Kirill Marchenko went to bat for Sergei Bobrovsky today, and the Maple Leafs goalie could use the support right now.
The winger kept it simple. "He's good. He's helped me," Marchenko said of his new goaltender.
Then came the detail that stood out. "He called me after the trade with some notes, and I felt that he was very helpful. He's one of my favorite goalies."
That lands a day after Bobrovsky took heat for skating out before Gavin McKenna's rookie lap. One widely shared post had labeled him a bad teammate.
So which version is real? The guy who stepped on a rookie's moment, or the guy picking up the phone for a new teammate?
In the clip, Marchenko lays it out plainly: a phone call after the trade, a few notes, and a goalie he calls one of his favorites.
-
The Columbus connection behind Marchenko and Bobrovsky in Toronto
The link runs deeper than one phone call. Bobrovsky spent seven seasons in Columbus, and Marchenko came up through the Blue Jackets after they drafted him 49th overall.
Both grew up in Russia, the goalie in Novokuznetsk and the winger in Barnaul. Shared language, shared first NHL organization.
Those notes clearly carried weight with a forward who has put up 102 goals over 292 NHL games.
One lap doesn't make a bad teammate. A 38-year-old goalie calling a new winger with notes after a trade says a lot more about what he brings to a room.
It's like a new neighbour leaving a casserole and the Wi-Fi password on your doorstep before the moving truck is even empty.
The veteran still has plenty to prove on the ice, starting from an .877 save percentage last season in Florida.
The Leafs opened with a 3-2 home loss to Montreal, and Jim Hiller's group hosts the Islanders tonight looking for a response.
Marchenko says he's "so happy to be part of this team." That mood lasts only as long as the crease holds up, and one friendly phone call can't stop pucks.
Does Kirill Marchenko's praise change your view of Sergei Bobrovsky after the rookie lap?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Connor McDavid faces serious heat from fans in the stands and fires back with a quick response
