Dzierkals: Looking to make the transition from Latvia to Toronto

TORONTO - Martins Dzierkals smiles at the recollection: June 27, 2015, the day  he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 “It was amazing,” said Dzierkals, the 68^th player taken in the 2015 NHL draft. “I was watching it online and everyone was like a big boom in Latvia. Everyone was congratulating me from friends and family. It was a big thing. That was one of the happiest days of my life.”

Tonight, the 19-year-old forward will lead his underdog Latvia team against Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Toronto.

Even though the Latvians have lost both games in the event having been been outscored 15-2, Dzierkals is soaking in his time at the Air Canada Centre.

“It’s an amazing experience,” said Dzierkals, who as an assist thus far. “I bet when we play against Canada the rink is going to be full and the crowd is going to be amazing. I hope this isn’t the only time I play here. It’s been fun.”

The native of Ogre, Latvia has played the last two years with Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He has 27 points in 22 games this season and will be going head to head against a couple of his junior teammates tonight as Phillipe Myers and Jeremy Lauzon patrol the Canadian blueline.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, Dzierkals grew up cheering for the handful of Latvians who made it to the NHL.

“For me it was (Sandis) Ozolinsh, Artus Irbe,” said Dzierkals. “That is a big inspiration for me. Now I am an example to the young kids because these players were an example to me.”

Dzierkals has attended rookie and main camps with the Maple Leafs and hopes to make a more permanent return to the Air Canada Centre in the future.

“They have a lot of young talent and are doing really good this year,” said Dzierkals. “They are going to keep building every year.”

“They are going to get a cup for sure in the next couple of years and I want to be a part of it.”

Jeremy Bracco: Prove People Wrong

By Tony Ambrogio

TORONTO – “Prove People Wrong.”

It’s written on Jeremy Bracco’s green bracelet he wears on his right wrist. It’s a motto the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick has been living by his entire hockey career.

“It’s just something I go by,” said Bracco, from Freeport New York. “New York is not a hockey hotbed. It’s a motto a lot of us New York guys come by. It’s a lot of fun to have that in the back of your mind when you’re playing.”

Bracco scored a goal in Team U.S.A’s 6-1 opening night victory over Latvia at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Boxing Day. The Leafs second round pick in 2015 (61^st overall) played his first game at the Air Canada Centre, in what may be his future NHL home. The moment wasn’t lost on him.

“You realize the history and what it means to be a Toronto Maple Leaf and the people here. It is pretty special for me and hopefully I can be here in years to come. It’s pretty cool to get my first taste of it.”

Bracco is listed at 5-foot-10 and the comparisons to a player chosen by Toronto 57 picks earlier are inevitable. Mitch Marner, the fourth overall pick in 2015 is listed at 5-foot-11. He has burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign in the NHL. Bracco has taken notice.  

“Everybody is going to have their doubts about you. You got to prove you can play compared to a guy who is 6-foot-5 and has to prove he can’t play.”

“Great energy, great puck mover and he can shoot. He has the ability to play offence for us. We think he’s deadly on the power play,” said Team U.S.A. coach Bob Motzko. “He has the brains and he has the skills.”

For the 19 year-old Bracco, this is his first trip to this event. He was cut on Christmas Eve as a 17 year-old. Last year he wasn’t invited to the U.S. camp.

“To come out this year and to get one early was real nice. To have the coach have confidence in me and put me on the power play it’s a good feeling for sure.”

With the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers, Bracco had a 26 game point streak come to an end just before joining the American team. It is the second longest streak in franchise history. In the final game of the streak, he scored the overtime game winner against Kingston.

“(After I scored) the boys were yelling ‘streak’ so that was a lot of fun,” said Bracco who is in the fifth in OHL scoring with 17 goals and 34 assists in 27 games.

Still, it’s his size that some can’t overlook. Bracco will continue to do his best to prove people wrong.

“It’s not about motivation, anybody that wants to be a player can be motivated when you step on the ice. It’s what you do when people aren’t around, that’s what separates guys.”

Leafs win as Babcock coaches 1000 NHL game

TORONTO- Mike Babcock shrugged his shoulders and said he “lost his way” and that’s how he ended up as a coach.

Well, there’s more to it than that.

Babcock celebrated his 1,000 NHL game with a 3-2 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils.

When asked if he has another 1,000 games in him he said, “I got this year and 7 more here and I am going to stay for two more because the team is going to be that good.”

“You always want to win on nights like that,” said Tyler Bozak who tied the game with 2:08 left in the 3^rd period.

Before the game, Babcock vividly recalled his first game behind an NHL bench against Joel Quenneville and the St Louis Blues back on October 10, 2002.

“We beat St. Louis. (Alexei) Smirnov, (Stanislav) Chistov, and Andy McDonald were stars,” said Babcock of the 4-3 win.

