Ok, I have a confession to make all these years later. I was secretly cheering for David Ayres when he came in as an emergency backup

[Ianturnedbull]

We were in the playoff hunt. We couldn't piss away games like this.

 

[rojac]

I find a lot of Leafs fans' reactions to the loss to be far more embarrassing than the loss itself.

Being upset about an entertainment product 5 years later is ridiculous.

 

[Strangle]

So Feb 22nd is the 5 year anniversary of this game so I get an early post. Come on, how could one not cheer for him? Have to root for the under dog right? I have to get it off of my chest as it has been eating me up all these years.

Please forgive me Leaf fans.

I think the problem was that the Leafs were also cheering for him.

Looked like they didn’t want to embarrass him, I can’t remember the game very well but I think they scored on him once or twice, quickly, then stopped taking shots at all.

The team put the storyline over the result of the game. That’s the real embarrassment over the whole debacle

 

[NVious]

Seemed harmless either way, but it's pretty telling about our core they couldn't beat a middle aged zamboni driver. IDGAF if the NHL all stars defense was playing against them, a 4 goal pace vs him is atrocious. Foreshadowing for sure for what was to come.

I find a lot of Leafs fans' reactions to the loss to be far more embarrassing than the loss itself.

Being upset about an entertainment product 5 years later is ridiculous.

Nobody cares about this game at all, the problem was that retrospectively it was a good look at the results of our core (awful). Wonky things can happen, but we might be lb for lb the worst sports franchise in the world.....then we lost to a middle aged zamboni driver with our superstars in their prime and all in the lineup.

 

[Legion34]

I remember when JT waltzed in the zone and haphazardly just shot it through him (while he was wearing blue pads). Looked like it was going to get very ugly for the poor guy.

But it didn't, so good for him. Hell of a story.

Now can we all agree that the leafs just stopped playing. They scored 2 goals immediately and stopped.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

I find a lot of Leafs fans' reactions to the loss to be far more embarrassing than the loss itself.

Being upset about an entertainment product 5 years later is ridiculous.

Do you have no pride? This explains a lot actually. Especially the state of our sport in 2025. The entertainment product sucks and hasn't progressed since then. Maybe the owners will allow us to move on from this garbage on the 10 year anniversary of this game.

 

[tmlms13]

It was 4-1 when he came in and then 4-3 heading into the 3rd. You can argue the Canes played elite D or the Leafs treated the 3rd like a game 7

It was 4-1 when he came in with the Canes on a 5 min PP and they scored. So it was basically 5-1

An already good defensive team can hold a 4 goal lead no matter who is in net

 

[thewave]

Everyone was cheering for the guy. We could afford the loss

 

[NVious]

It was 4-1 when he came in with the Canes on a 5 min PP and they scored. So it was basically 5-1

An already good defensive team can hold a 4 goal lead no matter who is in net

For 5-10 minutes for sure, but for a period and a half, it is still awful what the Leafs produced. This wasn't some Junior A or OHL or NCAA goalie who could easily have mechanics as good as an NHL goalie, this was a pudgy middle aged zamboni driver.

Their lackadaisical attitude is something they never really overcame.

 

[rojac]

Do you have no pride? This explains a lot actually. Especially the state of our sport in 2025. The entertainment product sucks and hasn't progressed since then. Maybe the owners will allow us to move on from this garbage on the 10 year anniversary of this game.

If you're still watching an entertainment product has you feel sucks, that says more about you than any thing else.

 

[rojac]

Seemed harmless either way, but it's pretty telling about our core they couldn't beat a middle aged zamboni driver. IDGAF if the NHL all stars defense was playing against them, a 4 goal pace vs him is atrocious. Foreshadowing for sure for what was to come.


Nobody cares about this game at all, the problem was that retrospectively it was a good look at the results of our core (awful). Wonky things can happen, but we might be lb for lb the worst sports franchise in the world.....then we lost to a middle aged zamboni driver with our superstars in their prime and all in the lineup.

Still not seeing the bob deal. Sports team are like the weather -- what ever happens. We as fans have no control over it, so why worry about it?

 

[notDatsyuk]

It was 4-1 when he came in and then 4-3 heading into the 3rd. You can argue the Canes played elite D or the Leafs treated the 3rd like a game 7

Let's at least get the facts right:

- Foegele scored at 10:49 of the second period to make it 3-1.
- Ayers came on at 11:19.
- Teravainen scored on a PP at 13:17 to make it 4-1.

Because the winning goal (the 4th in a 6-3 game) was scored while Ayers was playing, he got the win. If it had been 4-1 already, he would not have been credited with the win.

He stopped all 8 shots in the third. Decent. I though Carolina protected him very well.

 

[NVious]

Still not seeing the bit deal. Sports team a are like the weather -- what ever happens, we as fans have no control over it, so why worry about it?

This in itself isn't that big of a deal, if we won the cup nobody would care. The core has continued to fail like they did that day, so it's just another mark of the failure in the past 60 years.

