He works hard for his money

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/02/2009 (6398 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Cody McLeod formula is pretty simple and it all stems from his small-town Manitoba roots.

“I’m from Binscarth and played my minor hockey there and in Foxwarren. I learned everything from my parents. Hard work is what got them what they have in life and it’s what got me to the NHL and it’s what will keep me here,” said McLeod, two-thirds of the way through his first full-time season in the big league with the Colorado Avalanche.

Undrafted after four years in the Western Hockey League, McLeod found his way to an AHL tryout camp in Lowell, Mass., and began an unlikely ascent to the NHL that was capped with his debut in an Avalanche uniform.

“Not being drafted, it was pretty disappointing and I got down on myself for a while.

“It’s tough to make it to the NHL when you’re not drafted,” said McLeod, 24, who is earning US$525,000 and scheduled to become a free agent this July.

“I didn’t have anything coming out of junior, but a scout from the Avalanche had seen me in my last year and they offered me a tryout at their AHL camp. They signed me to an AHL/ECHL contract. I started in the ECHL and then finished with Lowell in the AHL. That summer Colorado signed me.”

McLeod split last season between the Lake Erie Monsters in the AHL and the Avalanche and then made the big club coming out of training camp this season.

“When you get here for your first game, it’s a dream come true but then you have to work to stay here. For me that means doing the things that got me here,” said McLeod, who has 12 goals, four assists and 112 penalty minutes through 52 games this season. “It’s a job and I learned from my parents that hard work is what pays off. My old man, I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as him.”

The old man is father Pete, who drives truck while wife Sandra is a home care worker in Binscarth. Their values are obvious when McLeod talks about the big money that comes from working in the NHL.

“The paycheques are nice. But I’m from a small town and we’re famous for saving our money,” laughed McLeod, prior to boarding a flight for St. Louis on Friday afternoon. “I drive a pickup truck. The guys are usually kidding me about not spending enough money.”
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds and with a blast of red hair under his helmet, McLeod is a physical player.

“I’m an energy guy. I like to try and get under the skin of guys on other teams and then back it up. And part of my job is to stick up for my teammates,” said McLeod. “My minutes at the start of the year, I usually played less than 10 a game, but lately it’s been up over 14. I’ve been playing with Tyler Arnason — he’s a Winnipeg boy — and we’ve been the second line some nights.

“I just go to the net. All of my goals are off rebounds. I get in the dirty areas and then take a few whacks at it.”

As for impending free agency, it’s not really on McLeod’s radar.

“My first contract was for two years and then they signed me to one more year last summer,” says McLeod. “I definitely want to stay in Denver. I’m not really worried about it. I just want to help the team and hopefully we can get into the playoffs. That’s really all that’s on my mind.”

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca