Sergei Bobrovsky called out for selfish gesture towards Gavin McKenna

Sergei Bobrovsky is getting a lot of heat from Maple Leafs fans for what they believe was a selfish act by not letting Gavin McKenna have the spotlight.

In the first game of the 2026-27 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs had several big debuts including newly acquired Kirill Marchenko, Sergei Bobrovsky, and first overall pick Gavin McKenna.

Despite the fact they lost 3-2 against the Canadiens, there is a lot of hope and excitement still and given that it was the first game of the season, it's still so early to make any sort of judgement calls regarding how this team is going to play together.

Bobrovsky robs McKenna of his important moment alone

But there is a judgement call that people are already making and it's certainly a more 'guilty' verdict than anything - and it concerns Bobrovsky and McKenna:

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In McKenna's NHL debut, in typical fashion, he was expected to take the first lap on his own as he soaked in the atmosphere, but looking up at the video above - Bobrovsky took charge. Heading onto the ice and skating to the side, it kind of took away from the moment everyone was waiting for.

And fans are not too pleased with how Bobrovsky handled himself, feeling like he was trying to one up the rookie:

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Bobrovsky wasn't one-upping, he's just his own man

However, not every fan is under the impression that Bobrovsky was trying to one-up the rookie, as it was more down to him being locked in and having his own routine that he refuses to stray from:

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And granted, Bobrovsky is a two-time Cup winner who is known for having a meticulous routine that makes sure he is as mentally and physically prepared as possible. There was no malicious intent behind the move and it was just Bobrovsky being Bobrovsky.

It wasn't as if Bobrovsky had the intention of ruining McKenna's night and frankly, this is something that should blow over sooner than later.

But for some, maybe it would have been nice if Bobrovsky had just stepped back one time.

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