Garry Valk #10
Perhaps he is the Leafs most realible
defensive forward and often plays the final minutes in tight games.
The Leafs offered Valk a contract
when he walked into training camp last year. Valk showed them it
was a good decision as he played well all season and scored a game winner
in the playoffs!
Height: 6-1
Weight: 205 lbs.
Born: November 27,
1967 in Edmonton, Alberta
Drafted: Selected by
the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round (108th pick overall) of the 1987
NHL Entry Draft.
Acquired: Selected
by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1993 NHL Waiver Draft.
Toronto Maple Leafs' Gary Valk (10) takes an elbow from
Chicago Blackhawks' Dave Manson (22) in the first period
Friday, Oct. 15, 1999 in Chicago. Photo by Fred Jewell (AP)
FROM: http://webcrawler-sports.excite.com/photo/img/ap/maple/leafs/blackhawks/19991015/cxa102?r=/photo/topic/sports/maple
1996-97 Season
Acquired from Anaheim for J.J. Daigneault, February 21,
1997. Missed four games with rib injury.
The Finesse Game
Not much about Valk's game is pretty, but it is gritty.
He is a defensive specialist with a knock-kneed stance
(the opposite of the many bowlegged skaters in the league).
Through determination, Valk gets to where he
has to go. He has a great deal of drive in his skating.
He is strong on his skates but not fast. Very streaky,
Valk will go forever without getting a goal, then will
pop home several in a week. He goes to the net hard but
he doesn't have great hands. Most of his goals come from
second and third efforts around the net. Valk is a
defensive forward. He kills penalties well and has good
jump forechecking. He keeps himself in excellent
physical condition and mentally accepts his role as a
checker.
The Physical Game
Valk has a strong work ethic and likes to get out on the
ice and provide a spark for his team. He throws his
body around with enthusiasm and will get into altercations.
He can be very annoying to play against. Nothing
Valk does is flashy, but he gets the job done in a blue-collar
fashion.
The Intangibles
Valk has found a niche as a third-line checking forward,
with sufficient offensive awareness to score once in a
blue moon.
Projection
Valk can do an adequate job defensively, but he'll always
be pushed for a job.
Garry's Career Stats
