TORONTO -- Pat Quinn is back.

	Pat Quinn was back on skates for Monday's practice.

The burly (sometimes surly) 59-year-old Leafs coach, who had been hospitalized for several days as a result of an irregular heart beat -- missing Games 3 and 5 in this Eastern Conference final against the Hurricanes -- took a rare turn on the ice at the club's off-day practice on Monday at the Air Canada Centre.

Normally, Quinn leaves practice to assistants Rick Ley and Keith Acton. But, on this day, Quinn laced up his skates and joined the team on the ice.

And, not surprisingly, he was happy to be back at work.

"Obviously, I'm feeling better," said Quinn, who admitted it was "lousy" watching the games on TV. "I probably feel a little bit better than I have for the past couple of months. I'm at the point where I can resume my responsibilities."

On Monday, Quinn certainly felt fit enough to resume his long-running battle with the local media. During the 15-minute press session, Quinn seemed in good spirits but didn't hesitate to challenge any of the attending scribes.

For instance, after a question about the Leafs' lack of scoring in the series (they have just five goals in five games), Quinn jokingly mused, "Are you trying to make up for the three games I missed today, or what the hell is this?"

Quinn later bristled at a question about Robert Reichel's intensity, responding by saying, "I'm sure you're all experts on intensity, so you'll be able to pass your opinion on."

He added, "Don't worry about intensity in any of the players in that room."

Quinn turned serious when talking about his feelings about the men he coaches.

"The players mean a lot to me," Quinn said. "And a lot of times, reading all this stuff this year that I don't talk to them and that stuff, I think that's crap. Those people (in the media) don't even know what's going on.

"Unless you're in the room," he continued, "you don't know what's going on."

As for potential strategy for Game 6, Quinn wasn't as forthcoming.

"As a coaching unit, we discuss all ramifications of the game plan including lines and we will continue to do that," Quinn said. "We have done some talking yesterday and today and we'll do some more of that tomorrow. At this point, I would not let you know what we've been discussing."

Quinn and his sidekicks likely have been talking about whether to leave their line combinations as they were in Game 5, when center Mats Sundin moved back to the top line with left wing Gary Roberts and right Jonas Hoglund. The Sundin line spent most of Saturday matched up against Carolina's BBC Line, which has yet to score a goal in this series.

The Leafs' coaching staff must decide whether to leave defenseman Nathan Dempsey in the lineup. The longtime Leafs prospect has played well when called upon. In fact, the Leafs are 4-1 when Dempsey has been in the lineup.

Based on Quinn's comments Monday, it looks like the 27-year-old defenseman will suit up for Game 6.

"I absolutely liked his game the other night," said Quinn, who recently had to fight off public comments from Demspey's agent, Art Breeze, claiming that Dempsey had been held back in the Leafs organization. "He was pretty solid, especially considering that his partner (Jyrki Lumme) didn't play very well."

Right now, whatever the line combinations or lineup changes for Game 6, there are just two certainties for the Leafs. First, they must win or go home. And, second, their burly old head coach will be back behind the bench.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.