Sunshine State sweep has Leafs riding high
Players show character in bouncing back from discouraging loss to Zamboni driver
Every public condemnation of the Toronto Maple Leafs as a bad team seems to be followed by a commendation for being very good at crisis management.
Three-quarters of the way through a season of numerous nadirs — Mike Babcock, the goaltending, lack of depth and grit — this particular past week might be the craziest. It began with a loss to the Zamboni Goalie and a full-out autopsy on GM Kyle Dubas and a season gone wrong, only to have their fifth major injury, the third to a key defenceman, not deter them from sweeping the Sunshine State. It included a huge 5-3 win over Florida to protect their playoff aspirations.
Thus once more they can expect an ovation at Scotiabank Arena when they step out onto the ice on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, appreciation from many of same people who booed them off the ice for losing to middle-aged average guy David Ayres a week ago today.
“It’s been a whirlwind, ups and downs, losing to a Zamboni driver,” a smiling Travis Dermott said after Thursday’s win. “It’s all growing pains. It’s all stuff that you go through. And you always look back after on the bright side, kind of laugh, and realize that it’s something you’re stronger for.”
Chuckles have been in short supply for the paying customers. While today’s roster can’t be held responsible for what’s happened since the last Stanley Cup championship in 1967, today’s team has felt the brunt of fan displeasure as it appeared at times that another rebuild has gone off the rails.
“I find the lows here are very low and the highs can be very high,” said leading scorer Auston Matthews as his fourth season plays out. “For us, the key is to stay level-headed through all this. (Thursday) was a big win, now we’re on to the next one.”
Two factors helped fuel Thursday’s comeback from a 3-1 hole, in the eyes of coach Sheldon Keefe.
There was Kasperi Kapanen, who registered another goal/ fight game.
And there was a Leafs-friendly crowd of snowbirds in Sunrise.
“We’re in South Florida, but the number of jerseys in the building, the passion, the noise ... it’s pretty special,” said first year NHL coach Keefe. “Those kinds of things give you a boost.
“There’s a lot of hockey left. Our players have responded as we needed them to. We can’t control what happened (last Saturday), it’s done, it’s in the past. Let’s take care of what he can control. We definitely have responded and I’m sure our fans recognize that. You can see the reaction down here. Talking to them at the arena, they’re still excited and behind us a team.”
Kapanen saw Dermott get rammed into the boards rather emphatically by Florida’s Lucas Wallmark, and concerned his mate’s surgically repaired shoulder might have been targeted, wound up slugging it out with Mackenzie Weegar. Last week, Kapanen was fighting in defence of lightweight rookie Rasmus Sandin.
“It seems to be presenting itself to me as of late,” Kapanen said, still sporting the gash on his nose from Pittsburgh’s Jared Mccann. “It’s not me looking for anything. Sometimes ... stuff happens. I’m not going to back down, I’m going to step up to the plate.
“If that (Dermott hit) wouldn’t have happened, I would not have been doing that. I think it means a lot to the team for anyone to show a little emotion. We look out for each other, it’s a big part of this team. If it wasn’t me, it would have been someone else.”
It’s quite a hike from the Douglas firs in Stanley Park, snowcapped Grouse Mountain or a Pacific Ocean sunset.
But Toronto-based Vancouver Canucks fans who have been squeezed on all sides by Leafs Nation now at least have a team-themed watering hole of their own. Score On King, which opened 10 months ago downtown at Church and King Street East, is declaring itself sovereign Canucks’ territory, in the spirit of Leafs bars established in other Canadian NHL cities.
Hogtown has many proud transplants from British Columbia, and with the Canucks making their only Toronto stop of the season on Saturday, they’ll be out in force.
“We’re trying to build a Canucks’ community,” said Score on King manager Dan Skokan, a native of North Delta, B.C. “There are Canucks fans here starving for something such as this, or who are travelling through Toronto and want to see their team.
“I’m more than happy to get it going, for selfish reasons as a fan, and because there are lots of people I know who want to do the same, if they’re not already at the game itself.
“We’re committing to show every Canucks game on TV the rest of this season. I think the Canucks are going to make the playoffs and create a buzz.”
Skokan, who partnered with the original Score bar in Vancouver, says the T.O. location will add some Canucks memorabilia to the wall, and by next season, hopes to arrange a large promotion around the Canucks’ visit when the 2020-21 schedule is released in June.
“We’re not a full-on sports bar, so we’re not going all out with flags and things like that. But we have several TVS, and if people ever want to watch another team, we’ll be respectful.”