Toronto Maple Leafs News and Notes, Player Stats and Quotes, Week 3.
By William Cann
Player of the Week: Jason Spezza
When Nylander scored late in the 1st period, on Thursday night against the Oilers, to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead, Spezza made a heads up play to set up the goal. He was going off for a line change when he noticed that the puck was wrapped around the boards and about to leave the offensive zone. He stopped, skated back to the blue line to keep the puck in and get it to the net, which ended up resulting in a goal, and an assist for Spezza. It was a great example of a veteran player just paying attention to the moment and making the right decision at the right time.
When the Leafs placed Spezza on waivers so Dubas could get a little bit of cap flexibility after the injuries, his agent quickly put out a statement that basically said he won’t play for another team. In fact, he said that he would just retire if he was claimed. How about them apples? Gotta love it. He’s paid his dues and this is the only jersey he wants to put on. I don’t know about you but that makes me proud to be a fan of this team. Good on Spezza for exercising his “old man” rights too, it was pure honesty, and he’s earned it.
Mikko Lehtonen gave Spezza some nice props in his morning skate press conference before Saturday’s game against the Oilers. He mentioned that Spezza has helped him a lot, specifically by answering lots of questions about hockey and living in Canada.
Having veteran players that are willing to help other players, even mentor them, is a real advantage when recruiting players from other leagues. It gives them a better opportunity to learn the culture and make the necessary adjustments that are so important to becoming successful in the NHL.
Stats are fun. Analytics is a very important part of the game, and the data available often tells the truth about performance, but stats do not have a way of accounting for the value of a great veteran presence. So here’s a shout out to an old guy, Jason Spezza, thank you for all that you do for this team.