So what’s your sense of anticipation to get this season going yeah I’m excited um you know it’s been a good couple weeks I came um you know two two or three weeks ago just kind of you know meet all the guys skate and work out and stuff and you
Know just get to know everyone so it’s been good and just we’re just ready to get get going be a leaf at this yeah I mean um you know there was a lot of you know one-year deals out there and um you know I wanted to kind of be at a
Place where you know winning was was the top of you know our biggest goal and I knew the team um you know has the best chance to you know to make it a long way and hopefully you know our end goal is is to win the cup and
Um you know a lot of thinking went involved um obviously playing with a lot of good players and you know it’s close to home too where do you see yourself fitting in a lot of talk ah yeah I don’t uh that’s up to you know
Uh the coach so uh time will tell how open are you to the idea of resigning if things get off to a strong start for you and if you feel comfortable yeah I haven’t even played my first game yet um no but it’s been awesome so far
Um so that time will tell with that too through these last couple of weeks yeah I know it’s you know a great group of guys um you know committed um wanting to win and um you know it’s uh you know it’s a fun group to be around too
Um so I’m excited to you know start start preseason you know camps camps coming up this week so we’ll get through that and then preseason and then you know right into things what’s your uh what’s your reaction been from the family whether it be Sudbury whether it
Be your uncle in Kitchener just the whole thing yeah um you know a lot of people uh you know reaching out and you know it’s cool you know kind of it’s not my hometown but you know I’m close to here and being from Ontario um you know everyone’s either a leaf fan
Montreal fan or an Ottawa fan so a lot of jewels back home a lot of a lot of fans um it’s gonna be fun what are you hoping to be able to bring to the group uh just um you know just bring my game energy and
Um you know be in front of the net and just hounding pucks how much more enthusiastic are you based on how the playoffs went last year for you personally to produce obviously maybe add that to this team’s Arsenal in uh next spring yeah no that was obviously my first taste of playoff
Hockey that was another reason you know I um you know it’s the best time of year and it’s a lot of fun to play play in those situations and um you know to get a feel for that I wanted to be back in it and you know
Continue to be in in it every year you know just have a chance so um you know I’m excited necessarily with the Players Association but what have you liked or learned about Marty Walsh The business this week uh you know just being out on the links today yeah fans alumni but also supporting a great cause yeah for sure you know all these tournaments always supportive support a good cause and it’s good to kind of get everyone out here
Um you know I haven’t got the the chance to you know one talk to talk to Media yet or meet many fans yet so it’s gonna be fun to you know to kind of meet everyone get acclimated with that and it’s a nice day out so it should be some
Fun have you met Austin met you guys like that yeah yeah I’ve been skating with them and working out with them yeah what comes with being in the Toronto spotlight uh we’ll see a lot of one word answers but um no it’s gonna be fun something different
Um I’m sure I’ll get used to it what’s your golf game like these days I’m I’m been pretty good this summer it’s the best I’ve been so me and laugh or do you have a have a side bed on the lowest group so fan I didn’t watch much hockey really
Growing up yeah it’s weird um yeah I don’t have yeah sorry a chance to win a cup so I came here and you know look at this team from last year the last couple Seasons what they do in the regular seasons it’s only a matter of time I just want
To be here for when it happens when did you arrive in town and would have been your first impressions of the group facility everything a great group of guys obviously top-notch facility I got here three weeks ago just trying to get settled unpack the house um it’s taking longer than I thought but
We’re getting there just a lot of grit you know obviously they both have a lot of skill too but um you know maybe something this team’s been missing is a little bit of grid over the last couple years and I think those guys fit the mold of of what they
Need here what we need here and I think they’re exactly what was needed for sure right being around the group the last couple of weeks what have you taken away from being amongst the guys it’s a tight group you know we’ve been out with a lot of them quite a bit been
Golfing a few times when I had a couple beers and everybody likes to hang out together which is a good start for sure we’ll talk about that and Brad said when he signed you that you brought something to the dressing room in your own words what do you bring
Pretty loud it’s not going to be a quiet room anymore I’ll tell you that much yeah I think you know I’ve been around for a while I’d like to help help out the young guys a lot um yeah just a lot of energy practice games
Whatever it is it’s uh I’m an energy guy speaking speaking the grid aspect I don’t know if you saw that picture at the point of that particular incident but less of that I’m sure is what you want to bring I hope he tries that that would be interesting wouldn’t it yeah
It’d be fun I I doubt there’s going to be any of that here not sure how active you are as a member of The Players Association but what have you thought of Marty Walsh in those first six or eight months I’m not not uh too active in that no okay what’s it
Like getting into a new room like you say you’re going to be loud do you have to pick your moments or you just no I come in pretty hot yeah I tend to just chirp people right away and and gauge their reaction but uh no it was pretty
Easy yeah I don’t I don’t really shy into it uh normal guy I guess yeah for for a superstar like him he’s a pretty normal guy nice player on the ice so I’ll tell you that much skating with some of the golden knights yeah is there anything you know in your
