Leafs icon likes what he sees

Johnny Bower LOS ANGELES doesn’t watch as many NHL games as he’d like to. When he does, he focuses mostly on one position.

“To be honest, I just watch the goalies. That’s all I do,” said the 92-year-old Hall of Fame goaltender, who won four Stanley Cups and was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. “With the new box we have (at the Air Canada Centre), I sit right behind the goaltender. I can see every move he makes. As far as defencemen and forwards, no, I don’t watch them too much.”

Still, Bower has been unable to keep his eye off some of the talent invading the league. From Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine to Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Bower said the game is in good hands moving forward .“The younger kids I’m watching. Hey, they’re playing a lot better than the veterans.”

Bower was among the first 33 players who were named to the NHL’s top-100 list of greatest players — “I never thought I’d be in that class,” he said, “but hey, I’ll take it anyway” — and when asked if the current crop of young players has a chance to crack the list one day, he laughed a bit.

“They’d have to play a lot, I’ll tell you. And they have to work hard. If they go through the motions, they won’t get anywhere. But those kids, golly hey, they’re skating. They’re playing great. Sure, why not.”