Joseph Woll has twice experienced the rush of playoff hockey as a Maple Leaf, but this time he would like to hit the rewind button.
The 26-year-old would covet the opportunity for his first National Hockey League season-opening start when Toronto visits Montreal Oct. 9. Woll backed up Ilya Samsonov against the Habs last October and his previous two NHL-flavoured years began on the farm with the Marlies.
“That would be pretty special, the Bell Centre on opening night,” Woll said Monday after practice. “I’m looking forward to that day.”
Playing in that would mean he has prevailed against his greatest enemy thus far in his career, the injury bug. It’s why Samsonov played Game 7 against Boston and Woll appeared in just 25 games during 2023-24. Heading into this week’s two remaining exhibitions versus Detroit — Thursday in Motown, Saturday at Scotiabank Arena — Woll had only been in one himself, while splitting time with projected stablemate Anthony Stolarz, the recovering Matt Murray and second-year minor-leaguer Dennis Hildeby.
“It’s about getting everyone into a game,” Woll said of staying patient. “It doesn’t take too many games to get that back, get in the swing of things.”
Whether the Leafs don’t want to take chances with Woll from a physical standpoint until the real season, or are just trying to get a read on newcomers, is something head coach Craig Berube tried to clear up.
“He’s going to get another game,” Berube promised of Woll. “I’m not worried (at his scant pre-season playing time). It has nothing to do with anything. Don’t read into anything. It’s the plan.”
St. Louis native Woll is 6-foot-3, but a shrimp compared to the 6-6 Stolarz, 6-5 Murray and 6-7 Hildeby. Even Jon Gillies, here on a PTO, is 6-6.
“They’re pretty big,” Woll agreed with a laugh. “I play a little bit differently because unfortunately I’m not seven feet tall. They’re all strong goalies with good pedigrees and I’m just happy to be here with them.”
MIKE TESTING
Berube, who is taking the Leafs a couple of hours north to Bracebridge for a couple of days to bond, recalled a similar three-day getaway to Lake Placid, N.Y., from his playing days in the late 1980s in Philadelphia when unforgiving ‘Iron Mike’ Keenan was his coach.
“We get dressed for practice. Here comes Mike into the room, fully dressed (the 5-foot-10 winger had played college and minor pro). He says ‘let’s go boys. You want a piece of me? I’m going to be playing today’.
“So, we went out to scrimmage … and nobody took a shot at him. But I got a good kick out of it.”
Berube used to take a more active role during practices, including 3-on-3 drills, but at age 58 mostly stays on the perimeter.
“The knees can’t handle it.”
Iron Mike: My Life Behind The Bench, is a new book by the 74-year-old Keenan, written with former Sun hockey columnist Scott Morrison.
BIG DAY FOR BERUBE
Many Leafs sported themed orange t-shirts on Monday for Truth and Reconciliation Day, to the delight of Berube.
In 2019, after St. Louis took the Stanley Cup, native Cree Berube brought the trophy back to his home in Calahoo, Alta., northwest of Edmonton. The First Nation community drummed and sang him The Honour Song as the first Indigenous Cup-winning coach.
“I’m glad those shirts came out today and everyone wore them for practice,” Berube said. “It’s very important.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Defenceman Ben Danford was returned to the Oshawa Generals on Monday. Though this year’s first round pick was a long shot to make the Leafs, he never practiced with the full group after he suffered a concussion in a rookie camp scrimmage game a couple of weeks ago, though he seems to have recovered … A few players slated to play with Toronto’s new ECHL Cincinatti Cyclones took to the ice after the Leafs and Marlies groups departed Monday. They included Cincy captain Justin Vaive, wearing the No. 22 his father Rick sported when the latter scored 50 goals in three consecutive seasons … Former Leaf Nikolay Kulemin’s PTO with the Ottawa Senators has been terminated as the 38-year-old tried an NHL comeback.
X: @sunhornby