The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman doesn’t play video games so much anymore. Looking to limit his screen time, he opted to grab the paintbrush.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman doesn’t play video games so much anymore. Looking to limit his screen time, he opted to grab the paintbrush.
Timothy Liljegren is insistent that he doesn't consider himself a painter.
But when he told The Hockey News and Sports Illustrated this month that he spends some of his free time painting, it certainly piqued our interest.
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"It's the one thing everyone gets excited about when I tell them," he said.
It all started this past summer when he was flipping through some videos on the popular social medial app TikTok and saw some videos on the trend. The Swede had been looking to limit his screen time and instead of spending some time on video games as he had done in the past, the 23-year-old opted for a non-digital canvas. He grabbed some acrylic paints and went to work.
"I thought it’d be very fun to try, I’m not very good," Liljegren said modestly. "Nothing special, but it’s something to do."
Painting villains, evidently, is his muse.
Liljegren's most recent drawing was of Michael Myers, who first appeared in John Carpenter's Halloween movie franchise in the late 70s.
"It didn't turn out very well," Liljegren said.
But his photo of the 'The Joker' supervillain seemingly turned out well.
Liljegren had more time than he expected to hone in on his new hobby when he flew to Toronto in September to prepare for Maple Leafs camp. Feeling some discomfort, team medical staff discovered that the defenseman had a hernia.
Unable to reach his hockey stick, Liljegren grabbed the paintbrush.
"It helped take my mind off things like the injury when I couldn't do anything else," Liljegren said.
He missed camp in September and all of October while recovering.
Liljegren's process is pretty simple. He finds a picture online that he wants to paint. Puts it on an iPad and then begins to draw.
When Liljegren made his season debut on Nov. 5, he showed little signs of rust. He helped the Leafs defeat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in his season debut. He became an everyday staple inside of the team's top-six defense group.
As core d-men Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie and Jake Muzzin fell to injury, Liljegren flourished when asked to take on tougher assignments and more minutes.
But things have changed in the last month. Liljegren experienced some of the tougher aspects of the business on Feb. 28 when friends Rasmus Sandin and Pierre Engvall were traded away to different teams.
Liljegren and Engvall are particularly close, having both won a Calder Cup together with the Toronto Marlies in 2018
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_58x0N5FsPM[/embed]
As seen in the video above, the departure of Engvall and Sandin certainly changed Liljegren's pre-game handshake routine. But with change comes a new set of challenges.
The Maple Leafs brought some depth to the defense before the Mar. 3 trade deadline by acquiring Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks, Erik Gustafsson from the Washington Capitals and Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks. The increase in the competition meant Liljegren was once again in a battle for ice time.
No stranger to adversity, Liljegren found himself in a do-or-die situation last season when in the final year of his entry-level season, he knew he had to show that he could take his game to the next level.
"It's my fifth year and I need to play well and get things done," he said during the 2021 training camp.
He was rewarded by being selected for Games 1 and 2 of the Maple Leafs' 2022 Stanley Cup Playoff run. In June, he was rewarded with a two-year, $2.8 million extension.
The Leafs will need all of their defensemen if they hope to go on a deep playoff run and there's little doubt that Liljegren will factor in as part of the equation.
At times, Liljegren's play has dipped and he's been part of a rotation of defensemen that have found themselves out of the lineup for the odd game. But the message from Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe to Liljegren is clear.
"I want Lily to focus on the fact that he’s been an excellent d-man for us all season," Keefe said. "There’s a little bit of adversity here now and we want to help him through it."
As he did to begin the season, a clear mind and a simple approach will help the sophomore defenseman get his to where it needs to be before the postseason.
Other Liljegren tidbits
Like many people his age, Liljegren admitted that TikTok is the app he uses the most often. "I probably use it more than I should." But an app he uses a lot that many probably don't is 'WordFued', a world puzzle that was big in Sweden that can be played in multiple languages. He's also not a fan of new gear. Anytime he has to switch out gloves it takes several practices for him to get comfortable in them. He does, however, like new pairs of skates.
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