Randy Carlyle says win in Toronto return was bigger for Ducks than him
TORONTO — Randy Carlyle wasn’t exactly sentimental after winning his first game back in Toronto.
“I think a lot of people have made a bigger deal out of it (than I have),” Carlyle said. “From a personal standpoint, yeah it’s nice, but the bottom line is our hockey club needed the win more than I needed the win and that’s really why we’re here.”
The Ducks scored two power-play goals and John Gibson came up large to help Carlyle capture a 3-2 victory in his first game back at Air Canada Centre following his firing as the Maple Leafs head coach almost two years ago.
Carlyle coached almost 200 regular season games behind the Toronto bench, leading the club to its one and only playoff appearance since 2004. He was fired in Jan. 2015 with the team sliding and underlying numbers suggesting a product that wasn’t built for the long haul.