EDMONTON — Corey Perry isn’t 100 per cent sure how his hands will react to a return to the National Hockey League on Saturday afternoon in Edmonton, how long it will take before they return to their old familiar form.
And the feet? Well, he knows he’s slowing down.
But how will he look on a line with two young speedsters in Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway?
They say a line can have one slow player and still play quickly — as long as there is only one. So there’s that.
Then there’s the part of his game that makes him Corey Perry. The gritty, sometimes juvenile, annoyingly effective part.
The part that Holloway’s grandpa always hated.
“That never leaves,” promised Perry. “Once the puck drops, it’s 60 minutes and you’re trying to win the game. It doesn’t matter where it is, or what type of game it is. That’s been instilled in me from the get-go.”
A career derailed in Chicago after 1,273 games gets back on the tracks Saturday in Edmonton, as Perry joins his sixth NHL team for a matinee against the Nashville Predators.
Perry messed up in Chicago, apologized to everyone he’d hurt, and then took a long look in the mirror these past many weeks. Now, clear-headed and thirsty to regain some of the stature he may have lost, he’ll join an Oilers team that’s sees him as a vital piece of a pending Stanley Cup run.
A fanbase tormented by Perry’s antics as a 14-year divisional foe in Anaheim has, for the most part, rolled out a welcome mat that any hockey city would lay down for a player with a winning resume like Perry’s. Beginning with his teammates.
“I got here on Sunday night, and every single day they’re asking questions: ‘Do I need anything?’ And that’s not just management. That’s coming from players as well,” Perry said. “So it’s been a warm welcome, everybody’s just kind of embracing me. I’m just trying to get to know everybody.”
Perry was a late first-rounder back in 2003. That’s two years after Holloway was born, while McLeod was just four years old at the time.
“He won a Cup in ’07, I was six years old,” laughed Holloway, a lightning-fast young winger whose game is really coming on of late. “He was winning Cups before I even really learned how to skate. So it’s pretty cool playing with him.”
Growing up as a Flames fan in Bragg Creek, Alta., just west of Calgary, did Holloway ever hate Perry the way so many Albertans always have?
“You know, it’s funny. My grandpa did for sure. But I always kind of loved the way he played,” Holloway said. “I know he’s got under a lot of guys’ skins, and he’s definitely a guy that you want to be on your team, not playing against. So I’ve always been a big fan of him growing up.
“I just think he’s super smart, super skilled, really good with the puck, and hangs on to pucks. He’s always trying to make good plays, too. So for me, I’m just going to try to support them all over the ice. Talk as much as I can, we’ll get some good looks and hopefully bury one of them.”
And be ready to get dragged into some post-whistle scrums. The same ones that have followed Perry around since the day he pulled on a London Knights sweater back in junior.
“I’m down for that,” Holloway laughed. “As long as he’s taking the bigger guy than me.”
As for the speed issue, you can just see Perry watching the kids speed all over the place, while the old vet picks his spot at which to arrive on time.
“Me and Clouder will push the pace a bit,” Holloway predicted. “Then once we get it down low, all three of us can buzz around, protect pucks and stuff. All three of us will complement each other pretty well.”
Perry smiled when asked about playing on a line with two speedy young bucks like McLeod and Holloway.
“That works,” he said. “They can go get the puck, and we’ll do the rest.”
