It was history that awaited the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the chance of making it to the Conference Finals for the first time in 23 years, Craig Berube’s boys had immense pressure on them to win Game 7 against the Panthers in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference. And yet, it was the defending champs who emerged victorious with a thumping 6-1 victory. But Brad Marchand isn’t shy to give credit where it’s due.
The former Bruins captain picked up a goal and two assists tonight at the Scotiabank Arena to help Florida advance to the next stage of the 2025 playoffs. With that, Paul Maurice’s boys ended the Leafs’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup once again. However, Brad Marchand seems to think that their divisional comrades shouldn’t be vilified for the slip-up.
The Fourth Period‘s David Pagnotta took to X to share Marchand’s reactions after today’s game. “I think if you look at the heat this team catches, it’s actually really unfortunate. You know, they’ve been working & building something really big here for a while,” Brad said during the post-match presser. He went on with a long face, “…they’re getting crucified, and I don’t think it’s justified,” noting that the loss didn’t take anything away from the Maple Leafs in his books.
Marchand’s reaction might have stemmed from looking at how the crowd reacted to Toronto’s loss at the Scotiabank Arena today. As Auston Matthews and his teammates sought to salute the fans for their backing, the crowd reciprocated with loud boos and even Maple Leafs jerseys and beer cups were thrown onto the ice.
Marchand on the Leafs: “I think if you look at the heat this team catches, it’s actually really unfortunate. You know, they’ve been working & building something really big here for a while, and they were a different brand of hockey this year, and they’re getting crucified, and I… pic.twitter.com/z9Dl00LtL5
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 19, 2025
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The post Brad Marchand Calls Out Toronto Fans for Brutally Disrespecting Leafs Players Post Huge Loss: “They’re Getting Crucified” appeared first on EssentiallySports.