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Given the number of pucks that have smacked off his body through the years, Chris Tanev was asked if he’s always had a high pain threshold that defines him as an NHL player.
His reaction: a shrug of the shoulders.
“I don't know. Everyone has it. It's hockey,” Tanev said.
“It's what guys live and breathe. And obviously things happen along the way. Either you can play or you can't. And I mean, that's just part of the game.”
Sacrificing your body to the extent he does, even if it means diving headfirst in front of pucks traveling 100 mph? It might be part of his game, but not that of most players. In fact, his courage in doing whatever it takes to help the team has many around the League shaking their heads in awe.
Just ask Treliving, who made landing Tanev in free agency a priority for the Maple Leafs this offseason.
On Oct. 10, 2020, the rugged defenseman signed a four-year, $18 million contract ($4.5 million AAV) with Calgary when Treliving was the general manager there. Tanev had played his first 10 NHL seasons with the Canucks after signing as an undrafted free agent on May 31, 2010, a body of work that impressed Treliving enough to woo him to the Flames.
Four years later the two are reunited again. In fact, his desire to help bring Tanev to Toronto is reflected by the fact that the Maple Leafs acquired the exclusive negotiating rights to Tanev from the Stars for forward prospect Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on June 29, three days before the opening of free agency.
"He's just an elite defensive player,” Treliving said. “You know, we talk about offensive players seeing plays early. He does the same thing but on the defensive side of the puck.
“He’s an absolute warrior. He's a culture carrier for your room. I know the age he's at. But I think even in the last year he showed he's one of the top shutdown defensemen, one of the top defensive players, in the League. And he's a right shot. He embodies everything you want in a teammate.”
Tanev tied for third in the NHL last season with 207 blocked shots (Brayden McNabb, Vegas Golden Knights), then led the League with 73 in the playoffs. It’s exactly the sacrifice-your-body-for-the-sake-of-the-team approach that brings a smile to the face of new coach Craig Berube.
“Heart-and-soul guy,” Berube said of Tanev. “Team guy. Lays it on the line every night as you guys know. You watch him play.”
Tanev has 190 points (33 goals, 157 assists) in 792 regular-season games and 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 60 playoff games. He’s quick to say his forte is not offense, as reflected by those numbers.
Chris Stamkos remembers one night when Tanev, then with the Canucks, showed no fear in stepping in front of one of Steven’s lethal shots in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“He stuck his hand out and broke it,” Chris Stamkos said. “I joked with him that it would have been a lot less painful had he not stuck it out and just let Steven score. But that’s not Chris. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win.”
That philosophy has left Tanev with countless facial bruises, plenty of teeth scattered on ice surfaces around the NHL and a trademark smile that features one lone tooth.
In Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round between the Stars and Colorado Avalanche last season, for example, Tanev was hit in the mouth by the shoulder of Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon during the game’s first shift and quickly scampered to the dressing room. He returned several shifts later.
After the game, it was revealed that MacKinnon’s hit pushed in one of Tanev’s teeth, causing trainers to become impromptu dentists and pull it so he could return.
"He doesn't have many teeth left," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said with a chuckle. "He didn't have many to begin with.”
DeBoer’s admiration for Tanev’s courage continued to grow in the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers. Drilled in the right foot by a shot from Oilers forward Evander Kane in Game 4, he missed most of the final two periods and left Rogers Place in a walking boot. Yet when the puck dropped for Game 5 two days later, he was back in the lineup.
“Not only can he play through a remarkable amount of pain, he sets such a win-at-all-costs example for his teammates,” DeBoer said.
The Maple Leafs expect him to do the same in Toronto, where he skated with Morgan Rielly during the summer as part of what is expected to be the Maple Leafs’ top defense pair.
“I think he’s just a great piece,” Rielly said. “I think any team in the League that has Chris Tanev immediately becomes much stronger.
“There’s no two ways about it. He’s improved our defense. He’s improved our penalty kill. He’s overnight made our D-core better, made our entire team better. And what’s encouraging is that he’s excited to be here.”
Why wouldn’t he be? He is, after all, coming home.
“It’s special to be back, to be close to family and the group of friends who I’ve had since I was 15,” Tanev said.
As for the spotlight that goes with being in the hockey fishbowl of Toronto, he said he got some shrewd advice from his trainer, former Maple Leafs forward Gary Roberts.
“He said to take it in stride and enjoy all aspects of it, from family to the fans,” Tanev said. “He said playing here was the best time of his career."
Though Tanev grew up a Detroit Red Wings fan, his allegiances obviously have changed through the years.
“To put on the Leafs jersey is an honor. A huge one," he said. "And to be back at home, around family, I can imagine how crazy this town would go if the Leafs won a title.
"I want to be part of that.”