TIM WHARNSBY

HOCKEY REPORTER

At 6 foot 4 and 244 pounds, Pavel Kubina has the brute strength to knock around opponents on the hockey rink. But when it comes to family, the Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman turns to mush.

A weary Kubina returned to the Leafs' fold after spending four days in Prague last week for the birth of his first child, a 7-pound 1-ounce daughter named Teresa.

"It was hard for me to leave," Kubina said. "It was an unbelievable feeling to be there. I have to thank the Leafs for their great support in letting me go and my teammates. They told me I shouldn't miss it because it is something great to see. They were right."

That's why Kubina threw caution to the wind when he hired a private jet out of Boston to be there with his girlfriend, Andrea, last Thursday. He couldn't reveal the total cost of his charter airfare because he has yet to receive a bill. However, a conservative estimate from an airline expert Tuesday put the dollar value at $150,000.
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"I know it will be pretty expensive, but it's going to be worth it," he said.

Children and family have always been important to Kubina. He was raised by his parents, Vaclav and Jigka, in a tight-knit family in the Czech Republic. He was extremely close to his grandparents.

When Kubina began his National Hockey League career with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the late 1990s, he became involved in the local Make-A-Wish Foundation and instituted Kubina's Korner, in which he purchased more than 300 tickets for each game that would be given to underprivileged children. He also spent time with and raised awareness for terminally ill children and those with anger management difficulties. He also helped teammates serve Thanksgiving dinner to needy children.

Initially, Kubina hoped his girlfriend would travel with him to Toronto for training camp in September and give birth two months later in Canada. But the couple's doctor back home advised against Andrea's flying to Toronto.

So Kubina met with Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr. and coach Paul Maurice two months ago to apprise them of the situation. The due date was Nov. 13, which was in the middle of a four-day break for the Leafs, and the Leafs' brass gave Kubina their blessing for him to return to the Czech Republic for the birth.

But that plan had to be scrapped when doctors decided the best course was a cesarean section last Thursday.

Kubina just missed the birth of Teresa, but was there holding the baby when Andrea awoke. The family hopes to reunite in two weeks if doctors give Andrea clearance to fly to Canada.

"Hopefully, she'll be here for Christmas," Kubina said. "It would be hard to miss Christmas with our first child."

The trip home delayed Kubina's return from a knee injury by a couple games. He tried to stay on Canadian time while in Prague so the transition would be smooth for his first game back, in Boston against the Bruins Thursday.

"It's been a long five weeks," said Kubina, who missed 15 games. "I feel I've missed the whole season. You can practise as much as you want, but it's not the same as playing."

Goaltender Andrew Raycroft won't play Thursday. He suffered a mild left groin strain last Thursday and wants to make sure the injury has completely healed before he returns to action.

"It feels better every day," he said. "I was hoping for Thursday, but we're not there yet. Now I'll say I'm hoping for Saturday [when the Leafs play the New Jersey Devils at home]."

The Leafs made two roster moves Tuesday, assigning Staffan Kronwall to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and seldom-used Jay Harrison to the Marlies for a conditioning stint. Kronwall has recovered from a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in training camp and will get into game shape with the Marlies.