Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tim Brent’s phone exploded after current forward Steven Lorentz name-dropped him after a win against the Vegas Golden Knights.

On that fateful night on November 20th, Lorentz blocked four shots with two of them coming in the same penalty kill on consecutive shots. During a Leafs practice on November 21st, Lorentz told reporters that he channelled his ‘inner Timmy Brent’ and felt it was worth the pain he has been dealing with in his foot was worth it because it helped keep the puck out of the net.

During an appearance on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Thursday, Brent was asked if he caught wind of the comments and how he reacted. Brent said he was appreciative to have gotten name-dropped by Lorentz while recognizing that this is part of the appreciation Toronto has long had for bottom-six players.

“My phone blew up when that happened. Which was hilarious. It was flattering. And the first thing I thought was: Gosh, this kid must have been a serious Leaf fan to remember me,” Brent said. “I love it. I love it for him. He will realize quickly and now that the Leafs fans will love him for that and they will probably never forget it. I can’t tell you how many times if I’m back home, somebody brings it up the Carolina game. It’s just one of those things.”

“I feel like Toronto’s fans do such a great job of appreciating third- and fourth-line players and what they bring,” Brent added. “You just don’t get that in a lot of other cities that you play in. I hope that he gets a lot of recognition for it, and I hope the fans love him for it.”

For those who may not remember Brent, he was a utility bottom-six forward who played for the Leafs from 2009 to 2011. On February 3rd, 2011 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Brent captured the respect of Leafs fans at Scotiabank Arena by laying out for three blocked shots and an eventual puck clear on the same penalty kill.

Ironically enough, the Hurricanes is where he ended up after his stint with the Leafs came to an end in the summer of 2011. While he has enjoyed living life in North Carolina given he has set down his roots there with his family, Brent admitted that he was disappointed that Toronto opted not to extend him.

“I was pretty bummed when I didn’t re-sign in Toronto. I really wanted to stay there. I felt like the team was kind of heading in the right direction,” Brent said. “But God had other plans for me and I ended up in Carolina. There was a lot of wonderful things including my wife and falling love with North Carolina that came out of that.”

Brent may not have been a prolific goal scorer during his playing days, but fans grew to appreciate him for his hard work and willingness to do whatever it took to get his team the win. Sequences like his famous PK shift were what the Leafs faithful learned to recognize as the types of things he would do when on top of his game.

He continues to look back on his time donning the Blue and White fondly, even with all of the baggage of intense coverage that came with it.

“I felt like I needed to play an extra bit harder every night cause I had parents in the stand, I had family, I had friends,” he said. It didn’t matter if you were at home or on the road, everybody was watching. The 82-game season is a grind, and you’re going to have nights that you don’t feel good. It just gave you a little bit more being a homegrown kid. The best I can liken it to is being from Boston or New York and playing for the Yankees or the Red Sox. That’s what it’s like. It was a highlight of my career. I loved every night playing with a Leafs jersey on.”

You can listen to the full interview with Brent below: