It was two nights after Nik Antropov's most humbling game as a Maple Leaf and it was quite obvious that the resentment level among the citizens of this city had not subsided.

At one point during Game 3 of the Toronto Raptors' playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, the face of Maple Leafs defenceman Dmitry Yushkevich was shown on the JumboTron to thunderous applause. The camera then turned to Antropov, who 48 hours earlier had gone minus-2 and took a bad penalty that opened the floodgates in the Leafs' 5-1 loss in Game 7 against the New Jersey Devils.

More than 20,000 people booed him mercilessly. Yushkevich bumped into Leaf defenceman Cory Cross at halftime and the two wondered how people could be so callous and, more importantly, what effect it would have on the fragile psyche of a 20-year-old kid who had already endured a difficult season on and off the ice.

Four months later, Antropov seems to have overcome the experience. He still laughs easily and often. And on the ice during an intrasquad game yesterday, he looked downright dominant. With seven extra pounds of muscle and a spring in his step, Antropov had a goal and an assist to lead his team to a 5-2 victory.

"That hurt a little bit. I felt bad for about five or 10 minutes," Antropov said. "It was Game 7 and I had a pretty bad game, so I understand."

As is the case with most athletes, there is far more beneath the surface than what they offer for public consumption. To say that Antropov was crushed might be a little extreme, but a judgment that harsh and that public is bound to affect any young player

"He took it pretty hard, but you couldn't see it unless you're really close to him," Yushkevich said. "People were blaming him for all the goals, but we tried to support him. We told him it wasn't his fault."

Last season was clearly a write-off for Antropov, a player Leafs rushed into the league as a 19-year-old two years ago. His reconstructive knee surgery in the summer of 2000 robbed him of pivotal time that should have been spent building up his strength. Becoming a first-time father added to Antropov's responsibilities and he was plagued by inconsistency and a lack of confidence throughout the year.

"Nik had a big battle last year, let's face it," said Leafs GM-coach Pat Quinn. "Major surgery and trying to get back to the form of the year before is not always easy. At the end of the year last year he was a guy who maybe should have been playing down in Newfoundland and playing a lot more than he did."

With some gentle prodding from the likes of Yushkevich and Gary Roberts after the season, Antropov made a commitment to get stronger and worked with Roberts' personal trainer in an effort to do it.

"We're not convinced that his only position is to be at centre for us," Quinn said, "and we'll move around and see what fits best for the team."