[Kloke] Rencontrez Ilya Samsonov, le nouveau gardien de but excentrique et pétillant des Maple Leafs qui a quelque chose à prouver

3 Comments

1. Curay 2 ans ago

   Pretty cool article. Seems like a fun guy.

   Some interesting bits:

   > Samsonov is under no illusion: He knows his NHL career to this point hasn’t met expectations, and that improvement in his game is still needed. He wants to improve his footwork and his body positioning close to goal.
   >
   > To make those improvements, he approached his summer differently.
   >
   > “A lot of small pieces,” he said about the various changes he made to his offseason. “I’m building a puzzle.”

   Basically stayed in the US all summer (his family too), took up yoga, boxing and hired new nutritionist to get lighter.

   About Toronto in general:
   >
   > As I begin to ask a question about what he enjoys about living in Toronto, his face winces and then gives way to a grin.
   >
   > “As long as you don’t touch some traffic, everything is great,” he said, followed by even more laughter.
   >
   > Having mastered some of the common local gripes already, Samsonov is beginning to really fall for Toronto. He lives downtown with his wife and he’s found that summer and autumn walks have a way of enlivening his mood.
   >
   > “Everybody smiles here,” he said. “This is important. Sometimes you feel sad, but you go outside, and everybody is smiling, and your life is much easier, you know?”
   >
   > He’s starting to enjoy the entertainment options in the city, having already been to a Blue Jays game and a Toronto FC game, being wowed by local superstar Lorenzo Insigne.

   > …..
   >
   > His answers come quickly to him. As I listened to him speak and watch his smile become the default expression on his face, it was difficult not to ask a question: “Hey, Ilya, are you as happy as you’ve ever been in your NHL career?”
   >
   > “I think so,” he said. “My first year, I was also so happy.”

   Had a .913 in his first year (I think backing up Holtby), hopefully he can get back to that.

   Why leafs:

   > “It’s not every day, it’s not every year that Toronto tries to sign a contract with you,” he said.
   >
   > There were other suitors for Samsonov, but when he called former Leafs, including Ilya Lyubushkin and Ilya Mikheyev to pick their brains about the reality of playing in Toronto, they came back with only positive reviews. “If you’re ready, this is a good opportunity for you,” Samsonov recalls being told.
   >

   Contract stuff:

   > Conversations with Dubas resonated. The Leafs believed in giving him a chance to prove himself once again. They were upfront about how much they could offer him on a one-year deal.
   >
   > Samsonov seemed to appreciate the honesty.
   >
   > “The thing that stood out to me more than anything was that he really wanted it to be a one-year, ‘Show me, bet on yourself’ type of deal, which is not always common with players coming off of the shock of being non-qualified when he wasn’t expecting it,” Dubas said after free agency. “That was impressive to me, combined with the evaluation of our player personnel department and goaltending department of what he can become if we can work with him and get him on the right track.”
   >
   > When it is suggested to Samsonov that playing in Toronto could increase the eyeballs on him and, with strong results, lead to a lucrative long-term deal elsewhere, he furrows his brow for the only time during our conversation.
   >
   > “I want to stay here for a long time,” he said. “My mission is to get better and better every day and we’ll see what’s going on. I don’t think about it being just a one-year contract.”

2. Hiking_Quest 2 ans ago

   Pleased to meet you…

3. VitaminTea 2 ans ago

   Manic Pixie Backup Goalie