He was also presented with a silver puck by the players following the morning skate, to recognize the occasion.

“He obviously has done a heck of a job at what he does,” said Bozak. “He loves the game and loves to coach. I’m excited to see how many games he finishes with in his career.”

“I have been fortunate to coach lots of good teams. Every experience I’ve had with good players is they see the game different. I have learned a lot from a lot of good players.”

Babcock became the 25^th man in NHL history to coach 1,000 games. His record 546-307-19-128. Only Scotty Bowman (.632) and Al Arbour (.589) have a higher win percentage in the playoffs (Babcock is at .569).

Not bad for a guy who only got into coaching because “I wasn’t good enough to play” and was all set to be a professor at McGill University.  

In 1987, Babcock became a player coach for the Whitley Warriors in England.

The following year he applied for a job at Red Deer College and joked “I just wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede and applying for the job at Red Deer College gave me a free way to the Stampede. I had no interest in stopping playing at that time when I got the job.

“I lost my way and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“Intense, detailed and really cares about winning,” said Leafs defenceman Frank Corrado of his head coach. “He doesn’t come in here and degrade his players. He gets the most of out of his players.”

“He’s personable, very smart and tough when he needs to be,” said Jake Gardiner. “He’s just a heck of a coach.”

“I want to be the best coach in my generation,” said Babcock, the second-fastest coach to 500 NHL wins (behind Bowman). “Guys are making it hard for you. Q (Joel Quennevile) is making it hard for you, Darryl Sutter is making it hard for you.”

Babcock has a Stanley Cup and a pair of Olympic gold medals yet he will say, “there’s lots of things I haven’t won” like a second Stanley Cup or a World Cup.

“He knows what he wants and he knows how to teach it,” said Corrado. “When he watches video and you and I watch video he sees the game different than us. He is very good at explaining how he sees it and what he wants out of it. It’s a free education in hockey to play for Mike Babcock. It’s pretty cool.”

Babcock received a nice ovation from the Air Canada Centre crowd during a stoppage in play when his milestone was recognized on the video board.

For Babcock the best part of coaching?

“It's growth and development of your people,” he said. “It's the interaction, it's being around the young people – the best in the world at what they do trying to get better.

“The reality is most coaches that I know love their players and are doing everything they can to make them better. My goal as I've gotten older is I want to make them better people first and better players second.”

**

While Babcock reached a milestone in the game against the Devils, so did a number of Maple Leafs. Nazem Kadri played in his 300 NHL game; Joffey Lupul his 700 and Dion Phaneuf his 800.

“Just shows how fast time really does go,” said Phaneuf. “We are very lucky to do what we do.”

“When I started I had a lot of older guys and the guys really helped me,” recalled Phaneuf from his time in Calgary. “My first partner, Roman Hamrlik helped me a lot. Bryan Marchment, Jarome Iginla – those guys were big keys in developing me as a player.”

Phaneuf has often been maligned during his tenure in Toronto. But under Babcock the spotlight and intensity has eased on the Captain, who is averaging 22 minutes of ice a game, the lowest during his 6 plus seasons in Toronto.

He has become a mentor to Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner.

“Way better person than I could have ever dreamed,” said his head coach. “His ability to get to get on young guys, supportively yet being demanding is fantastic. He’s been unreal.”

**

The Leafs before the game honoured Darryl Sitter’s 10-point performance against the Bruins nearly 40 years ago (February 7, 1976) with an on-ice ceremony.

“I watched it. Pretty cool. Unbelievable,” said Babcock of that night nearly 40 years ago. “You can’t score 10 points in minor hockey.”

“What a classy, classy guy he is. People like him I can never get enough of. It’s great for our players to be around him and get a chance to talk to him. He’s a proud Leaf who wants the franchise restored to its rightful place.”

A number of Leafs who played in that game were on hand as was former Bruins goalie Dave Reece, who was in net in the 11-4 Toronto win.

“Dave Reece was phenomenal, he was cherishing the moment,” Sittler said after the ceremonial puck drop.

Reece suggested the jerseys the pair wore for the ceremony be autographed and auctioned off for charity.

“He’s got a big heart. I’m so happy he was here to share in this evening.”

Sittler always thought Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux would break the record.

“I don’t know why it happened to me?” said Sitter. “People say is it ever going to be broken? I honestly hope not.”

“I didn’t really understand the magnitude of the record back then, but each year that goes by …..it’s nice to hold it and it’s nice to do it in a Leaf uniform also.”

“How does that happen?” asked Leafs defenceman Frank Corrado. “We got the game sheet in the dressing room today, so we all took a peak at it. It’s crazy to think that someone would get 10 points in an NHL game; doesn’t matter what era it’s in, it’s obviously incredible.”

“It’s pretty cool to wear the same jersey a Darryl Sitter wore.”