Maple Leafs Full Media Availability | Practice | October 17, 2025

Just uh looking back on that circumstance last night when you had to play without your mask, was there ever a point in time during that sequence where like you were going to let back or you did you know you had to continue playing did you understand what was happening in the moment? Um yeah, I kind of knew the rule going in. Um I think it’s uh there’s an imminent scoring chance they kind of uh continue to let play go. Um, you know, for me it was kind of just uh just compete, battle out there and kind of uh a little bit of luck that uh you know, he doesn’t take a shot um at my head. So, do you think that rule should change? I mean, yeah, I think so. You look at it uh if a forward or defenseman gets hit in the face um with an errand puck, they they blow play immediately. So, I don’t see why it’s any different for a goalie. I don’t think uh I don’t think we should wait around for for a goalie to get hit in the head and um you know have to uh deal with that. So um hopefully it’s something the league’s looking at and something that uh you know we can fix. Did you any other goalies like reach out to you after? Like it seems like something a lot of goalies would be concerned about. Uh no one in the league but just some some guys I played with in the past. Uh you know Dustin Takarski reached out and whatnot. So uh you know it’s just uh it’s just one of those things. I mean, you know, it’s uh you obviously want more scoring and um you know, you want to see uh more chances, but at the same time too, you know, you have to look out for the safety of the players. A lot of games this week, obviously Austin, like getting practice off this today. Like what’s your thought on like load management and that like rest versus staying in a rhythm? Uh yeah, I mean, you look at uh you know, we we got a lot of games in a in a short amount of time here. So, um, you know, it’s, uh, it’s a it’s a marathon, not a sprint. So, I think, uh, anytime that the guys can get rest, I mean, you know, myself included, uh, you know, having DAGs out there is is huge. I think anytime that you can kind of just take the stress off your body, let those bumps and bruises heal, um, you know, I think it’s only going to help the team in the long run. What’s the conversation like the medical staff comes to you and says, “Hey, we think this practice,” cuz I think you did get one practice off this season, or is it you saying like, “Hey, I feel like today maybe is better to have a limited practice.” I think it’s just an open line of communication between uh the player, the the medical staff, and the coaching staff. I mean, Curtis does a great job. Um, you know, with the goalies to to kind of let us, uh, you know, if we we need a light skate, uh, you know, we’ll go out with him. Uh, that’s what I did earlier in the year. I just kind of hopped on with Curtis and and did some, uh, some drills on the side and, um, you know, having Dags, like I said, is huge. Having him to to be able to hop in there and, uh, you know, still give the guys a quality goalie in there to to face shots, um, you know, kind of helps helps everyone. What have the conversations been like between you and Kaden ever since? Uh, it’s been good. You know, it’s kind of catching up a little bit. I mean, obviously two Jersey guys, so um you know, it was kind of uh easy to hit off right away. We were able just to you know, talk uh talk about that a little bit and uh you know, just goalie stuff. He’s a he’s a great guy. Um you know, continuing to uh to get to know him, but uh so far everything’s been great. There’s no North Jersey, South Jersey, do you? Uh no. I’d like to think I’m kind of central Jersey. I know some people say it doesn’t exist, but uh I’m kind of in the middle, so I like to play both sides. Does he call it Taylor Ham or pork? Uh that’s actually a good question. I hope it’s pork roll. I call it pork roll, so I’m hoping that. But he’s from South Jersey, so it might be Taylor Ham. What do you think of Max Sherzer’s moment there with I don’t sure if you saw it Schneider and him. He didn’t want to come out of the game like Do you ever had a moment like that with the coach where he wanted to take? Uh no. Usually uh you know, hopefully you’re not running into those moments as a goal. You know, you kind of never want the hook. it kind of means uh you know something’s not going your way that day. So uh no, you got to applaud his uh his tenacity and his uh his compete and his battle to to want to stay in there and uh you know I think there was what two outs in the in the fifth there and he struck him out. So um you know kudos to him. You know I was a big fan of his when when he was on the Mets. So um you know hopefully he can keep it rolling tonight. He talks to himself a little bit. Do you talk to yourself during games? Uh no not too really. I kind of just uh just try to stay stay uh stay warm playing the puck talking to the guys out there. uh you know I’m pretty loosey goosey when I get to the bench. So um you know I usually talk to to Kaden or whatever goal is there. So uh I try to keep it light but obviously there’s uh there’s that uh intensity in that battle that you know sometimes you got to you know yell at the guys or kind of get them fired up you know. So um you know it’s just kind of uh for me kind of just see how the situation is. Were you having to brace for physicality any more from opponents than years past? You just find is that the nature of being a bigger hole? Uh yeah, I think that that’s kind of uh you know, kind of what teams want to do. They want to crash the net. They want to take your eyes away. Obviously, if you can’t see the puck, uh you know, they have a better chance to score. So, they’re going to look to to throw bodies in front and um the game’s so fast now and guys are so skilled that, you know, they’re trying these plays and the cup moves. I mean, obviously last night you see Matt Rempe going wide coming in and you know, as a goalie, you’re kind of just bracing yourself as well as trying to track the puck. So, um you know, it’s uh it’s all about compete. It’s all about battle and you know, it’s just trying to stand your ground and gain your