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Carrick’s promotion to Leafs was no joke BY MICHAEL HAYAKAWA mhayakawa®yrmg.com When Sam Carrick received a text early Saturday with a picture of the Toronto Maple Leafs' locker room with his nameplate on a stall and a message saying his equip- ment was being sent to the Air Canada Centre. he thought it was a joke. But when the 22-year-old Stouffville resident received a phone call with the same message from Maple Leafs' assistant general manager Kyle Dubas. he realized it was for real. For Garrick, a six-foot. 207- pound centre, the call to the big league fulfilled a lifelong dream for the fifth-round draft pick of the Maple Leafs in the 2010 National Hockey league draft. He had been playing with the leafs' American Hockey League afiiliate Toronto Marlies' club. In fact. there were occasions when he had some doubts if he would make it to the NHL. "There's ups and downs throughout your career," he said in an interview on Leafs TV. “No years ago. I was playing in the East Coast League (with the Idaho Steelheads in 2012-13 season). The biggest thing was that i went in there and put my head down and worked hard just to get up to the American Hock‘ey League. Once I got to the American Hock- ey League. I wanted to do what I had to do to get noticed. The key. he said. was to put in an honest day’s effort and be persistent. After getting called up, which came largely as a result of a hand injury incurred by veteran Leafs‘ forward loffrey Lupul, Garrick had “It's been' a long road so far from where I was a couple of years ago t_o where I am 139w." “I just took a moment to look around and think about everyone watching this game like my parents and even my grandparents. It was a pretty cool feeling.” Sam Garrick on his first NHL game “My mindset going in was that I wanted to give out a few hits and even if I got hit once or twice myself that was fine by me. That's what gets me into the game and I just kept on rolling from there." little time to soak in the moment as he was inserted into the Maple Leafs' lineup later that night in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackâ€" hawks. Although he lives close to the Air Canada Centre. he was cel- ebrating his mother's birthday in Stouffville the night before. Before making his long-await- ed NHL debut that night, Carrick arrived at the club's morning skate a little late. “It's pretty surreal." said his mom. lane Garrick. “With Lupul being out of their lineup it just didn't add up. But Sam must be the type of player they (Maple Leafs) wanted. “I'll never try to understand the way the Maple Leafs think but I won't complain." she added with a laugh. “He was excited." During the playing of the' national anthems. Sam tried to absorb the atmosphere and i thought about those immediate family members who supported him along the way. “I just took a moment to look around and think about everyone watching this game like my par- ents and even my grandparents. It was a pretty cool feeling,” he said. As a bonus, the play for the most part during that initial shift was in the Blackhawks' end of the ice. ‘ "You definitely don't want the puck in your zone to start with." he said. Carrick made his AHL debut with the Marlies late in the 2012- 13 season after completing that campaign in Idaho. He played a full season with them last season and had 14 goals and 21 assists in 62 regular season tilts and added another‘ five goals and four assists in 14 postseason games. Carrick was quick to notice there's a big difference in the cali- bre of play. especially in the pace of the NHL game. But he wés quick to accept it's a natural progression in his learning curve. After taking a couple of shifts during Saturday’s contest. Cam‘ck feels he's not out of place and hopes SPORTS Sam Carriclt (53) played in first NHL game for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 3â€"2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Air Canada Centre Saturday. The leafs play the Colorado Avalanche tonight. to remain a fixture with the Maple Leafs for the remainder of this sea- son and the foreseeable future. He's with the Leafs on their trip to Phoenix and Denver this week. “It's a fast game. the fastest game I've been a pan of no doubt," Car- rick said. "But once you get more confidence and comfortable. the game slows down a bit and the puck doesn't bounce ofi' your stick so much. From there it's just a mat- ter of keep on going." Garrick first played in the house league of theWhitchurch-Stoufiville Minor Hockey Association. He starred in the Greater Toron- to Hockey League and at Stoufiville District Secondary School before playing Brampton (now North Bay) of the Ontario Hockey League. Stouffville Sun-Tribune BOB HASSARD Stouflville wasn'Lthe host town for Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcast last weekend. but it spent some time in the limelight. Host George Stroumboulopoulos led off the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast Saturday referring to the 62nd anniversary of a goal scored by Bob Hassard of Stouflville - the first in the very first nationally televised hockey game. Hassard, who died in 2010. was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Strombo then introduced Stoufiville's Sam Camck who was play ing his first NHL game that night. also for the Leafs. Carrick didn't score but his team won 3-2 over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hassard and Carn'ck family homes were about two blocks apart in eastend Stouflville. ‘STOUFFVILLE NIGHT IN CANADA’ RECALLS HASSARD’S ‘1ST’ GOAL TORSTAR PHOTO/DAWD COOPER -ww‘ Jim Mason