Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk continues to look back on his time donning the Blue and White fondly.
After being acquired during the 2012 Draft in exchange for Luke Schenn, JVR spent six seasons in Toronto which ended up being the most productive of his NHL career. He posted two 30-goal seasons, surpassed the 60-point mark twice, only missed 45 games (40 of which came during the 2015-16 season), and helped guide the team to three playoff appearances. JVR even made an appearance at the 2014 Olympics alongside his longtime linemate Phil Kessel.
During an appearance on Morning Cuppa Hockey with Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen on December 26th, van Riemsdyk was asked about his tenure with the Leafs and what led to his success. The now-Columbus Blue Jackets forward attributed his success in Toronto to the strong chemistry he built up with his teammates over the years.
<blockquote> &#8221;As far as my bread and butter for my skill sets and things like that, I think that was obviously such a great fit playing in Toronto.  And it was kind of through a couple of different evolutions of the team too. Obviously  my first few years, me and Bozy were kind of attached to the hip for all six of those years, which was great. I think our styles complimented each other so great. Just how we thought the game, the different sort of things that we both were good at just meshed together so well. And then having someone like Phil Kessel on the right wing for the first three years of that was amazing. He doesn&#8217;t forget to tell me that &#8216;Don&#8217;t forget who made you a player in this league, James&#8217; when he feels like he needs to tell me that. But he was great.
Then the last few years of that, it was kind of 50/50 between Connor Brown and Mitch Marner at five on five and then playing a lot with Mitch Marner on the power play. But I think just stylistically between having those guys on my line, the hockey felt almost easy in a way where you just kind of were in that state of just playing where you didn&#8217;t feel like you had to think too much or overthink it. I was really able to play to my instincts there. Just the way we all kind of thought the game and played together and had that kind of chemistry that made it a lot easier. So definitely looking back, Toronto was definitely where that all kind of came together nicely for me.&#8221;</blockquote>
He went on to highlight that one common trait he saw between Kessel, Marner, and Auston Matthews (along with the countless other stars he got to be teammates with) was their desire to be a difference-maker and always clamouring for the puck. Having that unique perspective of being on the Leafs during the end of the dark days and the start of this modern era, it is certainly high praise to compare the team&#8217;s current superstars with a two-time Stanley Cup winner.
Unfortunately for van Riemsdyk, that opportunity to hoist the Cup is the one thing that has eluded him throughout his career so far. He has been able to make eight playoff appearances across 16 seasons but he hasn&#8217;t come close since he was with the Philadelphia Flyers during their appearance in the 2010 Final. And despite his best efforts, he was unable to help guide the Leafs beyond the first round.
But of all the shortcomings he experienced in the playoffs, few continue to haunt him quite like the infamous 2013 Game 7 collapse against the Boston Bruins. JVR was quick to pick that night as the one game he would go back and flip the script if he could.
<blockquote> &#8221;We came into that year with kind of something to prove as a team. That was my first year there, but the team didn&#8217;t have a great year the year before. Obviously we wanted to make the playoffs. We accomplished those goals. We were down three one in that series, force it to seven. Feel like we have it and then obviously it just slipped away from us. But yeah, that one still hurts to think about. That one was really tough and I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ll ever get over that one.&#8221;</blockquote>
While his focus is currently on being a veteran leader for the Blue Jackets and helping them in their pursuit of a playoff spot, JVR still has love for the nucleus of the Leafs&#8217; core. Having spent a lot of time with Matthews, Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly, van Riemsdyk knows how dedicated they are to their craft and their desire to win.
It is because of those reasons that he wouldn&#8217;t bet against the Leafs when asked if this would be the year they finally get over the hump.
<blockquote> &#8221;Sometimes it takes some time to go through some different things and experiences. And it&#8217;s hard, especially with the way the format of the playoffs is now. You have tough matchups. For the last five, six years in [the Atlantic Division], you had three of the top six or seven teams in the league every year. So usually in the first round, one of those top teams is going to have to get knocked out and that&#8217;s just the way it&#8217;s gone. Certainly it&#8217;s tough, but those are not guys that I would bet against. I think they&#8217;re special players and they have that special quality about them. Obviously it hasn&#8217;t gotten their way yet as far as ultimate goal. Tough to predict when that will be, but those are guys that you&#8217;d want to have in your corner and want to have on your team any day of the week.&#8221;</blockquote>
You can listen to the full interview with van Riemsdyk down below:
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Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk continues to look back on his time donning the Blue and White fondly.

