Toronto Sun
September 16, 2002
Lance Hornby

HAMILTON -- Brad Leeb would rather forget the day he became a Maple Leaf.

The right wing hopeful was in Red Deer, Alta., at his mother Carol's funeral when the trade with the Vancouver Canucks was made on Sept. 4. Carol Leeb, 49, had fought bravely against breast cancer for 2 1/2 years before passing away on Aug. 30. After the funeral, Brad made a difficult trip east to join a new team for training camp .

"I've had a busy past couple of weeks," Leeb said yesterday after helping Mats Sundin and the rest of his scrimmage team to an undefeated (2-0-1) record after three days of the camp tournament. "I didn't know what to think for a while. (Hockey) wasn't the first thing on my mind."

Leeb called his mother "an inspiration" to him and his older brother Greg, a winger in the Edmonton Oilers system.

"She was an awesome hockey mom, very supportive of us. She was a great teacher and a great role model. My brother and I try to have those same attributes. She was battling at the end and she just couldn't hold on."

Leeb is making a good impression here. He was familiar to Leafs player personnel director/assistant general manager Mike Penny, who worked in Vancouver when Leeb was signed as a free agent in 1999.

Despite just four National Hockey League games in three seasons, Leeb still hadn't given up on playing for the Canucks. But Vancouver initiated a deal and the Leafs had a hole in the organization after letting Bobby House out of his St. John's contract to play in Germany.

Toronto gave the Canucks unsigned 2001 draft pick Tomas Mojzis in return.

"I don't know what Vancouver's reasons were to trade me. I'm just happy to come to Toronto," Leeb said. "It's obviously tough (circumstances so soon after his mother's death). But you look at hockey as being a nice release. You just think about the game. It's been therapeutic for me."



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