A call from the star coach convinced gold hero (HockeySverige.se)
From Uffe Bodin of Hockey Sverige comes the story of Mike Babcock calling new Leaf Andreas Borgman during the season to discuss his game and sell him on the team:
The choice was William Nylander’s Toronto Maple Leafs, and on May 16th it was announced that Borgman had signed a two-year contract with the club. On the same day, Växjö’s Calle Rosén also signed a contract with the Original Six club. Borgman says he got a good impression of the team and that he likes how they invest in young players.
Something that made a strong impression on him was also the fact that he was called by the head coach Mike Babcock during the season.
“It was cool and special. You’ve got an eye on him. He is a respected guy and a successful coach. You take in what he says and listen. He had seen videos and clips of me from different matches, so he talked to me about my game and everything, and how it was over there and how it works on the team. That was cool.”
Already this weekend Borgman is off to Toronto to become familiar with the new club. Borgman will spend two weeks in Canada’s largest city, the first step towards establishing himself in the new club.
“The main objective is to take place in Toronto, be there fighting for places,” says Borgman who has “an eye” on the competition. “But it’s also hard to know what to expect when you have not been there. You have to take it day by day when you get there.”