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Salming dropped the puck that night to one of the loudest and longest ovations ever heard at Scotiabank Arena. He died two weeks later of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

“That was pretty special,â€� Ekman-Larsson recalled at the Leafs’ charity golf tournament on Monday. “It was a tough night, but a night I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I got a chance to hug him and say a couple of words. I appreciate that.â€�

Ekman-Larsson is now a Leaf on a four-year, $14-million (U.S.) deal signed July 1, shortly after he won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers.

“I thought the summer was good — short, but good,â€� said Ekman-Larsson, who took the Cup to his hometown of Tingsryd, Sweden. “It was a pretty good party, sharing it with family and friends. It was a good day to enjoy it and see how happy everybody is for you, and get the chance to thank everybody who helped me to get to that point. That was very special. At the same time, I think it was a good day to end that year and focus on what’s next.â€�

What’s next is life as a Leaf, and trying to help a successful regular-season team take that next step in the playoffs.

“We have an unbelievable group,â€� the 33-year-old Ekman-Larsson said of his new team. “I’m here to help the young guys, help the older guys as well. Do a little bit of everything. So I’m super excited for this opportunity.â€�

Ekman-Larsson arrives with a fairly impressive resumé. At six-foot-two, he’s a slick skater and decent puck-mover who shoots left and will have the best slapshot on the team. He and ex-Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz (signed for $5 million over two seasons) hope to bring some Stanley Cup magic with them. Their new teammates and staff have been asking about what it takes to win.

“I keep telling them: Let’s do it again,â€� said Stolarz. “Run it back this year.â€�

Before Wednesday’s physicals, the new guys got a chance to mingle with returning players and alumni at Monday’s golf event at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club in Milton.

The ex-Panthers and a pair of blueliners who finished last season with the Dallas Stars, Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpää, were the Leafs’ biggest on-ice additions over the summer to shore up their weakest areas: defence and goaltending.

Tanev and Hakanpää are physical, defence-first blueliners who shoot right. Tanev is six-foot-two, Hakanpää six-foot-seven.

While the gap-toothed Tanev seems hale and hearty, ready to eat up some shot-blocking minutes, questions about Hakanpää’s well-publicized knee injury followed him Monday. Unlike the other players, he didn’t golf. He said that had more to do with the quality of his golf game, but added that it was important to avoid excessive stress on the knee. Reports over the summer suggested Hakanpää’s career might be over because of a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and cost him the final 13 games of last season as well as playoffs.

Speculation was fuelled when Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said the team expected to sign him July 1, but didn’t actually file the contract officially until Sept. 11. Hakanpää still isn’t cleared to play, though Wednesday’s medicals should clarify that.

“In my mind, it’s been clear that I’m going to get back,� said Hakanpää. “The team I had around me back home in Finland had the same thoughts. That was the biggest key, to have people around me that trusted as well. It’s a little bit of a roller-coaster almost.

“There’s good days, bad days, but I think that underlying trust that it’s going to happen eventually has always been there.”

As for his recovery: “It’s more of just finding ways to do stuff off the ice to support (the knee) the best we can, and cut out a bunch of stuff that’s not really good for it. It’s more learning what’s good and what’s bad for it and sticking with the good stuff.