He was absolutely amazing in the AHL, but the team had the worst defense (F or D) in the league. They would routinely collapse for 8-10 minutes at a time in a way you never see in the NHL. He would also face multiple breakaways and even more 2-on-1 fast breaks each game. Point blank shots from 5-10 feet out were routine.
Skim though my play by play reports of Hartford games when he was there. On multiple occasions I wrote that if I were him, I would not talk to my teammates because they just abandoned him.
Kenny G should've made them skate laps into the next decade as punishment for how they refused to support T-Bone.
Not only that, but he had no reliable backup, so he had to play something like 30-35 games in a row. When he ran out of steam, Missiaen got hot and started a few games, but prior to that, he faced second-most shots in the AHL, and the most scoring chances.
You can't imagine how much easier he has it in the NHL than in Hartford. I predicted it, too. It was obvious that playing behind a competent NHL defense is easier than facing breakaways, 2 on 1s and point blant shots every other minute. Oh and until McIlrath arrived, nobody cleared any rebounds ever. The top pairing of Vernace and Collins was beyond brutal defensively. Literally beer league level defense.
