Baines signs with Chops

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
In late June, Ajay Baines went to London to watch Wimbledon, the first time
in his life he has played the role of a tourist.
“I had the backpack, a map in my hand, asking people for directions,” Baines
said Wednesday. “It was great.”
Pretty soon, he’ll be asking for directions to get around Des Moines, Iowa.
Baines, a former captain of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, has signed with the
Iowa Chops, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
“I’m an older guy,” said Baines, who turned 30 on March 25. “My role as an
older guy is helping out the young guys in Iowa. My job will be strictly in
Iowa. I get to go to the Ducks’ camp, which will be awesome, but I signed
with Iowa; I didn’t sign a two-way deal.”
The move comes after two seasons with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, who are
hooked up with the Montreal Canadiens. The Bulldogs won the AHL
championship, the Calder Cup, in Baines’ first season there as he scored the
winning goal in the deciding game of the championship final. Last season,
with Baines as team captain, they didn’t make the playoffs.
“They signed a bunch of veterans and it didn’t look as though I’d be going
back there,” Baines said. “They ended up offering pretty late in the summer
and we were fully engaged with Iowa. They had told my agent earlier in the
summer to start talking to other teams so I don’t think they were expecting
me back.”
The Bulldogs have a new general manager, in 30-year-old Julien Brisebois,
and Baines wonders if change isn’t in the wind because of that.
“He’s come in and is getting his new guys,” Baines said. “A lot of guys who
had been there the last couple of years, our contracts are up and I think
it’s a changing of the guard.”
Baines also knows that the last season of his two-year contract there wasn’t
anything great. He banged up a knee while in camp with the Canadiens and
upon his return to Hamilton he suffered a back injury. By season’s end, he
had nine points in 58 games.
“It was a tough season,” he said. “I tore up my knee and tore a muscle in my
back and pretty much missed the first three months. I think that was an
issue with Hamilton in terms of their interest in having me back.”
Now, however, he feels that he’s in tip-top shape and ready to go.
“I’ve been training for four months. My knee hasn’t bothered me and my
back’s been fine and we’ve been skating for over a month,” he said.
While Baines doesn’t feel that he is near the end of hockey’s road just yet,
he knows it’s out there and he definitely has thought about it. He may want
to coach at some point in time but said he won’t even think about that while
he’s still playing.
In the meantime, he has done a lot of thinking about playing in Europe or
perhaps Japan. In fact, he goes so far as to say this may be his last season
in North America.
“I’m definitely coming to the tail-end here,” he said, adding that he had
talks with European clubs this summer.
“I was pretty close to signing in Europe this year,” he said. “I didn’t have
much on the go in North America. At the end, Anaheim came in with an offer.
But I was pretty darn close to going over to England. I had an offer from
Italy, one from Germany and one from Newcastle.”
The offer to play in the DEL, Germany’s top league, carried with it the most
money, the offer from Newcastle the least. But Baines is a tennis and soccer
fan and feels the life experience gained by playing in England would be more
than worth it.
“My take would be to go to Europe and get the experience for a year,
wherever it would be,” he explained. “For me, England would be the least
amount of money but as far as quality of life, language wouldn’t be an issue
. . . just living on your own over there and doing some traveling.
“I think England or Japan would be the two places to go. The hockey would be
awesome but the life experience would be worth it. I like sushi, too.”
His interest in Japan is sparked by two things — he said he is fascinated by
the Japanese culture and former Blazers teammate Aaron Keller plays there.
“I’ve had contact with Aaron the last couple of weeks,” Baines said. “We’ll
keep in touch.”
Baines also is excited because his Calder Cup championship ring is back in
his family’s possession. Stolen during a break-in at his parents’ home in
Kamloops earlier this summer, Baines said it was recovered about a week ago.
“A guy called Dad and said this guy he knew found a bag in Riverside Park,”
Baines said. “Mom’s wallet was in it and the ring was in it. The day it was
found was the day I signed with Iowa.
“I was thrilled when I heard they recovered it.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca