Mike Zigomanis is one Leaf who could easily step in and do a beer commercial for Dos Equis.

Those commercials are based on the fantasy of a worldly gentleman whose exploits in any arena of life make him “the most interesting man in the world.”

Zigomanis’s world combines athleticism, musicianship and a vegetarian lifestyle into one interesting package.

How many people can competently perform on the guitar, piano, bouzouki and tenor saxophone, maintain a career in the NHL and remain devoted to a completely meatless diet?

Zigomanis may not be the best musician on the Leafs — that title falls to defenceman Matt Lashoff, who released his own album on iTunes this summer.

But Zigomanis did know how to work the crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he spoke about his decision to become a vegetarian four years ago.

“It’s kind of been a process over four years now. I had a couple of surgeries and decided to change my diet,” Zigomanis said after the Leafs finished off a second day of scrimmages Sunday and prepared for the opening of their exhibition schedule Monday against Ottawa.

“Everyone has been asking me what it’s like to perform as a full vegetarian. Lots of calls for interviews and blogs, and I went to TIFF and did a Q&A there. The response was neat, it was interesting to see how many people were actually interested. But I won’t be a public speaker any time soon.”

Zigomanis said the switch from a full diet to one where meat and dairy were eliminated was not as hard as it might sound.

He discovered there was no change in his energy or strength, and in fact, he now considers himself stronger and better overall as a player.

“Cutting out the dairy was the biggest thing for me,” he said. “I do feel better, and this isn’t just a decision for the moment, I’m thinking of my health 10 and 15 years down the road.”

Zigomanis mostly cooks for himself — salads, quinoa, tofu and a host of fruits and vegetables. He supplements frequently with shakes that boost his protein and recovery. There are also shakes for pre-workouts that are like “five cups of coffee, but I don’t drink coffee.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

In the meantime, Zigomanis says he’s waiting for a call from Lashoff, possibly for a duet jam session.

“I got the tenor sax out this summer and got pretty good at it,” he said.