Article content continued

And a phone call every so often from coach Mike Babcock helped keep Zaitsev in a proper frame of mind.

“The No. 1 thing for an athlete (is having a coach who believes in you),” Zaitsev said. “It’s going to stay in the locker room, but he does a great job (with) that. He talks. He calls everybody.”

Babcock’s habit is one that players have come to expect and appreciate.

“We talked a lot about that, confidence,” Babcock said of Zaitsev. “But if you talk to every player who comes in, you talk about three things they want to work on, they always talk about consistency and confidence (as two).

“It’s the NHL, it’s hard to have your confidence all the time but you have to get back on track and I think a big part of that is having a whole life, having something to do outside the rink besides thinking about hockey.”

There’s no doubt Zaitsev has as much with a busy household. Vera took her first steps “a couple of days ago,” Zaitsev proudly told a couple of reporters.

Soon, the focus will be on getting back to a level on the ice that Babcock and the Leafs can admire every night, not just every so often.

“I’m just happy to be here this year,” Zaitsev said. “I’m absolutely healthy, I’m excited, lots of good things happened this summer with the team.

“I think I can do better, for sure — just do my job better.”

NO ARGUMENT FROM TAVARES

NIAGARA FALLS — John Tavares didn’t flinch.

You might have heard how he turned down the offers of several teams, including the one that he captained for five seasons, the New York Islanders, to sign with the Maple Leafs on July 1.