In a season sure to be fraught with growing pains, Mike Babcock should be able to rely on at least one old war horse.
Having Stephane Robidas back on the ice and working his 38-year-old butt off in practice this week is a good sign for the new Maple Leafs coach — not to mention the defenceman himself.
When last seen in mid-March, Robidas was headed to the operating room with the combined effects of a sore shoulder and nagging pain from a surgical screw in his ankle. It cut short what had been a remarkable comeback from two broken legs the previous — and his father-knows-best role with a Leafs squad in tatters from injuries and lack of confidence.