Calvin Pickard woke up on Thursday expecting to suit up the following night for the Toronto Marlies. Instead, he was in net for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
In Colorado.
"Went for breakfast with a couple of my teammates from the American League and then got back to my place and got the call. Headed over to grab my gear, went to the airport, couple flights and got here and got some rest," Pickard told reporters of his whirlwind day leading up to the Leafs' 4-3 overtime loss to the Avalanche, his former team. "Familiar territory being in this building, so that was nice. It was pretty crazy for sure."
FINAL: 4 - 3 in OT. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/ELWCJXXC2q
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 30, 2017
The 25-year-old has spent this season with the Marlies, the Leafs' AHL affiliate, but was summoned by the big club after Curtis McElhinney suffered a lower body injury on Thursday. McElhinney was slated to start for Toronto in Colorado after Frederik Andersen backstopped the Leafs to a 7-4 win over the Arizona Coyotes 24 hours earlier, but longtime former Avalanche goaltender Pickard was called in when McElhinney was deemed unable to go.
Given that it was the second night of a back-to-back for the Leafs, Pickard suspected he was being brought in by Leafs coach Mike Babcock to start against his old team.
"It was in the back of my mind. I thought it was definitely a possibility and you always have to be ready for the back-to-back game," Pickard said. "I wasn’t caught off guard [Friday] morning when [Babcock] told me that I was starting."
Pickard was drafted by the Avalanche in 2010 and made his debut for the team four years later. He made 86 appearances for Colorado in the three years since, including a career-high 50 games last season.
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Despite Pickard establishing himself as a capable NHL goaltender, Colorado exposed him in the 2017 expansion draft. The Vegas Golden Knights made Pickard their first pick, but he was deemed surplus to requirements when Malcolm Subban won the No. 2 job at the new team behind Marc-Andre Fleury. Pickard was subsequently traded to Toronto, where he was assigned to the Marlies.
At the Leafs' AHL affiliate, Pickard had the humbling experience of being placed behind the highly regarded Garrett Sparks on the depth chart.
Having gone from being a regular in Colorado to the No. 2 at an AHL team, Pickard could be forgiven for wondering when his next shot would come. Given that he had never spent time with the Leafs prior to Friday, the Moncton, N.B. native's task of integrating himself into the team included several introductions just a few hours prior to puck drop.
“I had to introduce myself to almost everybody except a couple guys,” Pickard said. “I look forward to getting to know my teammates a little bit more and go from there.”
The fact that Pickard was very familiar with the opponents surely played into his call-up, but it made for a strange experience when he wore Toronto colours at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
"I’m friends with a lot for guys over there and it’s my first NHL game this season, so it’s pretty unique," Pickard said. "I just had to channel those emotions and it was tough to lose it in overtime, but a well-earned point tonight."
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As for his performance on the ice, Pickard made 24 saves against an aggressive Avalanche team intimately familiar with his strengths and weaknesses.
Despite the loss, his coach and teammates said Pickard passed the unique test.
"He was awesome," Toronto forward James van Riemsdyk said. "I thought right from the start, [Colorado] came out flying and he made a lot of big saves right off the hop. He played a great game for us, gave us a chance."
Defenceman Ron Hainsey said there were "no issues" adjusting to Pickard in goal, while Babcock praised the Leafs' debutant in typical understated fashion.
"I thought he gave us an opportunity, so good for him," Babcock said. "Obviously, he didn't know he was coming out, we just flew him out here last night. He gave us a chance so that's about all you can ask for."