Music: {allcanada} JVR 'itching' to return, play under Mike Babcock

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

{allcanada} JVR 'itching' to return, play under Mike Babcock

The worst plus/minus rating registered by a single player during Mike Babcock's 10-year reign in Detroit belongs to a past-his-prime Todd Bertuzzi, who floundered with a minus-17 in 2013-14 and never returned to the National Hockey League.

Last season in Toronto, James van Riemsdyk — an in-his-prime, 30-goal guy — was a minus-33, his personal worst by a country mile.

As we know, the process may be painful, but things will change now that Babcock is running the Maple Leafs bench.

"His resume speaks for itself. You see the Olympic gold medals and Stanley Cup and the success they've had in Detroit with him at the helm there," van Riemsdyk told Dean Blundell & Co. on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Wednesday.

"We haven't had the years we've wanted to the last couple here, and this is hopefully a step in the right direction for us to be competing year in and year out to win a championship."

LISTEN: Maple Leafs' James van Riemsdyk talks Mike Babcock

Top-line winger van Riemsdyk, 26, saw his goals (27) and assists (29) totals dip from 2013-14's career-best 61-point season, and he is training daily in Minnesota, where he keeps a summer home.

Texts flew among the Leafs players upon news of last week's hiring, and Babcock called van Riemsdyk to introduce himself.

"He's excited, as we all are too, to start building toward something," van Riemsdyk said. "When the year ends like it ended for us last year, you're mad, you're upset, you want to basically get right back at it.

"When things don't go your way, you're itching to get back in there."

The Maple Leafs, of course, plummeted out of the playoff picture mid-season and finished 27th overall. Two head coaches, one general manager and stacks of scouts have been fired, and the players were put on notice that more changes could come.

Van Riemsdyk said the disastrous season forced him to evaluate his game and refocus.

"We'll have to look in the mirror this summer and come back in September," he said, "and hopefully be better for it."