TORONTO (Sep. 15) -- Veteran Maple Leafs' defenseman Tomas Kaberle took part in his first pre-training camp skate at Lakeshore Arena earlier today, and he looked a bit lost afterwards. That's understandable, given that Kaberle in no longer in the company of long-time teammates Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker and Mats Sundin -- none of whom will be back with the club this season. McCabe was Kaberle's usual defense partner from the moment he arrived in Toronto in the October, 2000 trade with Chicago for Alexander Karpovstev. Tucker had already been a Leaf at that time for eight months, after his acquisition from Tampa Bay for Mike Johnson in February, 2000. And, Sundin, of course, pre-dated them all, coming aboard in the mega-deal with Quebec prior to the 1994 NHL Draft in Hartford.
"It's pretty tough not seeing those guys here on the first day," Kaberle admitted. "I'm missing 'Caber; Mats, right now, hasn't decided what to do, and Tucks has gone somewhere else. They were pretty good friends and teammates for a lot of years... on and off the ice. It's not easy, you know."
Kaberle, of course, had an opportunity to leave town before the others, as general manager Cliff Fletcher worked out a deal with Philadelphia at the trade deadline last season that would have brought the Leafs forward Jeff Carter and a first-round draft pick. But, the Czech blue liner invoked his no-movement clause and scuttled the transaction. Surely, Kaberle had an inkling in February that Fletcher would dismantle the core of the hockey club, as Sundin and fellow countryman Pavel Kubina also used their contract privileges to abort trades. Now that the house cleaning is well underway, Kaberle was asked if he had any regrets about refusing to waive his restriction.
"I don't really want to talk about it -- if I would do this, or do that," he replied. "I love to play for the Leafs, and I hope to play another year in Toronto. If not, I'll move on. But, I'm ready to play here and we'll see what happens."
That statement has some obvious hidden meaning. Kaberle says if he doesn't play the entire 2008-09 season with the Leafs he'll move on, but his contract protection is in effect through the trade deadline and into next summer. So, he retains the right to nullify a deal, as he did last February. What he probably doesn't have anymore is the same desire. Though he may be a candidate to replace Sundin as captain of the Leafs, Kaberle understands it will be another few years before the team is in a position for a strong playoff challenge. Given that he hasn't tasted Stanley Cup action since 2004 -- and that he's not getting any younger [Kaberle will be 31 in March] -- today's remark is a fairly clear indication he'll react differently to a trade proposal next time around.
Tomas still has three seasons left on a five-year extension he signed with the Maple Leafs [at $4.25-million per anum] in February, 2006. That means he won't be an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2011, at age 33. If the Leafs aren't in a position to contend by then -- and why should we assume they will be after all these years? -- it'll mark almost a decade since Kaberle's last appearance in the Stanley Cup semifinals [against Carolina in 2002]. Most NHL careers come and go a lot quicker than that. As such, Kaberle probably knows it's in his best interest to start thinking about a re-location as early as this February. Don't be surprised if he has a change of heart.
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A first glance earlier today at Jonas Frogren tells me the Leafs will be tougher to push around in front of Vesa Toskala this season... providing, of course, Frogren, 28, proves he's an NHL-caliber skater. The veteran defenseman of the Swedish Elite League is a big, stocky fellow, and he's looking forward to toughing it out on this side of the Atlantic.
Just the other day, I watched a videotape that I shot during the Leafs' 2003 training camp in Sweden. It was a scene from the first period of an exhibition match against Farjestad at the Globe Arena in Stockholm. Leafs' winger [and fellow Swede] Mikael Renberg drove hard to the net and collided with the Farjestad goaltender. Arriving immediately on the scene was No. 24 in gold and purple -- Frogren -- who rudely shoved Renberg out of the crease. The two players engaged in a brief scuffle. "Yes, I remember that was on the first shift of the game; I hit Renberg, and Tie Domi came in to ask if I wanted my neck broken," Frogren laughed. "Still, it was great to play in Sweden against guys like Domi and Mats Sundin."
And, it'll be quite a bonus for the Leafs if Frogren is able to adjust to the NHL in his first season over here. Big, aggressive defensemen do not grow on trees -- particularly those obtained as free agents.
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I was listening to Wayne Gretzky on THE FAN-590 during Hockey Central at Noon today. The Great One said he'll be involved in some capacity with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but that he won't return as executive director. I have mixed feelings about this.
There's no question that Hockey Canada should continue to draw on Gretzky's vast experience at all levels of the game. Don't forget, No. 99 has been on both sides of the ledger. We remember him for his unparalelled exploits in the NHL -- wiping out virtually every scoring record and winning four Stanley Cup titles in a five-year span with Edmonton between 1984 and '88. He was a big part of our country's triumphs in the 1984 and 1991 Canada Cup tournaments, and, of course, he put together the squad that ended Canada's 50-year gold medal drought at the Winter Olympics. Gretzky was executive director of the 2002 champions in Salt Lake City.
But, he has also tasted bitter defeat. The Oilers were shocked by Calgary in the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs after defenseman Steve Smith inadvertently [and famously] banked in the series-winning goal off the hind-leg of teammate Grant Fuhr. It prevented Edmonton from matching the record streak of five championships set by the Montreal Canadiens of 1956-1960. Gretzky almost single-handedly lifted the Los Angeles Kings past the Maple Leafs and into the 1993 Stanley Cup final. But, the Kings were then trounced in five games by the Canadiens.
Gretzky was shellshocked along with the rest of Canada when the United States team exploded for four goals in the final two-plus minutes of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in Montreal. The Americans erased a 2-1 deficit and won the deciding match of a best-of-three final, 5-2. Who can forget the stricken look on Gretzky's face when coach Marc Crawford left him out of the shootout that decided the semifinal of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano? Gretzky watched forlornly as his teammates were all thwarted by Czech goalie Dominik Hasek. Then, of course, came the calamity of 2006 in Turin, Italy, when Gretzky's Canadian team finished a shocking seventh at the Winter Olympics.
The point here is that all of these experiences -- good and bad -- make the Great One an invaluable resource for Hockey Canada. He has seen just about everything in the game, at all levels. Changing the executive directorship for Vancouver in 2010 is the correct move. In the end, it's all about winning, and the 2006 Olympic team was a disaster. Hockey Canada did not bring back Crawford and Bobby Clarke after the disappointment of Nagano, and CEO Bob Nicholson is completely justified in looking for another executive tandem to head up Vancouver.
That shouldn't diminish, in any way, the grandiose accomplishment of 2002. Gretzky will forever be lauded for assembling the group that finally put Canada back on top of the Olympic hockey universe. His expertise; simply his presence, should be called upon once again.
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