James van Riemsdyk said playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs meant being recognized almost everywhere, including restaurants, stores, even public restrooms.
He loved it.
"Being a Maple Leaf, that's a pretty special thing," the 29-year-old forward said after helping the Philadelphia Flyers defeat the New York Rangers 4-0 at Wells Fargo Center on Friday. "Obviously the factor of that and how much it means to so many different people, the Maple Leaf Nation is pretty far and wide and that's something I always enjoyed being a part of.
"It's obviously an emotional thing to be going back and playing in front of those people again."
Van Riemsdyk returns to Toronto when the Flyers visit the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, SN1, NBCSP, NHL.TV), his first game against his former team since signing a five-year contract with the Flyers on July 1.
Butterflies admittedly will be churning in van Riemsdyk's gut for a date he circled on the calendar.
"Certainly when the schedule comes out you take a peek at that and see that just because of everything, because of all the time there," he said. "I really loved my time there. It's something you're definitely looking forward to and, to be honest, I'm looking forward to getting past it to help with the moving on process."
Van Riemsdyk was selected with the No. 2 pick by the Flyers in the 2007 NHL Draft and played for Philadelphia from 2009-12 before being traded to the Maple Leafs for defenseman Luke Schenn on July 23, 2012. He had 294 points (154 goals, 140 assists) in 413 games through six seasons with the Maple Leafs.
He said he appreciated that Toronto gave him weeks of advance notice it would not be re-signing him in the offseason, affording him a chance to examine potential landing spots.
Allowing pending free agents van Riemsdyk and center Tyler Bozak to leave helped clear cap space for the Maple Leafs to sign center John Tavares to a seven-year, $77 million contract (average annual value $11 million) on July 1.
Bozak signed a three-year, $15 million contract (average annual value $5 million) with the St. Louis Blues on July 1.
"I really loved my time there," van Riemsdyk said. "When you spend that much time there you become super invested in being a Maple Leaf and playing for that city and what it means for people who are fans of that team."
Van Riemsdyk has four points (one goal, three assists) in six games for the Flyers this season. He missed 16 games with a lower-body injury sustained in the second game of the season on Oct. 6 and returned to the Philadelphia lineup Nov. 15, giving him four games before his return to Toronto.
"[Playing against Toronto] is something definitely you're looking forward to doing and getting over with," he said. "It helps with the process of moving on and getting comfortable in the new environment."
Asked which of his former Maple Leafs teammates he planned to chirp, van Riemsdyk identified Toronto forward Mitchell Marner as a potential target.
"Oh, we'll see as we get after it," he said. "It'll be some of the easy targets, I think. Usually Mitchie. I know he can get a little sensitive out there so maybe I can get under his skin. He's been playing super well so we're going to need to be sharp when he's on the ice."
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