Del Zotto may be young, but has veteran-like game
Photo credit: Getty | Michael Del Zotto #4 of the New York Rangers body checks Travis Moen #32 of the Montreal Canadiens.
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Nov. 3: Canucks 4, Rangers 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Marc Staal was as surprised as anyone when a young man in a Super Mario outfit came into the Rangers' locker room on Halloween.
When he recognized rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto, he said, "I was like, 'What's that about?' "
For much of this season, Del Zotto's performance has belied his age, but Tuesday, when he was named the NHL's rookie of the month, the word trickled out about that particular choice of wardrobe.
"We kind of had a 19-year-old moment the other day when I came in with a costume and the coaching staff got a giggle out of it," Del Zotto confessed before the Rangers faced the Canucks at GM Place last night. "I wanted to see what their reaction was going to be. The guys got a good laugh out of it."
There's no disguising what Del Zotto, the first-round pick in 2008, has meant to the team. He has quarterbacked the club's seventh-ranked power play, averaged 17:02 of ice time, is 4-8-12 and a plus-3.
"I think it's nice to have some innocence in the game," said coach John Tortorella, whose track record is of a no-nonsense boss. "Innocence is a pretty good thing with some players because I think some players think they have it all figured out, so it's nice to have. [Del Zotto's] got a good personality."
Tortorella, who personally scouted Del Zotto in the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., in early September, said he has not sensed any change in his personality.
"He's handled himself very well with some of the very well-deserved attention," Tortorella said. "He's just gone about his business. He's improved in the other part of his game, the defensive part of the game. We know he has skill, we know he has vision, we know he has offensive instincts. But to play in the league, you also have to defend and I think he's improved there. So that's a really good sign for a young kid, not to rest on his strengths but to continue to try to improve in the early part of the season."
Del Zotto, who played in juniors with the Islanders' John Tavares, gave all the credit for the monthly award to his coaches and teammates. "To be honored like that, I have to thank my teammates and my coaching staff who made the transition so much easier for me. I just go about my business. I've learned that it's a business, so you come in every day and work hard.
"It's been awesome. I'm having the time of my life so far, I hope things continue to go well."
Staal, another of the four young blue liners on the team, said that the amount of success Del Zotto has had "stems from training camp. In his mind, he was going to play his way onto the team. It's continued; he's played with confidence. I think it's helped by the number of games we've played in a short period of time. It kind of carries you with the momentum. You can't dwell on things."
In fact, Del Zotto confessed, he hasn't had that "Wow, I'm really here" moment since the season-opener in Pittsburgh, when he lined up against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. "Things have happened so quickly," he said, "so fast."
At a speed Super Mario would appreciate.
Notes & quotes: Vinny Prospal, 34, who was signed to a 1-year, $1.1-million contract this summer, Tuesday was named the team's second alternate captain. He joins captain Chris Drury and alternate captain Ryan Callahan. Prospal, who played for Tortorella in Tampa, has 18 points, including 14 assists.
