Ilya Samsonov sends powerful message to Toronto Maple Leafs fans
Ilya Samsonov sent a powerful message to Leaf fans who were in attendance for the unfortunate loss in his return to gameplay with the Leafs.
Ilya Samsonov had his highly anticipated return to the Leafs goal last night against the Detroit Red Wings. His brief hiatus from the team appeared to do him well, as he looked like he got at least some of his game back, despite the Leafs dropping the game to the Red Wings.
The performance was good enough to earn Samsonov a chant from the crowd of Leaf fans, who had their skepticism at the start of the game on how Samsonov would perform.
Ilya Samsonov responds to Leaf fans In Post Game Interview
Samsonov responded to how Leaf fans treated him during the game, saying that he loves Toronto and all of the fans, and always has, in a strong message of support for the Leafs.
"I love these guys," said Samsonov of the fans cheering for him. "Not secret for everybody, I love the fans, I love the city, I enjoy to play and to be here everyday. Thank you so much, it's amazing."
Samsonov still has a long way to go to get back to his true form that he showed during the latter half of last season and into the playoffs. However, this was a great first step back for him and one that could have gone a lot worse. He noted after the game that he continues to take it one step at a time and doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself even though he had a good performance.
"I don't wanna say big words right now, I'll do some step by step," admitted Samsonov. "Couple of weeks ago I be so deep, no deeper than where I've been, so just a step by step is my mission right now."
Now, the Leafs and Sheldon Keefe will face the question of who to start against the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night.
As seen on Hockey Feed - "Ilya Samsonov sends a strong message to fans in Toronto."
POLL |
Do you think Samsonov will be the Leafs number 1 again this year? |
Yes | 314 | 16.7 % |
No | 1571 | 83.3 % |
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