After being acquired during the 2012 Draft in exchange for Luke Schenn, JVR spent six seasons in Toronto which ended up being the most productive of his NHL career. He posted two 30-goal seasons, surpassed the 60-point mark twice, only missed 45 games (40 of which came during the 2015-16 season), and helped guide the team to three playoff appearances. JVR even made an appearance at the 2014 Olympics alongside his longtime linemate Phil Kessel.

During an appearance on Morning Cuppa Hockey with Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen on December 26th, van Riemsdyk was asked about his tenure with the Leafs and what led to his success. The now-Columbus Blue Jackets forward attributed his success in Toronto to the strong chemistry he built up with his teammates over the years.
<blockquote> "As far as my bread and butter for my skill sets and things like that, I think that was obviously such a great fit playing in Toronto.  And it was kind of through a couple of different evolutions of the team too. Obviously  my first few years, me and Bozy were kind of attached to the hip for all six of those years, which was great. I think our styles complimented each other so great. Just how we thought the game, the different sort of things that we both were good at just meshed together so well. And then having someone like Phil Kessel on the right wing for the first three years of that was amazing. He doesn't forget to tell me that 'Don't forget who made you a player in this league, James' when he feels like he needs to tell me that. But he was great.

Then the last few years of that, it was kind of 50/50 between Connor Brown and Mitch Marner at five on five and then playing a lot with Mitch Marner on the power play. But I think just stylistically between having those guys on my line, the hockey felt almost easy in a way where you just kind of were in that state of just playing where you didn't feel like you had to think too much or overthink it. I was really able to play to my instincts there. Just the way we all kind of thought the game and played together and had that kind of chemistry that made it a lot easier. So definitely looking back, Toronto was definitely where that all kind of came together nicely for me."</blockquote>
He went on to highlight that one common trait he saw between Kessel, Marner, and Auston Matthews (along with the countless other stars he got to be teammates with) was their desire to be a difference-maker and always clamouring for the puck. Having that unique perspective of being on the Leafs during the end of the dark days and the start of this modern era, it is certainly high praise to compare the team's current superstars with a two-time Stanley Cup winner.

Unfortunately for van Riemsdyk, that opportunity to hoist the Cup is the one thing that has eluded him throughout his career so far. He has been able to make eight playoff appearances across 16 seasons but he hasn't come close since he was with the Philadelphia Flyers during their appearance in the 2010 Final. And despite his best efforts, he was unable to help guide the Leafs beyond the first round.

But of all the shortcomings he experienced in the playoffs, few continue to haunt him quite like the infamous 2013 Game 7 collapse against the Boston Bruins. JVR was quick to pick that night as the one game he would go back and flip the script if he could.
<blockquote> "We came into that year with kind of something to prove as a team. That was my first year there, but the team didn't have a great year the year before. Obviously we wanted to make the playoffs. We accomplished those goals. We were down three one in that series, force it to seven. Feel like we have it and then obviously it just slipped away from us. But yeah, that one still hurts to think about. That one was really tough and I don't think we'll ever get over that one."</blockquote>
While his focus is currently on being a veteran leader for the Blue Jackets and helping them in their pursuit of a playoff spot, JVR still has love for the nucleus of the Leafs' core. Having spent a lot of time with Matthews, Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly, van Riemsdyk knows how dedicated they are to their craft and their desire to win.

It is because of those reasons that he wouldn't bet against the Leafs when asked if this would be the year they finally get over the hump.
<blockquote> "Sometimes it takes some time to go through some different things and experiences. And it's hard, especially with the way the format of the playoffs is now. You have tough matchups. For the last five, six years in [the Atlantic Division], you had three of the top six or seven teams in the league every year. So usually in the first round, one of those top teams is going to have to get knocked out and that's just the way it's gone. Certainly it's tough, but those are not guys that I would bet against. I think they're special players and they have that special quality about them. Obviously it hasn't gotten their way yet as far as ultimate goal. Tough to predict when that will be, but those are guys that you'd want to have in your corner and want to have on your team any day of the week."</blockquote>
You can listen to the full interview with van Riemsdyk down below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9jIiLWTeLU

James van Riemsdyk reflects on his Leafs tenure, Game 7 loss in 2013

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