[Matthew Tkachuk] Leafs would be unbelievable if the team wasn't in Toronto

[1909]

Florida has very few medias around them, and their fans going to the arena are 50% Canadians.

 

[theaub]

Haven't scrolled through the thread so I'm sure someone said it in the first bunch of pages here, but they had a literal bubble for two seasons and those were the two worst playoff losses of them all.

I was at G2/5/7 and my only takeaway was that more people should have thrown crap on the ice at the end. If it was Europe they would have brought out some ultra dude with a megaphone to yell at the team for 10 mins after the game about how they had no heart.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Didn't Canucks fans on Twitter threaten Mike Matheson's dog after he body-slammed rookie Pettersson?

They also threatened Luke Gadzic last year during the Oilers-Canucks series and when Gadzic said something about it they got all offended and played the victim.

 

[syz]

On Overdrive right now they are discussing the pressure narrative and are tearing it apart, including a guy who played for the Leafs.

They are also convinced that Maurice and the Panthers are trolling with their comments.

Tkachuk was a playoff choker who had zero success before running away to a low pressure market. I think it's a legitimate issue for some players, but that doesn't make it any less sad. In any other pro sports league these guys wouldn't have anywhere to hide.

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

Tkachuk was a playoff choker who had zero success before running away to a low pressure market. I think it's a legitimate issue for some players, but that doesn't make it any less sad. In any other pro sports league these guys wouldn't have anywhere to hide.

Many players definitely can preform no matter what the environment is. Edmonton has so many passionate fans and McDrai still perform. Unfortunately for the Leafs, Matthews and Marner just seem like guys who would thrive in a southern market, where they can walk on the street and no one will recognize them.

Matthews by all means should be a good playoff performer, he has the size, strong skater, a quick release, very powerful and accurate shot. Doesn’t make sense how he drops off with his build.

 

[sampollock]

Many players definitely can preform no matter what the environment is. Edmonton has so many passionate fans and McDrai still perform. Unfortunately for the Leafs, Matthews and Marner just seem like guys who would thrive in a southern market, where they can walk on the street and no one will recognize them.

Nostrils wont resign with the figs

 

[Commander Clueless]

Stupid fans. Not being loud enough. SBA is a morgue. If only they gave a damn like Florida fans.


...oh wait, sorry that was last week. My mistake.



Stupid fans. Caring too much. Putting too much pressure on their team. If only they'd stop giving a damn like Florida fans.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Matty is just happy he's in a market that doesn't care that he's declining at 27.

 

[Bust]

Matthews by all means should be a good playoff performer, he has the size, strong skater, a quick release, very powerful and accurate shot. Doesn’t make sense how he drops off with his build.

His overall play doesn't really drop off. He had an issue burring pucks this year for some reason and didn't seem to have the shooting arsenal he had previously displayed (injury assumed).

What we don't see from Matthews in the playoffs is the 2-3 goal games that are a regular occurrence. A trash PP is also a factor.

What hurts Matthews most is that his line mate (Marner) cannot execute in the post season. He is mostly irrelevant when the game gets tight and physical. Matthews draws tight coverage and sometimes double coverage, while Marner is mostly stuck on the perimeter.

Matthews has to shoulder some of the blame here for sure. The Leafs will ultimately go as far as he takes them. But he needs support. Willy can't do it all from the 2nd line. Marner and JT at their cap hits were detrimental to TOR's playoff success this year. And the team will perform better when both of those bloated caphits are gone.

 

[Bust]

Matty is just happy he's in a market that doesn't care that he's declining at 27.

The injury issues this year are a major concern to the fanbase. Matthews broke his femur when he was like 16, he has been battling his whole career. Who knows what that does to a guy long term.

I think he can rebound back to his average shooting numbers. The Leafs future literally depends on it.

 

[OG6ix]

Remember when Canadian NHL Team fans would always say how Bad of a market florida is for hockey? Well they are flipping the script now on Toronto.... and it's working.

 

[647Hockey]

I thought after the game Marchand and Maurice were being genuine about respecting Leafs. But with Tkachuk chiming, I'm thinking they might be trolling in the most laid back and considerate way.

I've never see a team give so much group hug therapy to the opposing team ever in the playoffs. Seems fishy.

 

[Blazing Saint]

NHL players should go see a Boca Juniors - River Plate game.

I'm strongly assured down in Argentina with way lower leagues down below with players facing much harder hostility than any NHL player on the planet, lol.

 

[sampollock]

funny the cats trolling the figs.. lol

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

I thought after the game Marchand and Maurice were being genuine about respecting Leafs. But with Tkachuk chiming, I'm thinking they might be trolling in the most laid back and considerate way.

I've never see a team give so much group hug therapy to the opposing team ever in the playoffs. Seems fishy.

Tkachuk has experience playing for a Canadian team, so maybe he was being genuine. Going from Calgary to Florida is a massive difference in attention. Not an excuse as most players perform anyway. The series didn’t feel like both teams ‘hated’ each other like Florida-Boston last year, so Tkachuk has no problems giving group hugs to his fellow athletes.

 

[647Hockey]

Many players definitely can preform no matter what the environment is. Edmonton has so many passionate fans and McDrai still perform. Unfortunately for the Leafs, Matthews and Marner just seem like guys who would thrive in a southern market, where they can walk on the street and no one will recognize them.

