Leafs Antropov Off To Great Start
Posted October 19, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
For years fans derided former Leafs coach Pat Quinn for his stubborn refusal to give up on oft-injured, sometimes awkward forward Nik Antropov. It was as though Quinn saw a potential that the rest of us didn’t. Not until this year that is. Antropov is off to a blazing fast start, tied for second in NHL goals and sixth overall in points. He also netted the winner against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, pushing his point total to 11 in eight games.
But Antropov isn’t letting his early success get to his head
“As long as it’s going in, I’m happy, you know what I mean?” he said. “I’ve said so many times: I’m not a statistics guy.
“As long as the team is doing good, I’m happy.”
The 27-year-old Kazakh was drafted by Toronto in 1998 and recently signed a two-year contract that pays him $1.95 million this season and $2.15 million in 2008-2009. So far, he’s been worth every penny.
“He’s a very, very smart hockey player,” says Toronto coach Paul Maurice. “He may not be the fast guy on the ice but his size makes him effective down low.
“We’ve used a lot of different options at centre, using a number of different guys who were not bad at all, but we needed a little bit more, and Nikky has provided it. His size alone, to have (Mats) Sundin and Antropov 1-2, is an advantage.”
Photo Credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images
