EX-LEAFS VAIVE, IAFRATE, LEEMAN, MAGUIRE THINK FORMER TEAM STILL ‘PRETTY GOOD’ BUT WILL ‘MISS MARNER’
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — What the Maple Leafs need is more “grit” and “a lot (less) goals against” them in the “big games.”
And “a goalie that’s 4-feet high and six feet wide.”
Other than that “in general they’re a pretty good team,” said former captain Rick Vaive. “But they’re going to miss Marner.”
That’s the veteran experienced opinion of three former Maple Leafs on the state of their former team as they prepare for another training camp and season this month.
Vaive, Gary Leeman, Al Iafrate and Kevin Maguire were among more than 100 golfers at Taboo this week for Special Olympics fundraiser.
“They were one game away from the conference final,” said Leeman. “They’re doing better than people give them credit for,” said Leeman who in 1990 became just the second to score 50 goals or more in a single NHL season, after Vaive did it in 1981-82.
“I’ll tell you they same thing I’ve been saying for 40 years.”
Asked if last week’s re-signing of 6-foot-seven goalie Dennis Hildeby will help, the former alternate captain said “there’s not much net up there.”
Joking that “they need a goalie 4-feet high and 6-feet wide.”
“They’ve got a great coach,” said Iafrate an American Olympic defenceman drafted by the Leafs in 1984 and who played till 1998.
“I played with the Chief (Craig Be rube) a couple of times. He was a really good team mate. It’s interesting to see how he does as a coach.”
Leeman said: “Guys like Jon Cooper who can understand the player and the kinds of personalities and stuff.”
As for current captain, star and team leader Auston Matthews, Vaive says “he’s pretty healthy now I would think” after missing much of the early season due to injury.
“I have no idea,” said Leeman. “They keep that pretty quiet — they always do. Right in the middle of it they kept it pretty quiet.”
“He went to Germany to get his back checked,” added Vaive. “Apparently he had a problem with his shoulder, too.”
However he looked healthy in the disappointing playoff loss.
“Yeah, it was a shame. He was OK. But ….”
As for the defence, Iafrate said “Defence is a team game. You need a five-man unit in your own zone. I seems like they upgraded their D at the deadline. I don’t think the D was their problem. It’s not why they lost, in my opinion.
“We got a lot of goals against us in big games.”
Vaive says the Leafs need “a more grit in big games.”
“Snot, sandpaper,” said Leeman.
He Vaive and Iafrate agreed their former coaches were always on them about toughness.
“We didn’t have any choice when we played,” said Leeman sitting his cart with golf partner Iafrate as Vaive stood by.
“That’s why we’re so stable,” joked Leeman.
“Which one are you talking about? I had 9 of them and 4 GMs over the years,” said Iafrate as he and Leeman ran off a few coaching names like “Floyd Smith, Joe Crozier, Mike Nicola and Dan Maloney.”
Iafrate, who’s living “up the other end of the lake” and golfed a couple of weeks ago with Connor McDavid at Muskoka Bay in the Oilers’ BetMGM 3-par Shootout said that was a “good” tournament.
Noting the absence of another Leafs captain Wendel Clark, Iafrate said of his golf game: “He can play. He plays a lot. A lot more than he used to.”
Maguire, Leafs right-winger in the ’80s who was in the same cart with Vaive, and “played the same years as those guys” said “we’ll have to see” how his old team does this season.
“I’m not as familiar with the guys they’ve got. I didn’t get to watch them much,” now that he’s in construction.
“I still follow them and I’m at most games” as a season’s ticket subscriber.
Vaive seemed interested when I told him about the 70-year-old Bracebridge Memorial Arena coming down this year. It was where in a Leafs alumni game he scored a goal from centre with his famous booming slap shot.
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