If given the nod on Saturday, this would be Woll’s first start in his home state of Missouri.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll spoke with excitement following practice on Friday, just a day before the club is set to travel to St. Louis and face the Blues. For Woll, this matchup carries a special significance as he prepares for a homecoming in the state where he grew up. Despite never having played in St. Louis before, Woll hinted that could change on Saturday.
“It’s where I grew up so a lot of good memories, a lot of family and friends there,” Woll explained. “I’m just looking forward to being able to go there and see them and play there so it will be good.”
When asked about the support he intends to receive, with family and friends in attendance, Woll noted that “it will be a nice surprise” and his Mother is likely to be the most nervous.
“She will probably be a bit of a nervous wreck,” said Woll. “She’s always very, very pumped to watch but also very scared so I think the added emotion of playing [at home], you know, she and my dad were big Blues fans when they first met and obviously when I was growing up they were Blues fans. It might be a lot of emotion. An interesting one. I hope she does alright.”
The 26-year-old is fresh off his first win of the season where he stopped 24 of 25 shots faced in a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night. Woll nearly earned a shutout, as his bid ended with 3:28 remaining in the third period. Regardless, the netminder noted that he felt more comfortable in his second start.
“I think last night I felt more comfortable in the net so just trying to build on that and find the swing of the season and looking forward to going home.”
Judging by his comments, Woll seems elated for the potential opportunity to perform in front of friends and family in St. Louis, but head coach Craig Berube has not confirmed if he will start against the Blues. Berube, who is also making his return to St. Louis for the first time since being relieved of his duties in December of 2023, said that Woll’s homecoming is a factor being taken into consideration but not the deciding factor.
“We always consider those things. They're not the number one and most important thing. We're still talking about it, about the start tomorrow. But it is part of the conversation.”
Both Woll and Berube will be looking for redemption after the Maple Leafs suffered a 5-1 defeat to the Blues at Scotiabank Arena on October 24. For Berube, who was relieved of his coaching duties last December, this matchup holds its own narrative as he returns to St. Louis. The Blues have a first-period tribute planned to Berube, who led the charge in the 2019 Stanley Cup championship.
“I had a great stop there. Got a lot of special memories there and a lot of people that I became really close with there,” Berube explained. “I think we had success there and I worked with a lot of great players, that I'm very close to still. Obviously organization too. But for me, it's a special place because of the people. They love their sports and they really root their teams on. I had a real good time there.”
With preparations continuing tomorrow, a decision will be made on Woll and whether he gets the chance to make his homecoming start.
