Wake Up Call, the Portuguese Wonder's first chapter.

[leandrofg 1,018]

The sun is yet to rise as I start writing this story about Leandro Goncalves. The fog commands Mississauga's skyline, the sidewalks are still covered with a thin layer of ice, and every breath we take causes our lungs to compress due to the frigid temperatures one finds at 6 a.m. near Lake Ontario. Today, as we enter the Hounds' facility in Rose Cherry Place, the thermometers show -4ºC which is equivalent to 24ºF, for our imperial unit-loving readers. 

 

As we find a seat in a heated booth, the arena lights are still warming up, the ice is so clean and pure you could see your own reflection and in the locker room, there's only one player getting ready to hit the ice, the self-acclaimed Portuguese Wonder, Leandro Goncalves.

 

We are 79 games into the 82nd Season and the Mississauga Hounds hoist, by far, the worst record in the VHLM, with a combined 1-15 and leading every other team by at least 8 points in the fight for last place, while scoring the least and conceding the most. When you look at these stats in a simple, almost rough way, you strip a team's work to the bare minimum, which could be misleading.

 

(Even if, in this case, it isn't.)

 

As Leandro enters the ice, I take a coffee break so I can watch the talent hit the ice. 5 minutes turn to 15, which turn to 45, and suddenly the sun is rising and it's 7:30 a.m. There's no secret, the exercises are seen and utilized in other training facilities, but this kid is something else.

 

As he skates around the ring you can't seem to shake the feeling you're seeing a trailblazer in his field and that we're entering a new era of the sport where the players are faster and much more skilled. As we go through a Penalty Shot exercise we can see his Puck Handling... and he's a magician in the way we can move the puck not only along the ice but also as he glues it to his stick and proceeds to accurately place the puck in the top corner. This is All-Star breakaway material while most of the league wakes up.

 

It seems we can't knock Leandro's work ethic or skill level but after 16 games played there's not much to show. With only 13 points, he's 3rd in that regard within his team, and evaluating more closely he trails his 2nd-Line Center, Henrik Johansson, in Assists, tied with his 2nd-Line Defenceman, Hunor Solyom, and trails the latter in goals. Fun fact, Leandro has more penalty minutes (14) than points (13).

 

Below-par performances, that's what we've been seeing from Leandro, the perfect contrast to what is training is, leading to a plus/minus of -15 and a Shot-to-Goal percentage below 10%. 

 

Now the question is... why? After a strong start, what has happened? Should we be wondering about the Wonder? This seems to be a difficult question to answer as Leandro retreats to the locker room so he can attend the team meeting. Is he feeling the pressure of leading the team? Is he disappointed to have not been named Captain?

 

We'll continue to follow the Portuguese Wonder in the next weeks and keep you update on his progress in the league.