Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna explains that his decision to miss the optional morning skate ahead of his NHL debut on Tuesday "wasn't a swagger thing."
In preparation for his NHL debut this past Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna took the option and skipped the morning skate.
It was taken as a bold move for an 18-year-old not to take the optional morning skate ahead of the biggest game of his hockey career so far. However, it got a positive reaction from teammates and head coach Jim Hiller.
Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev said McKenna's "got some swag" for not going out for the optional morning skate. Even Hiller said, "I actually thought it was great," admitting that the morning skate is for players who feel they need to further prepare for the game later.
On Friday after practice, McKenna was asked about his decision to miss the morning skate.
"Yeah, usually I (do) morning skates," he said. "But with a back-to-back, it was my first game, I wanted to be rested. So yeah, it wasn't a swagger thing. It was just trying to keep my body fresh."
McKenna got his first taste of back-to-back games in the NHL in his first two contests of his career. The Maple Leafs lost to the Canadiens on opening night and secured their first win of the season against the New York Islanders on Wednesday. The next game is against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
"Yeah, it felt not too bad," he said of experiencing a back-to-back early in the season. "Legs might have got a bit heavy after the first game, but yeah, in college you play a few back-to-back, so used to it. But yeah, at the NHL, it's a different breed. So recovery has been a big thing for me this summer and going into this year. And I think living with (Tavares) and just seeing these guys, how they treat their bodies every single day, I think it rubs off on me, and it's helped."
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