TORONTO – Andrew Cogliano, Frederik Andersen’s best friend on the team that didn’t want him anymore, had been blasting him threatening texts for days leading up to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Monday-nighter against the Anaheim Ducks.
“He’s been texting me for two weeks saying he’s going to run me over or something. It’ll be fun,” said Andersen, a smile spreading across the goalie’s face. “I think he’s trying to get in my kitchen.”
Andersen and Cogliano, a Toronto native, talk regularly. Hockey stuff, sure, but mostly personal stuff. The former teammates are tight enough that after Andersen was shipped to Toronto in the off-season and awarded a five-year contract in line with a No. 1’s paycheque, the Danish netminder flew to Toronto for a summer weekend and stayed at Cogliano’s parents’ place to get accustomed to the centre of the hockey universe.
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The Coglianos were “a big help,” Andersen explains, pointing him toward good restaurants and various neighbourhoods he could live.
“I don’t think he expected it to be as tough [as it was] when he first came here. Coming to a new city, going to a new team, it’s always difficult, especially for a goalie, but he’s going to be a good goalie for a long time,” Cogliano says.
“It was just a matter of time for him to really show what kind of goalie he is, and how good he is, and everyone is really seeing that right now.”
Despite allowing a combined five goals on Randy’s Revenge Night, a 3-2 win for the Ducks, the reigning co-winners of the Williams Jennings Trophy looked worthy of the hardware they reaped last spring in Anaheim. Four deflected pucks, one rebound, 58 combined saves, many on Grade A chances. Nothing beat ’em clean.
Toronto’s Nazem Kadri knew the Ducks game carried “extra motivation and anxiousness” for his goaltender and, as the Leafs have all year, offered support.
“He’s out there to prove a point,” Kadri said, “and we’re going to be right out there with him.”
So the Leafs pelted John Gibson, the one Anaheim kept, with 19 pucks in a desperate — as always — third period. Gibson went full snow-angel to deny Zach Hyman on a short-handed breakaway early, and disappointed William Nylander with a flourishing glove late.
“When he’s on top of his game, he’s very difficult to beat,” said Cam Fowler, who one-timed home the power-play winner.
“You could tell early in the game he was locked in. I’ve seen that look before. It was going to take a special shot to get beaten tonight. He kept us in the game, gave us momentum tonight when we needed it, and he was awesome.”
Solid at the other end, too, Andersen’s first look in blue was the opposite of awesome. Marred by a pre-season injury and an early-season bout with confidence, Andersen’s October kitchen party came with an open invite.
But his workload never relented, nor did the encouragement from coach Mike Babcock, who wasn’t nearly as warm and cuddly during Jonathan Bernier’s struggles a year ago, mistakes that ultimately booked his flight back to California.
“It was a lot of emotion. You’re mad that you’re leaving. I thought I didn’t leave everything on the table here and I wanted more,” says Bernier, who becomes a free agent in July. “Then you look at the bright side: There’s an organization that wants you, that traded for you and will give you a chance. And I knew we had a good team.”
Monday marked Andersen’s 26th start, and his save percentage has sharpened to .918.
The more affordable Gibson has started fewer games (22) and posted fewer wins (11-9-4) and a softer save percentage (.908), despite playing behind the defending No. 1 defence in the league.
“They had to get something back for one of us. I’ve been fortunate to come to a good team here with good guys, so I’m happy the way it worked out,” Andersen says. “He’d already signed a good deal [three years, $6.9 million]. It’s good for both of us. I know Bernier’s there too, but he’s got a clear chance to play.”
Gibson, who has never started more than 38 times in an NHL season, says he adjusted his off-season conditioning regime to prepare for his increased role but insisted Monday’s reunion carried no extra significance. The Pittsburgh native has struggled of late, as he and Bernier have operated the NHL’s 22nd-best goals-against average. They’re better than that, Bernier believes.
“We should be able to be one of the top 10 [tandems] in the league,” says Bernier, who will start against his boyhood team Tuesday in Montreal. “We haven’t been playing like that as of late, but with the team we have and the defensive team we have, we should be able to.”
During the World Cup, Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf predicted Andersen would thrive in a No. 1 role in a major market.
Coaching Team Canada, Babcock tapped both Getzlaf and Corey Perry for a scouting report. He liked what he heard, and Andy’s dimensions (six foot four, 220 pounds) didn’t hurt.
“Freddy was great. We were sad to see him go. He was a young goaltender coming up and playing well,” Getzlaf said Monday. “Luckily we got a great one in return, so we still have that one-two punch that we’ve had for a while, so it’s been a pretty seamless change.”
Except that Anaheim’s goals against has fallen from first to 15th overall.
“We realize we’re giving up way too many goals,” Fowler said. “That falls on us as players, too, but I’m sure goaltenders see that. As a unit, we wanted to make a statement that we can shut down a team that has a lot of skill and a lot of speed. He certainly did that tonight.”
Never underestimate the power of encouragement from former teammates, like Cogliano, or current ones, like Kadri, have helped steady Freddy.
“They supported me early on, when things weren’t going well in the first four or five games. That meant a lot, that support and belief,” says Andersen.
“As good as the game of hockey is, it’s not that much fun sitting on the bench watching.”
Randy Carlyle said he started Bernier in Boston Thursday after Gibson lost 6-2 to Dallas Tuesday. It was a motivational tactic. Take the net away from a should-be No. 1 and he’ll do everything in his power to snatch it back.
“He steps us in big games,” Fowler said of Gibson. “As a world-class goaltender, he has that. You’ve seen it in world juniors, you’ve seen it internationally in the World Cup here. I’m glad that people in Toronto, on a big stage, were able to see that tonight.”
