Matthew Tkachuk Defends Maple Leafs Core and Shifts Blame Elsewhere in Post-Series Comments
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk believes the Maple Leafs are much better than people credit them for, and the scrutiny they get is due to their location.
It was yet another disappointing defeat for the Maple Leafs in a Game 7, and with potentially sweeping changes coming over the next few weeks, things are going to be tense in Toronto to say the least.
However the team put in arguably their best performance when it comes to the Auston Matthews era, and while they didn't succeed the way everyone had hoped for, they still deserve credit.
That's a lot to ask from the Toronto media some days, who do their damndest to try and scrutinize every aspect of the team's game.
Sure, we like to analyze and ask questions, but there comes a time when the pressure and scrutiny leans from constructive to destructive.
For Matthew Tkachuk, a player who made a lot of headlines in the second round, he believes that the criticism is unjust and unwarranted.
Matthew Tkachuk Thinks Maple Leafs Get Bad Rap
Speaking on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast a day after eliminating the Maple Leafs in Game 7, Tkachuk took the time to credit the team and made mention that if the team was anywhere else; they may not get so muck flak:
I mean, I think we played well. But it's not all about us. Sometimes you feel bad for them because they've got some unbelievable players and a great team. I was actually saying this to some of the guys last night.
Like, if that team wasn't in Toronto-dealing with all the outside noise and the circus that comes with it-they'd be an unbelievable team and so tough to play against.
They just have so much to deal with. And honestly, I feel bad. We don't have to deal with that in Florida.
I feel like that's what makes me and my team so lucky. But you almost use that pressure against them, you know? The expectations and scrutiny they face day in and day out.
And I wasn't surprised by how they played. They had stretches in those games where they looked really good.
I mean, look at last night-the second half of the first period, they were unreal. Bob had to come up huge for us. So, no-they definitely didn't lay an egg.
They played us hard and pushed it to Game 7.
Like, if that team wasn't in Toronto-dealing with all the outside noise and the circus that comes with it-they'd be an unbelievable team and so tough to play against.
They just have so much to deal with. And honestly, I feel bad. We don't have to deal with that in Florida.
I feel like that's what makes me and my team so lucky. But you almost use that pressure against them, you know? The expectations and scrutiny they face day in and day out.
And I wasn't surprised by how they played. They had stretches in those games where they looked really good.
I mean, look at last night-the second half of the first period, they were unreal. Bob had to come up huge for us. So, no-they definitely didn't lay an egg.
They played us hard and pushed it to Game 7.
For as much distaste the fanbase has for Tkachuk and the Panthers as a whole, he's got a very good point.
Florida has just recently become a powerhouse in the NHL, and had to endure a lot of terrible years but never had to deal with the spotlight of being the NHL's biggest franchise.
Players are first and foremost human beings, and it's often lost on people that athletes can certainly hear the criticism, and it doesn't make them feel any more motivated to do better.
When you win in Toronto you're treated as a hero; when you lose it's like you just burned down an orphanage.
Everyone is up in your face asking why you failed and why you were a disappointment, and to hear that 25-35 times a year is exhausting.
Couple that with a consistently terrible record when it comes to the playoffs and Game 7's collectively, then the media is going to be hounding them even more for their failures and shortcomings.
Toronto had undoubtedly their most successful season, and while it wasn't the ending people wanted, they often forget this team won the Atlantic and was a season that saw several players break out (even if they went absent in the playoffs).
They took the reigning champs to seven games, held a 2-0 lead, and were handicapped by their best goaltender being injured the entire time. Things could have been a lot different, and Florida has to admit they got lucky at the right time too.
But it doesn't matter, and won't matter until Toronto gets to the Conference Finals.
Does that mean that the media is finally going to give them a break?
Probably not, but it's a pretty good start.
| POLL | ||
MAI 19 | 1128 ANSWERS Matthew Tkachuk Defends Maple Leafs Core and Shifts Blame Elsewhere in Post-Series Comments Do you agree with Matthew Tkachuk that the Maple Leafs would be better if they didn't play in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 721 | 63.9 % |
| No | 407 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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