EP.93 - Jeff Ware - Maple Leafs 1st Rounder in '95

Up My Hockey with Jason Podollan

Jeff Ware was a blue-chip prospect.
A 6'4", 220 pounds, mobile defender that loved to hit.
Plus he was from Toronto!
Jeff Ware seemed like a perfect fit for the Maple Leafs.
Drafted 15th overall, Ware stepped right into the lineup for the Leafs as a rookie and played admirably. Ultimately he was released to junior that season, where he played in a World Junior Championships and won gold, and then helped the Oshawa Generals win an OHL Championship.
Things were looking very promising. Jeff was right where he needed to be.
And then Jeff had his first knee surgery of 5, and from that point on it was slow decline from the player that was drafted 15th overall.
There is always pressure, but being a 1st rounder to the Maple Leafs, being from Toronto, and dealing with an injury and pro hockey, it can become overwhelming.
And the Toronto Maple Leafs did not have the support in place for prospects that they should have.
Jeff shares his story. His journey, personal and physical, through pro hockey.
Jeff gets raw and honest about his title as "one of the worst draft picks in Maple Leaf history".
I suppose the title might be fair if one strictly looks at the stats on the back of his hockey card, but once you get the inside story, we learn that Jeff never really had the chance.
Hockey can be tough. Ware knows that firsthand. But through his journey he shares that he learned a lot about himself and a lot about life and he is a better human for it.
Here is the story of Jeff Ware.