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Article on Torres; Peca has man-love for Raffiki
Topic Started: Apr 25 2006, 12:57 PM (72 Views)
The Third Man
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Defensive Defenseman
http://www.nhl.com/cupcrazy/2006/seriese/torres042506.html
Quote:
 
Torres finds a home in Edmonton

When the Edmonton Oilers visited Long Island earlier this season, all eyes were on the Islanders' former captain, Michael Peca, who was making his first trip to Nassau Coliseum since being traded in 2005.

Across the visiting locker room, Raffi Torres greeted media members en route to Peca's stall, in his usual affable manor. Torres' return to his former home arena did not make any headlines; having played only 31 games in an Islanders uniform, he didn't have time to make much of an impression.

Nevertheless, the union between a player and his first NHL team always has an affect, for better or worse, on the former. And if Torres continues to develop into the potential that rendered him a first-round draft pick, the Islanders will be sorry they didn't opt to refill his cup of coffee a few times over.

Not that Torres needs any caffeine. Exuding boundless enthusiasm, the 24-year old left wing plays an energetic, gritty game.

When he first made his way into the Islanders' lineup, Torres did everything in his power to stay there, delivering big hits that came fully equipped with sound effects.

"When he was in New York, he was a young man trying to find his way," Peca said of his former and present teammate. "Since he was trying to make an impression, he played physical to be noticed all the time."

At the 2003 trading deadline, Torres was sent to Edmonton with Brad Isbister for Janne Niinimaa and a conditional draft pick in the 2003 Entry Draft. Reunited with Torres this season, Peca was impressed by his development.

"What I've seen since I've been with him in Edmonton is that he's got a very underrated skill level," Peca said. "He makes great passes, makes great plays with the puck and has a tremendous shot. And none of that takes away from him playing physical."

Torres attributes the improvements in his overall game to an increased level of confidence.

"I can enjoy the game a lot more now, not that I'm not worrying about being sent down," Torres said.

Not that Torres lost a lot of sleep traveling from the Islanders to their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He had an understanding that this was an inevitable part of the development process and handled his disappointment in stride, never allowing it to interfere with his commitment to the Sound Tigers.

"He didn't let it affect him, which spoke volumes," said former Islanders coach Steve Stirling, who then coached the Sound Tigers. "I didn't have to explain to him that it was in his best interest to be sent down; he already knew that."
Raffi Torres
"I can enjoy the game a lot more now, not that I'm not worrying about being sent down," -- Raffi Torres

When he did get the chance to play with the Islanders, Torres rarely looked out of place during shifts and displayed a level of maturity well beyond his years off-ice. He had only amassed a handful of NHL games when the team made their annual holiday hospital visits in 2001. While teammates posed for photos and signed autographs, Torres took the time to get to know each child he encountered and sat down at bedsides to play board games.

Despite how infrequently he played in New York, he nevertheless became involved with many charities including Ice Hockey In Harlem, an organization which introduces the sport to inner-city children of many backgrounds.

A native of Markham, Ontario, a Toronto suburb, Torres has Latino roots and was only the second Latino in NHL history to be drafted in the first round. His father is from Mexico City and his mother hails from Lima, Peru. They moved to Canada in their 20s, a move that enabled their son to find his calling.

"My dad started watching hockey on TV and realized how big it was," said Torres, who got a tattoo of the Mexican flag while he was in playing in Bridgeport. "My older brothers were like, 'Hey, want to get into that?' They did and I followed. For me, it was all hand-me-downs. My parents didn't even have a place to live when they got here; they moved in with my aunts and uncles."

Torres would like to see the game's popularity increase in the Latino community and understands that by nature of his heritage alone, he is a role model. He plans to start his own golf tournament through which he hopes to bring more exposure to children who aren't familiar with the sport but knows the best way to promote hockey is to "make them proud" as a player.

Teammate Chris Pronger believes he is already well on his way to achieving that goal.

"He brings a lot of excitement to the rink," Pronger said. "He uses his speed extremely well and is a finisher when he gets the puck around the net. He has scored some big goals for us."

"He's been one of our hardest working players this year," agreed Peca.

Torres got off to a quick start this season with 13 points (nine goals and four assists) in his first 15 games. For the season, Torres has scored 26 goals and 14 assists in 81 games, breaking his previous highs in goals (20) and points (34) set in 2003-04, his first full season in the NHL.

Torres loves everything about Edmonton, from his teammates and fans to the city itself. He doesn't even mind the frigid weather.

"We had a lot of snow in Toronto too. Maybe it's a little windier here but hey, it's Canada, right? Edmonton is such a great town. When you win around here, it's a 24-hour party."

Torres states he also enjoyed playing on Long Island and in Bridgeport and harbors no resentment toward his former organization.

"They needed to make some changes to improve the team quickly and I was just involved with that," Torres said. "No hard feelings."


Islanders are the laughingstock of the league ... are we really that much worse than a franchise like Edmonton? Historically we are about the same, if not better! :angry:
Yashin, you ARE the weakest link. Goodbye.
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