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 Vancouver Canucks’ Daniel Sedin (left) celebrates his goal with his twin brother Henrik Sedin behind Toronto Maple Leafs’ Carl Gunnarsson on Jan. 30. (REUTERS, Mark Blinch) |
Overcome with jubilation at the final horn on Saturday, Andrew Raycroft took a couple of strides before thrusting his fist in the air.
Given the ugly treatment he received during his Maple Leaf days, perhaps flipping a finger to the crowd — and the Leafs, for that matter — might have been more appropriate.
Raycroft is too classy a guy for that. But after making a triumphant return to the rink that once served as his own personal House of Boos, he had reason to be emotional.
“I was excited,” Raycroft said after backstopping his Vancouver Canucks to a come-from-behind 5-3 win over the hapless Leafs. “I didn’t really think what I was doing.
“I just went to the corner ... a little pump. It’s satisfying. It’s a good story but I haven’t played a lot, so that’s the satisfaction.”
Perhaps the moment was best summed up by one of his teammates while the media was scrumming Raycroft in the Canucks dressing room.
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“Shove it up their (bleep)!” the Canucks player said, igniting laughter throughout the room.
Consider it shoved.
Just ask the Leafs, who turned Hockey Day In Canada into Fright Night.
As part of a pre-game ceremony in which the Leafs honoured the Canadian military, legendary goalie Johnny Bower, decked in army fatigues, was lowered from the rafters.
At least he didn’t come crashing down to earth like the Leafs did.
After building up a 3-0 first period lead and chasing all-world goalie Roberto Luongo out of the game, the Leafs embarked on one of their patented collapses.
It started when Raycroft replaced Luongo for the start of the second period, igniting familiar jeers from the crowd. Instead of peppering the rusty backup with rubber, however, the Leafs managed just three shots in the middle frame while his teammates cut the deficit to 3-1.
The meltdown was completed in the third thanks to four consecutive Vancouver goals, leaving Raycroft one chipper Canuck.
During his two-season stint with the Leafs from 2006 to 2008, Raycroft became the personal whipping boy of Leafs Nation, thanks in part to his penchant of allowing smelly goals. Finally, in the summer of 2008, with one season left on his contract at $2.2 million US, the Leafs bought him out.
“The first year (in Toronto) I had fun,” Raycroft said. “The second was a bad way to finish. It was hard to come to the rink every day. It wore on me. It was a definite grind.
“It’s made me a better person.”
As for Leafs coach Ron Wilson, he was a bitter person.
“Don’t say we’re snakebitten,” he said. “We let them back in.”
Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows each scored a pair for Vancouver, with Henrik Sedin adding a single. Phil Kessel, with two, and Jamal Mayers replied for the Leafs.
mike.zeisberger@sunmedia.ca