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Ex- Bruin Reid Hopes to Deliver for the
Leafs
Toronto Star, September 12, 1988
By Rick Matsumoto
Dave Reid is going to give his tryout with the Leafs a good ride -
literally.
That’s because the Etobicoke native spent May and June pedaling a
bicycle around town for a Toronto delivery service.
“The money wasn’t as good as I might have made doing another type of
work but it sure helped get my legs in shape,” said the 24-year-old
left winger. “It was better than sitting in a gym riding a stationary
bike.”
Reid who joined the Leafs as a free agent after the Boston Bruins
offered him a termination contract, said he first got the idea of
working for a courier service when he saw the movie Quicksilver,
starring Kevin Bacon, which is about a bike courier in New York City.
He followed up on the thought after a visit to his agent Bill Waters’
downtown office.
“I was waiting to see him when a courier arrived, jumped off his bike,
ran in, dropped off a package, ran out, jumped back on his bike, and
sped off,” he explained. “I thought – ‘That’s a great summer job. A
great way to stay in shape.’”
Reid admits he had a couple of close calls with motorists as he sped
around his downtown routes. He once fell off his bike when the front
wheel got caught in the streetcar tracks during wet weather.
But the worst hazards proved to be pedestrians.
“I almost hit a couple of people who stepped out from between parked
cars,” he said.
Despite the rigors of the job, it apparently served the purpose of
getting Reid into shape for training camp. During the first two days of
workout at the Newmarket Recreation Complex he’s been one of the more
impressive players on the ice.
“He looks to be in excellent shape,” praised coach John Brophy.
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