Nylander's response to tying franchise record shows his tremendous focus and commitment to winning
Anyone who knows William Nylander knows that he is both a rink rat and a gym rat. They also know that he doesn't like losing. Last night, with the Leafs in Nashville to take on the Predators, Nylander had a chance to do something truly special, tying a longstanding Maple Leafs franchise record, scoring at least a point in each of the Leafs' first 8 games of the season.
With his 1st period tally, Nylander now joins Frank Mahovlich (1961-62), Lanny McDonald (1976-77) and John Anderson (1982-83) as the only players in Leafs franchise history to go on an 8-game point streak to open their season. A pretty incredible feat to say the least.
After the game, Nylander was asked about his share of the impressive record. Not surprisingly, Nylander has his mind on bigger and better things this season, and while I'm sure that he understands the significance of cementing his name in the Maple Leafs' record books, he's also aware that there's a much bigger legacy that he'd like to realize; bringing a Stanley Cup back to Toronto.
Following the OT loss in Nashville last night, Nylander had this to say about tying Mahovlich, McDonald and Anderson:
"For me, it doesn't really matter. I think the most important [part] was the road trip that we had and, I mean, building towards he end goal of what we want to do. So I think just getting better and better every game is what's important."
For those who have accused Nylander of being a selfish player in the past, this doesn't really seem like a selfish response. Hockey is a team game and Nylander knows that. He didn't get to where he is on his own and he also knows that he'll need the help of everyone on his team to get to where they all want to be in the end.
Still, congrats to Nylander on his incredible accomplishment. It may not be the goal that everyone in that locker room was focused on, but it's significant nonetheless. Nylander will now have a chance to break the record on Tuesday night when the Leafs host the Kings for a Halloween showdown on October 31st.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
POLL |
OCTOBRE 29 | 204 ANSWERS Nylander's response to tying franchise record shows his tremendous focus and commitment to winning Do you think William Nylander will break Mahovlich, Anderson and McDonald's record and put up at least a point in 9 straight games on Tuesday? |
Yes | 180 | 88.2 % |
No | 24 | 11.8 % |
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