William Nylander calls former Leaf Joe Thornton ‘legend on the ice’ ahead of Hall of Fame induction

The Toronto Maple Leafs were back on the ice for practice Friday after a day off, gearing up to face the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

Once again this season, the team’s power play woes are the hot topic in town. Through 14 games played, the Leafs have a dismal four power play goals, converting on just 11.8% of power play opportunities thus far–the third worst record in the league.

Speaking after morning skate on Friday, William Nylander addressed the team’s issues on the man advantage this year. Despite the poor numbers, the Swedish winger said he believes thing aren’t as bad they look, and it’s only a matter of time before it turns around.

“Look, I think we’ve actually had good scoring chances, opportunities, getting zone entries and stuff like that,” Nylander said. “It’s just being positive. We gotta hit the net a little bit more, in those high danger chances, get the shooting up. But you know, it’ll be fine. We got the base there, we just need to get the puck in the net.”

Meanwhile, Joe Thornton is the talk of the weekend in Toronto, as the London, Ontario native is set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Sunday. Thornton spent most of his career with the Bruins and the San Jose Sharks, but had a brief stint with the Leafs in the 2020-21 season. Having played alongside him that season, Nylander spoke about what it was like skating with the soon to be Hall of Famer.

“Awesome memories, unbelievable guy,” Nylander said. “A legend on the ice in how he saw the game and played the game, it was just incredible.”

Thornton was well-known for the chill presence he brought to the locker room, but Nylander added that it didn’t interfere with his deep desire for results.

“Yeah, he was laid back, but I mean, he really wanted to win,” he said. “He was super competitive, but laid back. It was perfect.”

Despite only playing with the Leafs for one season, his impact on the team can still be felt. Namely, Thornton was the one who first coined the nickname ‘Willy Styles’ for Nylander, which has stuck to this day. Nylander still remembers the first time Thornton called him that when they were quarantining amidst that Covid season.

“I was like, what? What did you say?” Nylander recounted. “And he just kept calling me that.”

Thornton will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday alongside legends of the sport like Jennifer Botterill, Zdeno Chara, and Alexander Mogilny.