Curtis Glencross is going from one hockey-crazed town to another — and he’s hoping it’ll stick.
After a long summer of waiting in an especially tough free agency market, the longtime member of the Calgary Flames agreed to a professional tryout with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
“When we started talking about PTOs, Toronto was one of the top teams on our list to go, and I just think it’s a great opportunity to come in … with the new coaching staff and transition going on,” Glencross told Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Brady & Walker Thursday. “It’s a team I think I can help.”
Glencross says he’s especially looking forward to the chance to work with head coach Mike Babcock.
“I’ve known Babs for quite a few years. I’m excited,” he said. “I had a good talk on the phone with him a couple days ago and it was a positive talk. I got a good vibe from him.”
“He’s a western [Canada] guy and I like the idea that he’s a straight-shooter and that’s all you can ask for in a coach,” said Glencross who, like Babcock, hails from Saskatchewan. “Obviously with his experience in the franchise and organization he built in Detroit, now to come to Toronto and bringing all of his qualities to Toronto, it’s nothing but positive. I’m excited to work with him, and I think it’s going to be a good fit.”
Glencross has been on the move lately. The 32-year-old became an unrestricted free agent in July after a trade deadline transaction saw him dealt to the Washington Capitals after almost seven years in Calgary.
It’s safe to say, free agency wasn’t quite what he expected.
“Obviously with the market the way it is right now, it’s tough,” said Glencross, who admits he’ll always have a soft spot in his heart for the Flames and the city of Calgary. “You wait all your career to be a UFA.
“In my nine or 10 years as a pro, I’ve never seen a free agency go like this. It’s unfortunate, but at the same time you’ve got to take what comes and you’ve got to think of the positives … I’m excited to come in to [Toronto].”
Toronto’s current transition doesn’t phase Glencross in the least, having been through a few tough seasons with the Flames before the team turned things around this past season.
“Being in Calgary for so many years and going through the tough years and then finally getting things going the way we wanted to, it was a culture change, it was a transition stage.”
Now, Glencross hopes he’ll make it on the big stage.
“I think it’s a good opportunity,” he said. “I thrive off of the atmosphere and playing in front of great fans every night, and that’s one of the big parts of my decision.”
Glencross isn’t the only one to join the Maple Leafs’ training camp on a PTO. The Leafs signed Devin Setoguchi to a PTO in August, and announced Thursday that Brad Boyes will also be at training camp.
“I’m ready to move on and go to a place like Toronto where it is such a hockey community and the hype’s going to be big coming in with a new coach,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys that are trying to prove themselves and I want to be one of them.”
