Who doesn't love a little harmless ribbing between teammates? When times are good, the mood tends to be a bit lighter. And with the Flames on the hunt for a third consecutive win tonight, you can sense the rink has been a fun place to be over the last little while.
That's especially true for Toffoli, who has seven goals and 12 helpers for 19 points in his last 17 games. This hot stretch has given him an even 40 points on the year (17G, 23A), and 433 (210G, 223A) in the first 699 dates of his career.
While 700 on the resume isn't quite as sexy as, say, 500 or 1,000 games, Toffoli can't help smile when thinking back and reflecting on his journey.
"It's pretty cool," Toffoli said. "It's one of those things at the start of the year that's a realistic target and goal. And for it to happen, I'm really excited. It's been a lot of fun playing in the league, especially being here with these guys. It's been a lot of fun."
Toffoli made his NHL debut on March 16, 2013, logging more than 13 minutes of ice time and recording one shot on goal in a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Back then, the rivalry between the Kings and their NorCal cousins was absolutely wild, with the clubs splitting their four-game regular-season series and battling tooth-and-nail for one of the last playoff spots in the West.
In the end, both qualified - with only two points separating the No. 5 (LA) and 6 (Sharks) seeds in the 48-game, lockout-shortened campaign.
"From what I remember, there wasn't really a puck on the ice," Toffoli chuckled. "That usually was the case playing San Jose and Anaheim when I first came into the league."
Forty-eight hours later, Toffoli scored his first goal, popping the water bottle on former Flame Mike Smith after one-timing a loose puck at the bottom at the left circle.
"Can you say sniper?!" shouted Kings colour commentator Jim Fox on the broadcast. "It's one of those (plays) where skill takes over."
Talk about a sign of things to come.
"His junior career was filled with that," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter, who was behind the bench for most of Toffoli's eight years with the Kings. "Two-way play, powerplay - and, actually, I think his 19-year-old year he might have led the OHL in shorthanded goals, too.
(Toffoli was tied for second in that category, one off the league lead with seven of his 52 tallies coming on the PK that year.)
"It's a real similar path that you have to take to develop young guys and because of that, he matured properly as a player and became a really good player.
"You look at the (2014) Cup team, he played on a line with another young player that we did the same with, Tanner Pearson. Those guys came along and took guy's places and became really big contributors."
In his first taste of the bigs, Toffoli played 10 regular-season games with the Kings, recording five points (2G, 3A), before adding another six points (2G, 4A) in 12 playoff dates.
He spent most of that year tearing it up with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs, but after getting that cup of coffee in the spring, he became a full-time King the following season - and, as Sutter alluded to, played a big role in helping the Kings capture the Stanley Cup.
"Paid his dues in the American League and took a path that - quite honest - that some of the young guys here have taken," Sutter said. "The plan with Ty was to bring him up and let him watch, send him back, bring him up, play him a little, send him back.
"And then give it to him."
