Photo Credits: GETTY IMAGES
The Toronto Maple Leafs received a dose of what could be a playoff preview last night in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Boston showed Toronto why they are one of the top teams in the league.
Following the loss, Maple Leafs captain John Tavares spoke to the media, and his comments caught my attention: “Playing against a team like Boston and games down the stretch, margins are very small. It’s a good lesson for us today. We have to be really good for 60 minutes against good hockey clubs. It’s a good reminder for us.”
My question is, how many times do fans have to hear the word “lessons”?
I understood these comments years ago when guys like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander were coming into their own, but lessons should have been learned five years ago following the 2019 playoff loss to the Boston Bruins.
With all the media training these players have as fans, I would be upset since these comments insult the fan’s intelligence.
I think it would be beneficial for the club to sit down as a team and talk about these “lessons” because the more you hear the word “lessons,” all you can think of is enough is enough. When will these lessons be learned?
Toronto is a good team, but they would be great if they played better against good teams. Unfortunately, when they do play against higher-quality teams, they find a way to look like a middle-of-the-pack to bottom-five team.
Fans can hope that the Leafs learned a lesson after winning a playoff round last season and that the club can use that as a building block for this year.
