Leafs fans aren't buying Morgan Rielly's forced physical pushback after failing Auston Matthews
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Morgan Rielly dropped the gloves a week late, and while it's better than nothing it seemed to rub fans the wrong way as they don't believe the sudden show of fire the team has shown lately.
A lot of flak recently has been placed on the Maple Leafs for not protecting their captain, and it even led to the GM of the team making personal calls to members of the team to give them a piece of his mind.
But suddenly, the team is showing a lot more passion and even had long-time veteran Morgan Rielly dropping the gloves. While it wasn't a great fight, it at least shows a side of Rielly we rarely see.
The forced physical response from Morgan Rielly feels entirely performative to the fanbase
And came way too late.
It's something that fans have taken umbrage to considering that a week ago, Rielly just stood idly by and never even spoke to Radko Gudas after he kneed Auston Matthews and put him out for the year and the fan reaction is exactly what you'd expect:
The general consensus from fans is that they are not really concerned with the fact that Rielly showed some fire; it's all they wanted. But the fact he did it in a meaningless game and a week after his captain was hurt is inexcusable.
It felt more like lip service to say 'Hey! See! We can fight!' But where was that fight earlier in the year when you had a genuine shot? You can't have your cake and eat it too; own up to your shortcomings.
Joseph Woll's direct praise proves Morgan Rielly's physical shift is actively uniting the locker room
But it was Joseph Woll who actually had lots of praise for Rielly, and noted that this shift in his mentality has been seen throughout the locker room:
That's huge. Over the last few games, the urgency to protect guys out there has been awesome from our team. Mo's obviously not a guy who's always looking to fight, so for him to jump in and do that means a lot. Pretty awesome of him.
Over the last few games, there's been an emphasis on standing up for our teammates, and we've done a great job of that, whether it's guys you expect or guys you wouldn't. That's the making of a good team.
Over the last few games, there's been an emphasis on standing up for our teammates, and we've done a great job of that, whether it's guys you expect or guys you wouldn't. That's the making of a good team.
You can't fault Woll for praising his team's toughness, and Rielly did go after someone who bumped his goaltender, so it makes a lot of sense for him to stick up for him.
This is the kind of fire fans have been hoping for and the fact that it came late is bad, there's some hope still. If they can prove that this fire isn't just because of their captain and they come out next season showing the same fire; that's real change.
But if things are a united front now, even if they lose games it'll make things more watchable and at least protect those around them for the next dozen games.
Right now, with an unwatchable product that could be their best course of action going forward.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 18|763 ANSWERS Leafs fans aren't buying Morgan Rielly's forced physical pushback after failing Auston Matthews Do you think the Maple Leaf are showing real passion? | ||
| Yes | 139 | 18.2 % |
| No | 624 | 81.8 % |
| List of polls | ||