 

[rumman]

So Feb 22nd is the 5 year anniversary of this game so I get an early post. Come on, how could one not cheer for him? Have to root for the under dog right? I have to get it off of my chest as it has been eating me up all these years.

Please forgive me Leaf fans.

Let’s face it, David Ayres gave Toronto it’s best sporting moment on ice in a very long time, who doesn’t love a underdog story……

 

[Suntouchable13]

You knew something was wrong with these guys that they couldn’t pounce and light this guy up like a Christmas tree. Unreal when you think about it. No killer instinct at all.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

It takes an ego to think anyone cares about this.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Anyone with a soul wanted to see him do well.

Not if it's against my team, and not in a playoff race.

You knew something was wrong with these guys that they couldn’t pounce and light this guy up like a Christmas tree. Unreal when you think about it. No killer instinct at all.

They didn't need to embarrass him, but win the freaking game.

 

[rumman]

Everyone was cheering for the guy. We could afford the loss

If not wanting to light up a emergency goalie replacement was what happened, why have a emergency goaltender as a option? This is professional sports which people bet on, no team can afford to give a win away least of all to not hurt a goalie’s feelings. Sure Ayres became a hero, he would have been as well respected for simply playing out the game win or lose, lets not gorfet this. I like to think he won more because of the Leafs ineptitude than them letting him win………

 

[thewave]

If not wanting to light up a emergency goalie replacement was what happened, why have a emergency goaltender as a option? This is professional sports which people bet on, no team can afford to give a win away least of all to not hurt a goalie’s feelings. Sure Ayres became a hero, he would have been as well respected for simply playing out the game win or lose, lets not gorfet this. I like to think he won more because of the Leafs ineptitude than them letting him win………

They were bad. Cane's played their ass off to protect him. It was still pretty cool

 

[IPS]

If not wanting to light up a emergency goalie replacement was what happened, why have a emergency goaltender as a option? This is professional sports which people bet on, no team can afford to give a win away least of all to not hurt a goalie’s feelings. Sure Ayres became a hero, he would have been as well respected for simply playing out the game win or lose, lets not gorfet this. I like to think he won more because of the Leafs ineptitude than them letting him win………

All I remember watching live was screaming at them through the TV to crash the net. Carolina went full playoff style defense for that 3rd period and weren't letting anything get through from the outside/perimeter. Of course the core refused to get physical enough to get inside and actually put something on net.

 

[notDatsyuk]

If not wanting to light up a emergency goalie replacement was what happened, why have a emergency goaltender as a option? This is professional sports which people bet on, no team can afford to give a win away least of all to not hurt a goalie’s feelings. Sure Ayres became a hero, he would have been as well respected for simply playing out the game win or lose, lets not gorfet this. I like to think he won more because of the Leafs ineptitude than them letting him win………

I think the whole idea that they took it easy on him is ridiculous. They scored on their first two shots.

He made some decent saves - nothing great but nothing bad. The biggest factor was that Carolina scored three more goals after he came in, and they played a pretty solid game in front of him.

I was rooting for him to do well, and also rooting for the Leafs to win. Perfect in my mind would have been we got 20 shots on him (he played almost half the game), he made some big saves, and we scored three time to win 4-3.

We actually did just about the best for him - scored enough that he got the win, becoming the first ebug to win a game, and also the oldest goalie to win his first NHL appearance.

 

[rumman]

I think the whole idea that they took it easy on him is ridiculous. They scored on their first two shots.

He made some decent saves - nothing great but nothing bad. The biggest factor was that Carolina scored three more goals after he came in, and they played a pretty solid game in front of him.

I was rooting for him to do well, and also rooting for the Leafs to win. Perfect in my mind would have been we got 20 shots on him (he played almost half the game), he made some big saves, and we scored three time to win 4-3.

We actually did just about the best for him - scored enough that he got the win, becoming the first ebug to win a game, and also the oldest goalie to win his first NHL appearance.

that being said, Johnny Bower was a lot older than he said he was

 

[notDatsyuk]

that being said, Johnny Bower was a lot older than he said he was

Bower's first NHL game was in 1953 (I was alive, but I don't remember it) so he was, at worst, in his early 30s.

Ayres was 42.

Bower's last win was in 68, so he was at least 44 then.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Still not seeing the bob deal. Sports team are like the weather -- what ever happens. We as fans have no control over it, so why worry about it?

Let me get this straight:

You are seriously questioning why people care deeply about a hockey team on a hockey forum dedicated to serious hockey fans, and you think Leafs fandom is not something to be emotional about because you can't control the Leafs?

Whatever happens, happens? Really? Are you just trolling? Fans have emotions, positive and negative, that change depending on a team's performance. That's what fans do. If you don't take being a fan of the team seriously that's fine, that's up to you, but don't act all high and mighty towards those that care more than you.

 

[rumman]

Bower's first NHL game was in 1953 (I was alive, but I don't remember it) so he was, at worst, in his early 30s.

Ayres was 42.

Bower's last win was in 68, so he was at least 44 then.

Rumours were Johnny was much older than his purported age……..