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Became A Leaf:
Signed as a free agent by Toronto on March 16, 1997.
1998-99:
Set career high’s in goals with 20 and penalty minutes with
35…Finished 5th in goals (20) and points (44) and powerplay goals
(4)…Led the Leafs in shorthanded goals (3) and shorthanded points
(3)…+11 at home…Earned his first points of the season with 2 goals
on October 16th at Calgary (finished +3)…Played in his 100th NHL game
on October 19th versus Nashville…Registered a season-high 6 shots
versus Calgary on November 23rd… Scored one goal and one assist and
finished +3 on December 19th versus the Rangers…Recorded a season high
3 points (2g, 1a) on January 9th versus the Bruins - named game’s
first star…Scored 2 goals versus the Lightning on January 12th at
Tampa Bay…Did not dress at New Jersey on February 15th…Scored one
goal and one assist and named game’s first star on February 27th
versus the Panthers…Leafs were 24-7-4 when he recorded a
point…Served a 2-game suspension issued by the NHL for an incident on
April 7th versus Ottawa (missed games on April 8th and 10th)…
Playoffs:
Played in all 17 games during his first playoff season…Scored a goal
in Game #3 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final versus the Flyers on
April 26th…Scored a goal and an assist and finished +2 in Game #3 of
the Eastern Conference Semi-Final versus the Penguins on May
11th…Scored a goal on in Game #5 versus the Penguins on May 15th.
Career:
1997-98: Set career-highs in all statistical categories…Finished first
on the team in games played (tie) and game-tying goals (tie), second on
the team in points and assists, 3rd in powerplay goals, 5th in total
shots, and 6th in goal scoring…One of only 3 Maple Leafs to play in
all 82 games…Registered 1 multiple-goal, 7 multiple-assist , and 14
multiple-point games…Collected two 3-point games: December 6, 1997
versus Los Angeles (1g, 2a) and January 24th versus Tampa Bay (1g,
2a)…Scored both goals in a 2-2 tie with the Boston Bruins on December
31, 1997…Had a 3-game goal, assist and point streak from October
18-25, 1997…36 of his 47 points came on the road…+6 at home…Shared
the N.H.L’s rookie point scoring title…Also finished first among NHL
rookies in assists, games played (tie), and powerplay assists (8-tie),
second in powerplay points (13-tie), third in powerplay goals (5-tie),
and 4th in goals…Named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team…Named NHL’s
Rookie of the Month for December and runner-up for January…1996-97:
Played in his first NHL game on the same day that he signed with
Toronto...Faced Tampa Bay on the road in his debut and collected one
assist (plus 1)...Scored his first NHL goal and added an assist on Mar.
20 at Pittsburgh vs Patrick Lalime...All four points came on the
road...Recorded seven shots at Pittsburgh on Mar. 20 in just his third
professional game...Plus 2 on the road...Scored the game-winner on a
breakaway while shorthanded at Colorado on Mar. 29 with 4:30 to
play...Had points in three of his 13 games with Toronto...Led his
Bowling Green club in personal bests in games (38), goals (30), and
points (62)....Scored 30 of the Falcons’ 100 goals...Reached
double-digits in goals for the third consecutive season...Played at
least 30 games for Bowling Green for the fourth consecutive season…A
team co-captain at Bowling Green…1995-96: Tallied 12 goals and 19
assists in 30 games for Bowling Green….Named to the Academic All-CCHA
First Team…Had one 4-goal game…Missed 11 games with a broken
wrist…A pre-season All-American by The Sporting News...1994-95:
Received votes in year-end balloting for the league’s best defensive
forward…Placed second in team scoring to Brian Holzinger, currently
with the Sabres...1993-94: Joined Bowling Green for his freshman season
and did not miss a game…1992-93: Played for the Aurora Eagles of the
Metro Junior Hockey League and recorded 25 goals and 40 assists in 48
games.
Personal:
Single...A city all-star in basketball at Sir John A. MacDonald High
School…Also a city champion in tennis....Had a late growth spurt by
growing 10 inches in height after grade 11...Studied Business and
Finance at Bowling Green…Greatest thrill in hockey was playing in his
first game as a Maple Leaf…Began playing hockey at age six…Lives
year round in Toronto...Involved with the Canadian Lung
Association...Celebrity he would most like to meet is Will Smith.
Favorites:
MUSICAL GROUP: The Tragically Hip; MOVIE: The Shawshank Redemption;
BOOK: Catcher in the Rye; ACTOR: Jim Carey; ACTRESS: Meg Ryan; CHILDHOOD
HOCKEY HERO: Wayne Gretzky
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