ice. Did you think that goal that did end up counting against you last night could have been goal interference? It felt like maybe it didn’t get set after the stick came out. Uh I kind of talked to the ref a little bit about that. He said that he thought there there was uh there was time for me to get set and um you know I think uh if I didn’t have to pick up my stick maybe you know uh if I just went straight out to the puck maybe I would have had a better shot at it. But um you know at the end of the day it’s one of those things like like you guys were saying the uh the battle in front and guys trying to get in front of me and uh you know kudos. Ard have done a great job I think so far this year. uh keeping guys out of there and um if anyone does get in close they’re they’re sticking up for me and um you know and as a goalie you appreciate that I guess take us back to Detroit Saturday night like what are you feeling in in that moment when you get banged up? Yeah, it was just one of those things where just kind of get caught in the right spot. Um I watched the replay. I mean it wasn’t really malicious. I know uh Benny that hit me um he just kind of caught me on the button there and uh he kind of just shook me up a little bit. So I went back to the bench and I was just kind of feeling it. upper body a little up here there. Um so yeah, so it was just kind of like a precaution thing. Uh I thought I might as well get some rest because I wasn’t really feeling 100%. So uh yeah, I feel a lot better um after a few days rest. So I think I’m good to go. Craig had said that you were available uh yesterday, but you didn’t play yet. That’s I think the first time you’ve been a healthy scratch. Like how do you process that? Yeah, I mean that’s that’s the way it goes. Um I was happy that we got the win. So obviously as the competitor, you know, I want to be in the lineup every single night, but um you know, Chief was rolling with what he was rolling with and we got the win in Nashville. So I’ll never be upset with the coach’s decision to to just keep the lines rolling the way they are. So um you know, I was the biggest cheer leader last night and I’m glad we got the win. So um you know, when my numbers called, whether it’s tomorrow or um you know, if the lineup doesn’t change, then uh I’m just going to be ready to go for when my numbers called. What have you been seeing from East? He’s been uh you know, he’s getting more more and more confident. um you know he’s making plays out there and uh again it’s good to see a young kid and remember you know it feels like we’ve been in the season for a couple months now but you know going back to training camp he played well in the preseason games and then you know when it’s real speed regular season you know he’s he’s got the puck on his stick and you can see that he’s you know not afraid to make some plays and he’s taking chances out there and that’s what you want to see out of a young guy so uh you know he’s been playing well hopefully he keeps it going. When you were cheerleading last night what were you seeing from Anthony Stolard? Yeah. Oh, I got a clear view of his face when uh when he dropped his mask there. And then um I asked him today if there was bodies in front of him or if he would have ate that one cuz you know if I’m getting that puck in the slot, I’m trying to shoot over the shoulders and stuff. So uh he’s lucky he didn’t wear one in the teeth. It might have made him look a little bit better looking. But uh um no, he made a great kick save and just to the composure to be able to stay with it even without a mask. I mean I don’t know if I could do something like that when a guy I think it was Miller too, pretty good shooter standing in the slot with a puck like that. uh the composure to be able to kick a save out like that and um you know just kind of skate to the corner after nonchalant clearly wasn’t too happy but uh yeah that was that was pretty cool. How would you describe his competitiveness? That’s just that’s his whole kind of personality is to compete because you know how laid-back he is and um he’s not a guy that takes things super seriously. Uh he he’s pretty laidback. He’s he’s a great teammate and uh you know when he’s in the crease like he said he’s just like a big men’s league game to him but um it takes competition and that compete in him to be able to stop you know the best players in the world on a nightly basis is uh just just a testament to his character and his compete. So um yeah he just goes about his business and uh he plays to his abilities and obviously we’re reaping the benefits of that. Austin getting a rest here a well-deserved rest in practice. What have you seen from him in the way he started this season? Yeah, I mean, he’s getting looks and, you know, he’s he’s got a few goals and I I think he could even have some more and I think it’s only a matter of time before some of those start going in uh even more. Um he’s going to the net hard. Uh you know, he’s playing with a few different guys. He’s been playing with Cowboy a little bit and you know, I know that’s not new for him. Um you know, he’s going to find his areas of the ice and when he gets that puck in that those dangerous spots, which is, you know, he’s he’s dangerous in a lot more areas than most guys. So, um I think if you do a good job getting him the puck, then uh you know, the pucks are going to start going in. So, uh, you know, he plays a lot of minutes, plays PK and, you know, PP’s in all situations, six on five, five on six. So, uh, it’s good that he gets these rest days like this. What do you see from? Yeah, Calli’s had a great start and, uh, the boys are super happy for him because, uh, I think, you know, we all we all know his abilities in here and, um, you know, sometimes he doesn’t play a lot of minutes, but, you know, he’s effective out there. Uh, he’s in on the for check, he’s not afraid to get his nose dirty. he’s in the corners, you know, with with the guys on the fourth line and, uh, he’s got that scoring touch, too, that we’ve seen. So, um, he’s just got to keep going, uh, keep playing the way he’s playing and, um, again, it’s good to have that depth scoring and that success that we’ve kind of had lately. Frost