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

[Dread Clawz]

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:

I'm not blaming the fans here. They have every right to be fanatical. But just from a player's perspective, I can see both sides.

 

[NVious]

I'm not blaming the fans here. They have every right to be fanatical. But just from a player's perspective, I can see both sides.

In a year we went from:

"We're treated/looked at as Gods"

To:

"Look at what 3-5 deranged fans said/did"

What a lot of outsiders don't realize is that many guys like Mike Johnson or Dreger are friends with guys like Mitch and they carry water for them. They DGAF about the truth or Leafs, that's secondary to carrying water for a guy like Mitch.

 

[Oilslick941611]

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

Sure. It’s all sour grapes.

Nothing to do with the reason I stated. Nothing to with my hatred my tkachuk from his Calgary days or his comments during the 4 nations tournament. Nothing to do with Cifus comments ( which you just hand wave away) so yeah. It’s all sour grapes.

 

[Blazing Saint]

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.

Asking out of curiosity, how'd you end up as a Blackhawks fan in Toronto but support the other Toronto teams?

 

[Dread Clawz]

In a year we went from:

"We're treated/looked at as Gods"

To:

"Look at what 3-5 deranged fans said/did"

What a lot of outsiders don't realize is that many guys like Mike Johnson or Dreger are friends with guys like Mitch and they carry water for them. They DGAF about the truth or Leafs, that's secondary to carrying water for a guy like Mitch.

Well, in one year the heat on Marner rose significantly.

 

[NVious]

Well, in one year the heat on Marner rose significantly.

Yeah cuz he/JT and Matthews sucked (again......)

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

 

[LeafAttack]

Nothing to do with the media etc.Its about remaining focused.Leafs play unfocused to start the game,then were focused as a team,then went back to playing like shit.Fla players play their system.They all play the same way.We have a bunch of individuals who all wanna be the hero...the reason the Leafs will win,when we are trailing in a game.If they stuck to a team mentality,and played team defense as well,they might win.They complicate their own game sometimes,when all they have to do is dump it in,and use their speed,chase,and forecheck like in gm6,or gm1-2,and get pucks to the net.They should try winning ugly sometimes for a change.They still wanna impress the fans sometimes,with beautiful goals,as if somehow that will equal winning the game if they are able to score a beauty goal.

 

[Commander Clueless]

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

Hard to think of a worse crime in hockey honestly, except maybe calling it "Offsides".

 

[Walrus26]

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.

Back last century, Andreas Esccobar, a defender playing for the Colombian national team, scored an own goal in the 1994 world cup. He was murdered soon after. Literally, murdered.

Let that sink in.

Some (not all) of these hockey players haven't got a f'ing clue. Tone deaf doesn't even come close.

 

[Bank Shot]

None of those teams have a storied history and culture of losing that has created a fanbase that has massive resentment towards their own team.

Didn't the Red Sox go 100 years without winning?

 

[Chaos2k7]

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

What an asinine comment. Intellectually dishonest.

We play Canadian teams 10 times at home throughout the year. 50% of our attendance is Canadians? Ok then. We average more fans per game than every Canadian franchise other than the Habs, who have the largest building in the league. Math ain't mathing pal.

NHL Attendance | Hockey-Reference.com

www.hockey-reference.com

Thank god those canucks come in droves for Anaheim, San Jose, Carolina, Nashville, Utah, Dallas, lol

 

[Realm]

He might feel lucky playing in Florida environment, but it doesn't explain the game 7 failure rate in Toronto.

The Habs are 6-1 in game 7s since 2000. Should they not be 0-7 too?

Montreal has only played 1 game 7 at home since 2000. Different animal, Leafs played just fine in game 6 on the road in an elimination game. Not making excuses but the Habs have only played 1 time in a game 7 and they were the #1 seed playing an #8 seed.

 

[JianYang]

Montreal has only played 1 game 7 at home since 2000. Different animal, Leafs played just fine in game 6 on the road in an elimination game. Not making excuses but the Habs have only played 1 time in a game 7 and they were the #1 seed playing an #8 seed.

What does that mean though? It is easier to win on the road in game 7?

Your right though, only one game was at home, which was a 5-0 victory over Boston.

 

[elmaco]

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.

They are afraid of injuries.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

They just don't do anything, they're the Toronto Maple Leafs

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Didn't the Red Sox go 100 years without winning?

Yep, so in 2067, it's the Leafs year!

 

[Hextallent63]

This is why teams like the New York Yankees
and Philadelphia Eagles never win anything. It’s simply impossible for big market teams with rabid and demanding fanbases to perform!

Leafs fans should be grateful for getting to witness their team constantly mentally checking out of the biggest games and politely clap from the leagues most expensive seats.

Wait, what? The Yankees and eagles have never won anything?

 

[Commander Clueless]

Wait, what? The Yankees and eagles have never won anything?

Give that one a quick reread.

Post is positively dripping in sarcasm.

 

[Blazing Saint]

Back last century, Andreas Esccobar, a defender playing for the Colombian national team, scored an own goal in the 1994 world cup. He was murdered soon after. Literally, murdered.

Let that sink in.

Some (not all) of these hockey players haven't got a f'ing clue. Tone deaf doesn't even come close.

Yeah, I've heard of that story before. Absolutely tragic.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Jokes aside, if he's right.... Like what do you even do?

Give up?

 

[Realm]

What does that mean though? It is easier to win on the road in game 7?

Your right though, only one game was at home, which was a 5-0 victory over Boston.

It means their is far more pressure playing in Toronto than Toronto playing on the road. You dont have to agree with that but that is basically what Tkachuk was saying. Panthers came in loose and confident, the Leafs were nervous.

 

[Pablo El Perro]

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.

I haven't seen Chucky running to talk to Dangle. That response was pretty personal.

 

[JianYang]

It means their is far more pressure playing in Toronto than Toronto playing on the road. You dont have to agree with that but that is basically what Tkachuk was saying. Panthers came in loose and confident, the Leafs were nervous.

It is what you make of it. You mentioned that lone game 7 Montreal had at home. It just happened to be montreal's most lopsided victory out of the 6.

This Toronto core has lost game 7s at home. They have also lost game 7s on the road. Heck, they also lost deciding games with nobody in the crowd.

Home, road, no crowd.... same results. It ultimately comes down to a problem with this core rather than the environment. One day, the players on the ice for toronto will do better regardless of the environment.

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

It means their is far more pressure playing in Toronto than Toronto playing on the road. You dont have to agree with that but that is basically what Tkachuk was saying. Panthers came in loose and confident, the Leafs were nervous.

To be fair, Toronto fans were quite supportive before the game got out of hand. The beer and jersey chucking started after going down 6-1. I agree that the sheer amount of attention on the team may have caused them to play more cautiously and stingily. No one wants to be the guy who makes a mistake with the way Toronto media dissects everything, resulting in hesitations and second thoughts when making plays. As professionals they should be able to handle playing under that pressure… but they ever respond when they’re down, they give in and fall apart.

Oilers welcome that pressure and put it on the themselves to give their all and go out fighting.