Torey Krug talks first playoffs experience, #LegendOfKrug and more

By Michael Caples –

EAST LANSING – At the conclusion of the first MSU pro camp practice, Zamboni driver Lou Tomo made sure to interrupt Torey Krug a few times during his media interviews.

Tomo didn’t really feel the need to wait for Krug to complete his interviews to start cutting the Munn Arena ice, laughing during the passes.

It was one of many reminders that while Krug was making national headlines just a few months earlier, the Livonia native is just a year removed from being a junior in college.

During the NHL playoffs, few players garnered as much attention as Krug, who scored four goals in his first five postseason games – the first defenseman to accomplish the feat in the post-expansion era. The former MSU captain scored his first NHL goal in Game 1 of Round 2 against the Rangers (his first postseason appearance), and played in every Bruins game from that point on.

“Getting called up in the middle of the playoffs, I remember I got the call and I was just so excited, talked to my family and it all became pretty real that I was going to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Krug said Monday in East Lansing. “That was my dream as a kid, to compete for the Stanley Cup. To contribute the way I did, to be able to walk into that locker room with open arms from the team, it was amazing, and a dream come true.”

Krug signed with the Bruins at the conclusion of his junior season at Michigan State in March of 2012. Since then, he’s been on Sportscenter, gotten married and skated in the Stanley Cup Final. Even he said he couldn’t have dreamed up what would follow in the next year.

“A year ago, I’d be lying to you if I thought that would happen,” Krug said. “It’s definitely been a fun year for me, definitely builds a lot of confidence as well. For me, to be able to go into a locker room like that in that organization, all the credit in the world to them, because they really helped to develop me as a player. I’m going to continue to develop; there are so many things I need to work on. I realize that just after one year, I haven’t completed the goal I want to.”

The national media took note of Krug’s postseason performances, as did hockey fans on social media. A #LegendOfKrug hashtag appeared on Twitter during the Bruins’ series with New York – “Chuck Norris” jokes exaggerating Krug’s feats.

“Yeah I saw that,” Krug said with a laugh. “That was weird. I don’t know. You always look at it, Twitter’s pretty new, but you know you look at the headlines on Sportscenter and even to see one of my first goals as a Top 10 play, that was pretty weird. It’s crazy, the amount of support that everyone’s been giving me, especially the fans. I never expected that in a million years. It was pretty special, definitely a fun moment.”

Despite the fanfare, however, Krug said he doesn’t know where he will end up when the season starts. He spent the majority of last season with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate.

“Nothing’s set in stone,” he said. “As it is every year, you’ve got to come in and make sure you take care of your business and hopefully earn yourself a spot in the line-up. That’s kind of the situation I’m in right now.”

Yet the learning experiences that came with his first taste of NHL playoff hockey won’t hurt moving forward.

“I think one of the things that I learned is confidence is everything,” Krug said. “Confidence builds who you are as a person, as a player. That was important for me, especially to come in, you don’t have time to mess around when you’re thrown on the big stage like that. Just to have the confidence in myself and the confidence that my teammates showed in me as well.”

The Livonia native said that his experience in East Lansing – Krug was the first sophomore to serve as the lone captain for the MSU hockey program – played a big role in preparing him for a professional hockey lifestyle.

“I think a lot of it has to do with maturity,” Krug said. “Coming in here, being a leader, being called on as a sophomore to be a captain. Growing up, my junior year really blossoming into who I am today, definitely helped when I got to the pro lifestyle, understanding how things worked. Making sure I had the self-discipline to take care of myself as a professional athlete when it comes to away from the rink, what you’re putting in your body as far as food goes – I think it all comes back to maturity, and it definitely helped me.”

Krug is the youngest Spartan on the ice for the MSU pro camp this week, and he’s enjoying his return to his college barn.

“Yeah it’s special to come back here, get on this ice where you have so many memories,” he said. “To be out here with great pros and great Spartans that you looked up to as a kid is definitely special as well. It’s definitely a fun week, and a great event for us.

“Making sure you gauge yourself with other guys, you make sure you want to be where you expect to be in terms of a fitness level, making sure you’re in shape. Obviously getting the cobwebs out in terms of passing when you’re moving up and down the ice. All summer long you’re not really skating too much, so you have to get your skating muscles back into shape, and that’s important. That’s what I’m looking to get out of this week.”