Maple Leafs’ McMann happy to run up his screen time after hat trick

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Bobby McMann couldn’t put his phone down on Wednesday.

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The Maple Leafs winger spent much of the day responding to texts after scoring his first National Hockey League hat trick on Tuesday in the Leafs’ 4-1 home win over the St. Louis Blues.

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“A lot of people reached out that I had not heard from for a while, which was really nice,” McMann said. “It’s always nice to hear from everybody and it’s nice to know they are watching and paying attention. 

“I loved the ones from family. Those are the people who have been there all the way. I love talking to my dad (Cecil). I called him (on Wednesday) and we chatted about it. Being able to relive it a little bit with him and talk through it was pretty cool. 

“I think he was still a little bit shocked. He thought it was pretty sweet.”

Leafs captain John Tavares, stuck at home on Tuesday as he battled an illness, watched as McMann’s milestone night unfolded.

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“It was amazing to see Bobby, who wasn’t expected to play, go in and have the night like he did,” Tavares said. “He really rose to the occasion. It was a big two points against a good team.

“I was pretty under the weather. It’s always difficult when it puts you to the point where you’re unable to suit up, but you do what you can to recover as quickly as possible and cheer on the guys from afar.”

TORTS SOUNDS OFF

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella, never short on opinions, was asked about the younger generation of players coming into the NHL and how the unwritten code in the sport has changed.

“It’s a different league,” Tortorella said. “I have to be really careful how I say this. It’s a dumb league.

“It has changed for coaches, too. And we’ve had to make adjustments because there are so many (on-ice) mistakes made. The thing with the young athletes is sometimes you have to wait your turn as far as gaining respect and wanting everything right now, not expecting everything right now, as far as ice time, as far as your contract, whatever it may be. 

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“Sometimes it’s good just to wait your turn and earn it. I think that’s where the athletes have changed. They have entourages around them that I think direct them the wrong way. And the hierarchy of a room, the hierarchy of what it is to be a pro, the process you have to go through as a pro, I think it’s lost a little bit with the athlete now.

“It’s something I miss terribly in being in the league for so long, seeing where it’s gone to now. Great athletes, great skill, great speed, but the mental (factor) and understanding what it is to be a pro and respecting the National Hockey League, that’s where I have some struggles.”

Tortorella also touched on the 13 coaching changes have been made in the NHL since the end of last season.

“I think coaching has been, and I think coaching always will be, one of the most disrespected positions in the game,” Tortorella said. “It’s it’s easy to do, it’s easy to get rid of the guy.”

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LOOSE LEAFS

Winger Calle Jarnkrok, who has missed six games with a broken knuckle and was placed on longterm injured reserve this week, has been skating on his own, without pucks, for the past couple of days. “It’s (about) getting his legs back going again,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “My understanding is that he has a checkup coming in a few days to get another X-ray. We’re hopeful that once the strength comes back and everything is healed, we’ll be able to get him back in the mix pretty quickly.” … Goalie Martin Jones had a “good day” on the ice on Thursday in a solo workout and remains day to day as he recovers from an undisclosed injury.

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