Own time there like you learned about what it takes to to go all the way or anything you picked up from from talking to those those guys this summer talking to the nice guys I try not to talk about the nice guys but like their season I don’t like
Talking about that but uh no I I’ve been around for 14 years I’ve been on good teams I’ve been on some bad teams I know you know I’ve been doing a bunch of uh Conference Finals a cup finals so I know what it takes to get there I’ve seen you
Know the things that work and things that you know really hurt you in the playoffs um you know I I hope to it was kind of pass that knowledge along how’s your golf game oh man there’s a lot a lot of in the woods it can be good my I string together some
Good holes and then the bad ones are really bad it’s usually Woods to Woods to Bunker if there’s water I’m definitely finding it but uh usually pretty good off the tee though raising money today for an event that supports uh Youth and sports just talk about why that’s so important
You know the kids being active is uh is real important obviously you know just getting outside getting uh getting them away from the screen I think this generation is a little too obsessed with their phones and their tablets and TV you know it’s harder to get kids to
To go outside than it was back in the day you had to drag me from outside but um so obviously that’s uh yeah it’s great yeah it was a little shorter this year which is I think a good thing obviously a good push in Dallas last
Spring and I learned a lot and exciting to get back home here and get to work now a member of the Maple Leafs I mean just kind of the same thing that excites me every year is starting to play hockey again everyone loves summer and then time off and whatnot but once
You start getting back around the boys and I mean stuff like this little team events and whatnot you start to taste the season and I mean this is why we play right so I just can’t wait to get started given that though how’s what’s what are the differences Max with your
Obviously the history your dad playing nearly 800 games to leave so the fact you’re around as a kid as much as you were yeah yeah for sure um you know I think growing up it was like always a dream to play for the Leafs and um kind of the dream behind winning a
Stanley Cup was was always just wearing the blue and white and I think you get a chance to cross one hopefully two of those off the bucket list this is pretty spectacular and great opportunity obviously unbelievable hockey team good group of guys and uh to wear that Jersey
Is a huge honor and a privilege and can’t wait to do it not really no he didn’t bring me to the charity golf tournament um but uh no I’ve been around for for long enough now every every team has their own sort of stuff like this I think it’s great
Um great for the fans great for the sponsorships and all the foundations we’re associated with and really looking forward to the day today Tyler said a big reason he came here was he feels the chance to play the playoffs Ryan said uh feels his chance to win a Stanley Cup
Was that a big part of the calculus as to why you chose to come here as well yeah for sure when you’re a free agent you look at a few things and and I think that’s at the top of everyone’s list and for me is I wanted to come somewhere
Where I can win a Stanley Cup and be a part of that and um obviously had my eyes on this organization for a while and I’m looking forward just being part of it now and I’m getting to work wigger Center doesn’t matter to you yeah whatever Mass
To play I’ll be ready to go so your comfort level either way Max or again I I’ve played on so many teams now which has been a blessing in disguise because you you’re getting thrown in different uh situations different uh systematic Vibes different coaches and obviously
With that you’re going to play left wing right wing Center and kind of learn how to be more of like a utility guy and wherever I’m asked to play I’ve told key for that I don’t have conversations and I’ll be ready to go out the love like you feel the energy
Around you that’s your family in the city I know yeah yeah of course um yeah you kind of block that stuff out to be honest with you um I mean both with media comes obviously positive stuff and then obviously the negative as well so I
Think the best way to to avoid either of those things is just not ride the roller coaster and just kind of try and stay even Keel it’s tougher said than done but been around it long enough now really been around my whole life so um nothing new and just looking forward to
Get started having been on a bunch of different teams yeah it’s early days still but is there anything unique about this group this the culture around the guys and the captain skates or anything um yeah you know what I think every team is is unique in their own way and
Especially the the top end teams you learn a lot and every team’s different but these guys have built a pretty awesome culture and I think you’ve seen that you’ve seen the success they’ve had over the last few years and and so on so just a chance for for us and you guys to
Kind of come in and help continue to build what they’ve started is something that we’re all looking forward to and just build on what they already got going here to go in there with the heads it has nothing better than you know being in Montreal atmosphere there yeah yes has your opinion evolved
I was waiting for that one um well if I’m being completely honest with you like playing in Montreal was was one of the coolest experience of my life and the fan base was so good to me there and and I missed my days of Montreal for sure but I’m a big believer
And we’re you are where your two feet are and I’m home now in Toronto and like I said earlier it’s been a dream mine I always play here so nothing but great memories of Montreal wishing the best and I’m all in on Toronto now so that’s that’s all I’m really really worried
About right now Max you’re out here raising money today for Youth Sports programs and improving accessibility and sports just talk about why that’s important um yeah again I’m from here so every charity every Foundation is important to me just because I grew up around all these um different things and you know
Any chance you can give back to the community in any way especially the youth it’s a no-brainer and we’re all really excited to be here
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