Campbell playing All-Star Game for Maple Leafs only the beginning
30-year-old goalie says 'best is yet to come'
© Rich Graessle/Getty Images
Campbell's entire professional career has been a roller-coaster ride, an 11-year trip from first-round pick (No. 11 by the Dallas Stars) in the 2010 NHL Draft to rubbing shoulders with and stopping pucks against the elite this weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The All-Star Game is Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS), and Campbell also will take part in the 2022 NHL All-Stars Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).
"This is not the pinnacle of my journey, it's just the start," Campbell said. "I've worked hard to get to this point, and I'm honored to represent the Toronto Maple Leafs. But there is so much ahead of me, so much I want to accomplish.
"I think the best is yet to come. But nothing comes easy."
The 30-year-old was reminded of that during his recent struggles.
After being named to the Atlantic Division roster for All-Star Game on Jan. 13, Campbell allowed 16 goals in his next four starts, the low point coming when he was pulled after giving up three goals in the first 9:10 of Toronto's 6-4 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Monday.
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, confident in the way Campbell has rebounded from tough times during the past decade, went back to him Tuesday in the second of back-to-back games against the Devils. He responded by making 31 saves in a 7-1 victory and at the All-Star break is 21-6-3 with a 2.30 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and four shutouts.
"My play going into the break hasn't been up to my standards," Campbell said. "But it's exciting to go into the break feeling good."
Ask Campbell what he's looking forward to in Las Vegas and he displays the giddiness of a kid getting the opportunity to meet some of his heroes.
"I mean, right away when I saw the list of guys going, I noticed the name of Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy," he said. "He has been at the top in the League for so long, and there's so many great goalies in the League, but especially him. I've watched a lot of video on him and just really appreciate what he brings to the game, how dominant he is. So I'm really looking forward to getting to know him and then picking his brain a little bit. He's in our division, sure, but I'm looking forward to getting to know him better."
No one in the Maple Leafs locker room is happier for Campbell than center Auston Matthews, who will captain the Atlantic Division team. Matthews heads to Nevada with 51 points (29 goals, 22 assists) in 39 games. He's tied with Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for third in goals, three behind Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and four back of New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider.
"It's a great story," Matthews said of Campbell, nicknamed "Soupy" by Maple Leafs teammates and fans. "It's a great thing that people can look at and learn from, a lot of adversity that he's been through. No one's route is the same to get to the same place. His took a little bit longer and a bit of a winding road, but he is here now.
"His All-Star selection] is really well-deserved. Nobody works harder than him. He competes. Everybody's super happy for him."
After Campbell was drafted by the Stars, he played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. He turned pro in 2012 and then bounced between Texas of the American Hockey League and Idaho of the ECHL the next four seasons. He played one NHL game during that span and said he was lost by the time he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Nick Ebert on June 25, 2016.
"My last two years in Texas in the minors, I'll just say it wasn't very fun," Campbell said. "It was pretty low."
Campbell rediscovered his love for the sport in the Kings organization, playing 57 games for Los Angeles during four seasons split between the NHL and Ontario of the AHL. His career continued to ascend when he was traded with forward
[Kyle Clifford
to the Maple Leafs on Feb. 5, 2020 for forward Trevor Moore, a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Since joining the Maple Leafs, Campbell is 41-11-6, set an NHL record for consecutive wins to start a season with 11 in 2020-21 and achieved a decade-long objective by establishing himself as a No. 1 goalie in the NHL.
For those who played with Campbell along the way, including Oilers forward Devin Shore, his teammate and occasional roommate with Texas, his recent success is inspiring.
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but I'm happy and respectful of where he's got to," Shore said. "We all have pressure on our journeys. Some are conventional ones. Others, like his, have bumps in the road. The pressure on the goaltending position is magnified, so it's not a great recipe, whether it pertains to mental health or just quality of life away from the rink.
"He always hated to get scored on, either in practice or in games. And he always had a great work ethic."
Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin, Campbell's Kings teammate from 2016-19, said he still does.
"He's battled his way to where he is," Muzzin said. "It's a testament to himself and to his belief in himself, his work ethic. He deserves everything he's got this year and I couldn't be more happy for him."
Campbell's future has been a topic of conversation in Toronto. He's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season but said his focus right now is helping the Maple Leafs find success.
"I have a special relationship with the fans here," he said. "Their chants of 'Soupy' are very humbling and appreciated. And every day, I wake up and I want to be the best I can possibly be both for myself and, more than that, for my teammates. We have a special bond in our dressing room.
"Like I said, my journey is just starting. I want to help this team win a Stanley Cup for the deserving people of Toronto. Everything else is out of my hands. I just want to put myself in a position to be successful."