here today. How does that come together? Is it the medical staff? Is it him coming to you? Like, what goes into him getting a practice off? Yeah, it’s just it’s managing him. Played a lot of minutes, uh, a lot of games here. So, that’s all it is. You do that a bit more with him. Do you think maybe some other guys given the Olympic year and condensed schedule and everything? Well, it’s going to get to that point, you know. I think you got to, you know, I mean, it’s our job to manage everybody. Um, players in and out, you know, guys in and out too, and just trying to use everybody and get everybody involved. And at the same time, guys that play big minutes, I think you got to, you know, be careful. How have you liked or what have you seen from Austin this season as he look like his old self? Yeah, a lot of we saw last year. I mean, I think um he’s been pretty solid. I mean, again, well, we’re going to look at the goal scoring, right? I mean, I look at the whole game, but you know, he is scoring. Um he he’s healthy, feels good. Um you know, he’s been he’s been a good player um in all aspects of the game for me. Feel like that line is just kind of trended up. Well, it is. I think um you know they they kind of they’re going good. I thought last game probably didn’t create enough um and do enough things last game, but not every game’s going to be perfect, right? There’s going to be games where, you know, things don’t go exactly the way you want. But um you know, I’ve liked the line. I have. When you have a young guy like Jan, how important is it to let him learn on the job with patience? Yeah. you know, you got to have patience and um you know, it’s it’s um again managing them and managing what’s going on in the game, what I see from them. Um working with them also the next day about, you know, things that he can do better and and things like that. And um that’s that’s the coaching staff’s job. Um and he understands it, too. Like I said, he’s a smart guy. he knows, you know, things that he could do better and things that, you know, he’s done well. So, um, again, it’s just a lot of be a lot of in-game managing and and going from there. What can he take away from last night? He said he, you know, felt like got away from it a bit at the start of the third. Like, what do you want him to take from that last night’s game? Simplify. I mean, I think you know, you’re up one nothing in a game and understanding that you got to be more patient and take what’s given to you like in a game like that. It’s a tight game. You don’t want to give any freebies up. You don’t want to make a bad puck play, especially in the neutral zone or out of your own zone. It’s just doing the simple things a lot of times and being patient and then an opportunity might pop up 10 or 12 minutes down the down the period, right? So, I think he pushed a little bit in the in the third period a little bit too much and and tried some things that he, you know, he knows. I talked to him today and he’ll see it too on video and um like I said, he’s a smart kid. He understands. Yeah, good chance we’ll get him back in tomorrow. Yeah. What’s unique about the way William’s able to read the eyes? Oh, I mean, he’s he’s he’s got vision and he’s he knows where people are. I mean, he’s obviously his hockey IQ is very good and um here’s a veteran guy that’s been around a long time that understands the game and um he’s played with that centerman a lot too, so he knows exactly where JT is and he he’s got chemistry with JT and I think um that line still forming some chemistry. They’ve done some good things, but uh I I do believe they can be better than they are. As a coach, do you like the fact that you can go to a guy like Willie and and be clear with them as you said you were earlier on in the week in terms of what you need and he just takes it to heart and keeps on taking it. You don’t have to worry about Well, yeah, it’s important. I think all players, you know, it’s just constructive criticism. It’s not nothing more than that. And if you want to be a good player in this league or any athlete, you know, you got to be able to handle constructive criticism and learn from it and uh you know, take it and and be better. That’s that’s the bottom line. That’s that’s what’s that’s what it’s all about. What do you like the most about Anony’s game last night? Like obviously he’s locked in. What do you Yeah, he’s locked in. I just um for me he’s moving extremely well in the net. uh there, you know, obviously we gave up some odd man rushes where he had to go lateral pretty good and you know, he’s reading it well and he’s getting over there. So, he feels good about about his game and um you know, I just love being tight. You know, there’s a lot of traffic. Um, I thought New York did a good job of shooting pucks from the top and having people around the net. And I thought he was real solid in that area, finding pucks and being big in net and taking the lower half of the net away. He did a good job. Not sure if you caught the Jay’s highlights after your game last night, but there was a moment where John Schneider was coming out to talk to Max Scherzer and Sherzer says, “I’m not coming out of the game.” I’m just wondering as a coach, have you had moments like that with guys where they’re like, “I’m just going.” I mean, there’s a guy that’s uh he’s been around a long time and uh you know, his personality, he’s you know, he’s a gamer all day long. Uh he wants the ball. He wants to get the job done. So, I mean, that’s I think it’s great. It’s I love seeing that stuff. How do you manage Anony’s workload with the schedule the way it is this year? Is it conversation with him or is it Curtis? Combination of all that? All that. Um, I think the goalie coach probably has the best insight on that because he’s he’s constantly uh talking with his goalies and where they’re at in the field they have and their energy levels. So, u that’s a big part of it. Um, and you know, it’s all communication between the three of us.

Anthony Stolarz, Steven Lorentz and Head Coach Craig Berube address the media following Friday’s practice.

0:00 – Anthony Stolarz
5:22 – Steven Lorentz
9:24 – Craig Berube

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