Matthews by all means should be a good playoff performer, he has the size, strong skater, a quick release, very powerful and accurate shot. Doesn’t make sense how he drops off with his build.

Yup. I posted this earlier today showing some key players left in the playoffs from different teams. Most do fine in the playoffs. But we all know core 4 bomb out, especially in games 5-7. But Nylander is the best performing one out of the 4.

Player Discussion Post in thread 'Auston Matthews (Captain Edition)'

Today at 11:09 AM

Dude has 1 goal in 7 games. 12 games against Florida, 1 goal
He's the one calling out other players

Mario Lemiuex used to have players hooking him, hacking him, grappling him to the ground, yet he foudn ways to score against every team in the league

Every top end player in the leagues faces big match ups. But they find a way to contribute. Not Auston Matthews

People are making it sound like Barkov is greatest defensive specialist ever lived. You don't know Esa Tikannen was, Brian Trottier, Sergei Federov, Bergeron, Kirk Muller, Doug Gilmour was. Great players found a way to score...

• 647Hockey

• 

The core 4 just dont have the drive to take it to the next step in the playoffs.

But as you said Edm guys like Dry and McD perform even better in the playoffs. Doesnt matter if their ragtag bunch of support players do fine or nothing, they sill perform. And there's only two of them. Not core 4.

Also, they still do great even though Oilers have possibly the shittiest and unpredictable goalies in the playoffs every year. Who the hell wants to play in front of jeckyl and hyde Stuart Skinner or Campbell? You'd think those guys letting in 4 or 5 goals in one of their shitty .800 save % games that the entire team would be deflated and give up.

Nope. It's actually the opposite and third period comebacks are a big thing on Oilers as the skaters just say f*** it and lets score and come back.

Leafs in the playoffs usually have pretty decent goaltending. Ya, Woll had some bad games, but overall the goalies are better performing the past 9 years than Oilers. But how come the core 4 cant grab the reins and do comebacks like Oilers? Leafs are high scoring in reg season too. But once they get a sense the opposing team is taking over a series or game, they give up, cant score and lose. That's why the first bunch of games in a series they are fine as it's still early. But once games 5-7 come around which are going to be the major deciding games, they just bomb out.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Some high-grade trolling by Tkachuk. Nobody benefits more from the Fraud Four staying together than Florida.

 

[NVious]

After a decade of failure, us Leafs fans get:





15 minutes of soft ball questions and CYA LATER, thanks for the moolah!!

EPIC PRESSURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! INSANE MEDIA!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nothingbutglass]

I'm sure the Cats aren't trolling. When I think group hugs, Marchand and Tkachuk are the first guys I think of.

 

[Dread Clawz]

People don't want to acknowledge it, but there's a lot of truth to this. Chris Johnston just talked about today how Mitch Marner has been harassed multiple times throughout the years and he was harassed last night after the game by fans as well. There were Leaf fans making threats against his newborn son on Twitter.



This is not normal behavior. There are other fanbases with passionate fanbases that are hard on their players, but you're never going to see them throw beer at their own players and try to do stuff to them off ice. Toronto is different because their fanbase has a pretty deep resentment for their own team due to the repeated failures of the franchise. It's a more toxic and negative passion than say a Montreal where they mostly have high standards due to their pride. There's a harshness and brutality to Toronto due to the self-loathing fanbase and media.

I think it plays a part in their choking. They lost in the first round for the first few years(granted against Boston and Washington they were still very young), and after that once they startes feeling the pressure in the playoffs it was probably like a "oh no not again" feeling every time with the pressure of the media and fans, and with every consecutive choke it was probably like a cumulative snowball effect.

 

[Ratsreign]

Well, its not like Paul Maurice, Matthew Tkachunk and the Panthers organization are known to be classy ( see the tweet from one of the owners that got him suspended)

Steve Dangle made a great point about Tkachuks hypocrisy, talking about players not wanting the spotlight while running his mouth to any microphone or magazine that he comes across.

Cifu is a tool, probably is biggest reason he’s basically a peripheral figurehead.
Viola’s Panthers organization actually is known to be classy. This comment sounds like sour grapes over their rough and tumble style, or simply from your team losing to the Panthers.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I thought after the game Marchand and Maurice were being genuine about respecting Leafs. But with Tkachuk chiming, I'm thinking they might be trolling in the most laid back and considerate way.

I've never see a team give so much group hug therapy to the opposing team ever in the playoffs. Seems fishy.

They are pitying their opponent.

It's possible it came from a genuine place. But it's pretty cruel.

Sick sons of...

 

[Dread Clawz]

No, we are giving genuine respect to the Leafs. Is that so bad?

 

[REALTALK81]

Absolute trash take. Its a complete lack of accountability that tanks the Leafs. The captain rushed back while injured to play in 4 nations as it was more important than the cup to him. The same captain that would rather dress like a 70s NY mob wife than to shoulder any blame.

 

[NVious]

I think it plays a part in their choking. They lost in the first round for the first few years(granted against Boston and Washington they were still very young), and after that once they startes feeling the pressure in the playoffs it was probably like a "oh no not again" feeling every time with the pressure of the media and fans, and with every consecutive choke it was probably like a cumulative snowball effect.

Mitch also said we treated him and other players like Gods, now that he knows he's not coming back, he's playing the victim and crying, i.e:





This was him last year: