Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher said that he and his teammates have discussed the need to come to each other's defence after captain Auston Matthews was lost for the season in last week's game against Anaheim.Lynne Sladky/The Associated Press
The hit that knocked Auston Matthews out for the season may be yesterday’s news, but the ripple effects from the knee-on-knee collision caused by Anaheim’s Radko Gudas show little signs of dying down.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ effete response to watching their captain leave last Thursday’s game with what ultimately turned out to be torn knee ligaments has been grist for talking-head mills right across North America, while the reaction to the five-game suspension handed down to Gudas has also been predictably pointed.
“We had a conversation in here,” defenceman Troy Stecher said Tuesday morning before the team’s game against the New York Islanders. “Like, we would have loved a response right away. We’re disappointed there wasn’t [any].
“To a man we all looked in the mirror, and it’s unacceptable, especially, like, it’s magnified because it was Matthews, obviously. He’s our captain, he’s our best player, a world-class player. But if that happened to [Jacob] Quillan or [Steven] Lorentz or a Stecher or, it doesn’t matter, you still need your guys in there.”
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As Stecher also pointed out though, the team has moved on from that victory over Anaheim last Thursday, losing in a shootout in Buffalo on Saturday night before winning in Minnesota on Sunday. The Leafs are still a long shot to make the postseason, however, entering Tuesday night’s games 11 points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Still, Craig Berube – the only active head coach in the National Hockey League with over 3,000 penalty minutes to his name – is hardly one looking to brush what happened last week against the Ducks under the carpet. And that’s before you factor in the Leafs’ return engagement with Gudas in Anaheim in 12 days’ time.
“It’s something we’ve talked about almost daily, about getting in there for each other and being physical and hard to play against,” he said. “When somebody takes advantage of [us] … just the other night with the goaltender in Buffalo, [Oliver Ekman-Larsson] is right in there and we have everybody in there. That’s what we need to look like all the time.”
The Tkachuk brothers – Florida winger Matthew and Ottawa captain Brady – both used their Wingmen podcast to turn the crank on Monday. The pair came to the verbal defence of Matthews, rallying around the Team USA captain with whom they won Olympic gold just a couple of weeks ago.
“Like, screw the points; it’s more important in a game like that to stick up for a guy than actually win, especially when you’re that far out of [the] playoffs,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “I think the code there is nobody is coming out of that game without getting hit or a least a little left jab to the face after that.
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (34) had his season ended on this knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks' defenceman Radko Gudas (7) this past Thusday.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
“I mean that should be a scrum after every single whistle, but I don’t know, Brady and I are pretty old school in the way we think. I mean, me and Brady would not have lasted that game if we were on the Leafs.”
The suspension to Gudas also came under the microscope. According to Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving had contacted the league to push for a longer suspension for Gudas, particularly in light of the calibre of player that had his season ended prematurely.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid came to the defence of the department of player safety on Monday, saying that department head George Parros and those that work there have a tough job on their hands. McDavid did add that maybe the league and the players could get together to see if there’s a better way to reach consensus over player discipline that results in less disconnect.
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In the wake of McDavid’s comments, Parros defended the process that arrived at the five-game suspension for Gudas, praising the hockey experience of those who make the disciplinary decisions.
“Our process, I feel very confident in,” Parros said. “We’ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so.”
However, former Leafs captain John Tavares, skating in his 17th NHL season, sided with the Oilers captain on Tuesday, saying, “I think it’s pretty evident that discussion should be had.”
And Stecher, who was playing alongside McDavid earlier this season before being claimed off waivers by Toronto, backed up the pair of them.
“Connor put it the best way,” the Leafs defenceman said.
“It seems like every decision there’s a little bit of frustration from both sides. So it’s not to say that we got to, like, reroute the whole safety department, but maybe let’s get together and talk and find a better solution to what’s going on right now.”