CHRIS YOUNG
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle ended his silence on Wednesday, again denying rumblings of a rift with head coach Ron Wilson.
The latest string of questions came a few weeks after Kaberle's father, Frantisek, told Czech hockey magazine Hokej that his son would welcome a trade partly because of a strained relationship with Wilson.
With training camp set to open on Sept. 17, Kaberle said he wanted to set the record straight and reiterated that he had no problems with his coach.
"My dad's opinion, I can't control that," he said after skating with other Leafs at the team's practice facility on Wednesday. "Can you control your dad?
"I don't agree with everything my father says. That's normal. Like I don't agree with everything with my coach. But, especially when you're losing, you get into some arguments and that's good. I'll take it as a challenge. This is a winning business."
Drama around Kaberle is nothing new. The 32-year-old veteran has been the subject of trade rumours for more than a year, with the latest flurry of talk coming last month just before a window in his no-trade clause expired.
Kaberle also drew sharp criticism from his coach a few times during a trying second campaign under Wilson last season, as he finished a team-worst minus-16.
With his no-trade clause back in effect, however, Kaberle said he's staying in a Leafs uniform and looking forward to the coming season.
"There's always a lot of speculation, and it's something I can't control," he said. "There's no real issue. I'm just looking forward to the new season. I'm happy I stayed here. … Hopefully, finally we can make playoffs."
Teammate Mike Komisarek made light of the situation on Wednesday.
"There's no issue between Kabby and Wilse in the room," Komisarek said. "I want the media talking about the [defence]and [play]setups. Relationships? I feel like I'm in a soap opera sometimes. You know? They should go on a soap opera."