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National Post
25-04-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Anthony Stolarz's strong playoff start stirs Maple Leafs memories for Ken Wregget
Anthony Stolarz seems to fill up the TV screens in the sports bar Ken Wregget runs in suburban Pittsburgh . Article content Article content So, the former maple Leaf goalie can just imagine how imposing he must look to the Ottawa Senators. Article content 'I was 6-foot-1 in the 1980s and considered big,' Wregget told the Sun on Friday morning after watching Game 3. 'He's 6-foot-6, but's he's moving well and playing great. From what I've heard about him as a person, this is a great moment for him, too.' Article content Article content Wregget and Stolarz now share a unique Leafs mark as the only two Toronto netminders to have won their first three playoff games in blue and white. Article content Article content For Wregget, now 61, Stolarz has opened the memory bank to the 1986 best-of-five division semifinal. After a turtle derby in the very-forgiving NHL post-season format of the day. Toronto had finished 2-7-1 in their last 10 games with 57 points yet still qualified and it swept the Chicago Blackhawks, who were almost 30 points ahead. Article content 'Oh man, the Snorris Division,' Wregget said. 'That was a special series, but being a best-of-five, they were all important games. Article content 'I think it was my first game at Chicago Stadium, with that pipe organ and the crowd noise from the national anthem. It didn't stop when the game started. They won the opening faceoff, shot it in our corner and our defencemen and I couldn't hear each other shouting.' Article content Unlike Stolarz, who had a role on the 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Wregget's Leafs hadn't made the playoffs for three years and he hadn't played a full season. Article content 'It was almost like ignorance was bliss,' he said of 5-3 and 6-4 wins, led by young guns Wendel Clark, Gary Leeman, Steve Thomas and Russ Courtnall, in tandem with Rick Vaive. 'I didn't fully understand the pressure. Then we came home for Game 3 (many corporate subscribers hadn't used their playoff option on a bad team so 'real fans' snapped up tickets) and it was crazy when we won (7-2). Article content Article content 'What's courage? It's belief in yourself and that can go a long way.' Article content Article content Wregget's bid for a fourth straight win was stopped in Game 1 of the Norris final against St. Louis. Still, Toronto forced the Blues to a seventh game, a 2-1 loss. After being traded to the Flyers in 1989, Wregget joined the Pittsburgh Penguins to back up Tom Barrasso on their '92 Cup team. Article content 'That gave me a lot of perspective. I see myself doing what Stolarz probably did for his team this year, as the part-time starter, helping on the bench, carrying sticks, drying equipment. But watching Tom in net, the biggest thing for me was always making sure you were ready to play at a moment's notice. You never wanted to get thrown in and embarrass yourself.' Article content 'I make sure the Leafs games are on,' he said. 'I really like the team Craig Berube has put together up there, how tight they play. If Pittsburgh's not in, the Leafs are in my heart.' Article content
Edmonton Journal
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Anthony Stolarz's strong playoff start stirs Maple Leafs memories for Ken Wregget
Article content Wregget and Stolarz now share a unique Leafs mark as the only two Toronto netminders to have won their first three playoff games in blue and white. For Wregget, now 61, Stolarz has opened the memory bank to the 1986 best-of-five division semifinal. After a turtle derby in the very-forgiving NHL post-season format of the day. Toronto had finished 2-7-1 in their last 10 games with 57 points yet still qualified and it swept the Chicago Blackhawks, who were almost 30 points ahead. 'Oh man, the Snorris Division,' Wregget said. 'That was a special series, but being a best-of-five, they were all important games. 'I think it was my first game at Chicago Stadium, with that pipe organ and the crowd noise from the national anthem. It didn't stop when the game started. They won the opening faceoff, shot it in our corner and our defencemen and I couldn't hear each other shouting.' Unlike Stolarz, who had a role on the 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Wregget's Leafs hadn't made the playoffs for three years and he hadn't played a full season.
