The massive hands James van Riemsdyk uses to snap wrist shots and revive pucks in the corner are stuffing his face with pistachios.
With 48 hours to go before his Hockey Night in Canada matchup with the Washington Capitals, the Toronto Maple Leafs left-winger has forfeited the chance to sleep in on a rare off day with no morning skate and instead opted for a 10 a.m.-workout at SWAT Health in Mississauga.
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These days, the six-foot-three, 210-lb. forward is somewhat in the shadows of his new teammates—especially those of rookies Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner—who weren’t even in high school when JVR made his NHL debut. But he doesn’t mind. He’s been where they are. Twenty games in to the 2016-17 season, the second-overall pick by the Flyers in 2007 leads the Leafs in points at 17.
He’s still logging heavy ice time, and he’s taking on the added duty of shepherding his younger teammates on and off the ice. And even though, at age 27, he’s something of a vet on the team, he’s still pretty maniacal about finding an edge in his own game.
I caught up with JVR on a dreary November morning at the gym to get his perspective on his rookie teammates, his seasoned coach, and how he likes the Leafs’ chances this year.
Donnovan Bennett Everyone wants a boss they like. You seem to like yours even though he’s intense.
James Van Riemsdyk He’s a very detailed guy and there’s an expectation of what he wants from you in every single facet of the game. It makes it pretty black and white what you’re supposed to do. That’s why I’ve enjoyed playing for him. I think he has helped me reach a new, higher level in my game.
DB What’s it like being named one of the Maple Leafs 100 greatest players?
JVR It was a huge honour with a team like the Leafs and all the tradition there, so that was pretty cool. At the same time it makes you feel old. I’ve been in the league for eight years now and it’s been a journey that’s flown by.
DB What is the biggest difference in the game now from when you first broke in?
JVR All the recovery, nutrition stuff. You learn as you go that every little edge matters. There’s a lot of focus on those little things. Nutrition and active lifestyle are key to having a long career.
DB Not to give away your secrets but what is your secret?
JVR Things like nuts and Wonderful Pistachios have the good fats and proteins in there so that’s obviously good for fuel and energy and you can just grab and go. I like the convenience of it. We’re on the road so much and you don’t want to get caught hungry and then eating stuff that’s not good for you so that’s how I got introduced to it.
DB What’s your go-to flavour?
JVR The sweet chili which I really like and the salt and pepper are my go-tos. I find little shells of them all over my condo now so that’s kind of funny. I gotta make sure I put them away.
DB What is the biggest way you notice the age difference between you and your crew of young teammates?
JVR The Halloween party is when I really felt old. I went as Ace Ventura and a bunch of guys came up and were like “Ah, what’s your costume?” I told them who I was and they were like “I’ve never seen that movie before.” And I was like, what is going on here. This is so backwards. This is so wrong. It makes you feel old but that was pretty funny.
Mitch Marner posted the following photo to his Instagram page:
DB Sounds like you need to be in control of the movies on the team charter so they know the difference between Finkle and Einhorn and if the New England clam chowder is the red or the white.
JVR Sadly none of those references they would have understood [laughs]. You know what, there are some classics that I’m going to have to go through to make sure the guys have seen. Movies like Dumb and Dumber and Tommy Boy.
DB As a veteran is there anything you can do to help the young guys you’re playing with?
JVR For me it is all about trying to do it the right way. Well done is always better than well said. It starts with preparation in practice making sure you are ready to get better every day. These young guys are so eager to learn things and that’s the way I learned. Looking at the guys who were a little older than me when I was coming into the league. We can all help each other get better.
DB What’s the key for the young guys playing for an Original Six team in Canada?
JVR Things that I’ve learned from playing in tougher markets like Toronto and Philly with a lot of attention; the key is when things are going great you don’t want to get high. The highs get too high and you don’t want to let the lows get too low. We know what is expected of us in the room and what we want to accomplish and we just have to block out the other stuff.
DB Is that what you told Auston Matthew during his 13-game goal drought? Because he did lots of little things well even after his dream start.
JVR He was playing really well even going through all that sort of stuff. Everyone goes through different dry spells and droughts where it is just not going your way. But he was getting tons of chances and playing a great 200-foot game and it was only a matter of time before it turned for him.
DB The way you guys played out of the gate may have fast-tracked expectations. Internally what is a realistic goal for this team?
JVR We know we have a young team that is going to continue to trend upwards and get better. If we continue to get better at this rate I like where that will put us at the end of the year in terms of the post-season. If we continue to get better just focusing on our goals that day, over time I’m confident we’ll be in a position to challenge for Stanley Cups.
DB You’ve got nine assists on the year, maybe you can assist your teammates with some Jim Carey movies and pistachios?
JVR That might be a little assist for Christmas that I throw in the stockings for some of the guys. That’s a good idea.
