazzling moments moving the puck up-ice, and Toronto was woeful at that in Game 1. “One of his strengths is his skating ability,’’ Carlyle allowed on Friday. “He can skate the puck out.’’ He’s just as often been a liability in his own end, however. “The tenacity on the defensive side of it has to be much more noticeable than it was before,’’ said Carlyle. “He’s worked extremely hard at that. We’re not going to ask him to do anything more than what his skill-set allows him to do.’’