It’s the Dog Days of Summer, so pretty much any new hockey-related information will dominate the news cycle. Since we’re all sick of hearing that Mitch Marner hasn’t signed a contract yet, here are some anecdotes that Igor Ozhiganov and Connor Brown shared recently about their departure from the Leafs.
Brown informed Leaf pals of trade at Hyman's wedding, but "didn't tell Zach. Me & Zach are pretty close & I'm not sure how he would've reacted … told Mitchy so he was helping me break it. Every guy I would tell would be like, 'Oh yeah, Mitchy told me'"https://t.co/0cc89JvC0l
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) August 6, 2019
Connor Brown said that he found about his trade to the Ottawa Senators during teammate Zach Hyman’s wedding. Brown said that he didn’t want to tell Hyman as it would be a distraction from his big day, but Mitch Marner was going around breaking the news. I wonder if Marner was letting everyone know that he would be looking to gobble up all of the free cap room from the dump.
Igor Ozhiganov 2 @Dima_Erykalov: It's so different overseas.When you get to a lockerroom it seems all the players are ass-lickers that just wait for a coach to come to lick his ass.They always run to him, laugh of his jokes,make up to him. In Russia nobody'd talk to such a player
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) August 7, 2019
Then there’s this gem of a quote from Igor Ozhiganov, who seemed to not enjoy his one-year stint in North America very much. Ozhiganov said that the culture in Toronto was much different than back in Old Country because everyone was kissing the coach’s ass. I guess Ozhiganov didn’t laugh at enough of Mike Babcock’s quips to earn a bigger role on the team.
Thanks Cam!
This is the best article about the Leafs I’ve read this summer!
It’s got real-life drama. It catches the soap-opera-like professional sports team, maybe any team, and it’s culture. The mood. The personalities. It makes the team, the celebrities, real and human. If for only a very brief moment.
Now I’m stuck.
Every time this season I see Mitch Marner interviewed I’m going be thinking to myself: “OH! It’s Chip!”
“Chip” is a personality I use to work with many decades ago who run around bragging about his weekly performance review scores on Friday afternoons at the office. If you scored anything less than 75%. Well… you’d been caught using one of the boss’s coffee mugs and not washing it. Been fired. Or you’d missed half the week. You just have to love coworkers who are your team; your happy work family.
I’m going to get a beer!
Thank you again for the article.
Cheers!