Tag: Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL fans roasted John Tavares for reportedly promoting a magic amulet that blocks Wi-Fi signals

John Tavares reportedly endorses a magic amulet with healing properties and NHL fans had so many jokes about it.

NHL endorsements probably don’t get much weirder than magic amulets and for that we have John Tavares to thank.

Over the last few days, a post on Twitter/X from Washington Post reporter Will Sommer has gone viral in the NHL sphere. In the tweet, Sommer explains that Russell Brand — former actor turned conspiracy theorist and reportedly all-around piece of work — has been selling magic amulets that protect people from Wi-Fi signals and evil energies for nearly $250 a pop.

On it’s own, it’s a pretty weird story. But where does Tavares factor in? Well, in a quote tweet off the original, user @BacklogReviewer dove further into the magical amulets and found out that Tavares was featured on the website Aires Tech where they can be purchased, stating that they help him recover faster from injury. Tavares’ page has since been removed, but he still features in the drop-down menu under “Aires Athletes” as of this article’s publication.

Given that hockey fans are, well, hockey fans, this revelation caused a mass outpouring of memes and jokes from the NHL community. Of course, it’s unclear if Tavares actually endorses these magic amulets or if Aires Tech fabricated the whole thing, but hockey fans could not help but roast the Toronto Maple Leafs’ alternate captain for it all the same.

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Two Wisconsin hockey alumni compete in electric NHL Playoffs Game 7

Two Wisconsin hockey alumni compete in electric NHL Playoffs Game 7

Wisconsin hockey alumni Trent Frederic and Jake McCabe squared off in Game 7 of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins’ first-round series on Saturday.

The Bruins triumphed in overtime 2-1 on a game-winning goal from David Pastrnak. McCabe played over 24 minutes for the Leafs as a defenseman while the Bruins’ Frederic registered two shots in over 15 minutes of skating. 

Frederic, who last played in Madison in 2018, was an alternate captain during his sophomore season. He appeared in 36 games for UW, captained the Badgers with 17 goals and finished second on the team with 32 points.

The Boston Bruins drafted the St. Louis, Missouri native with the No. 29 overall pick of the 2016 NHL entry draft. He’s played for the Bruins for six seasons, with 47 goals and 94 points in 280 career games. 

McCabe, a seasoned NHL veteran, has played for three teams during his 11-year NHL career. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin departed Madison as a first-team All-Big Ten member and assistant captain and was named a CCM American Hockey Coaches Association First-Team West All-American.

McCabe was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 44 overall pick of the 2012 NHL entry draft. In 11 combined campaigns with the Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks and Maple Leafs, McCabe has totaled 152 points and 119 assists in 577 games played.

NHL fans ripped Mitch Marner for his awful back-checking effort on the Bruins’ Game 7 winning goal

Mitch Marner has some explaining to do.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had an incredible 3-1 series comeback over the Boston Bruins in hand. Then they went, and Leafs’d it all up (yes, we’re making that a verb now). And well, of course, they did!

With their season on the line, with one unlucky and bad bounce capable of sending them home, the Maple Leafs got caught sleeping at the worst possible time in the early stages of overtime in Saturday night’s Game 7. Specifically, while various Toronto players froze while back-checking, it’s Mitch Marner’s that is the hardest to overlook.

That’s because he got caught puck-watching while his man, Boston’s David Pastrnak, skated right behind him to get in position for the game-winning goal. The sequence remains so brutal on every rewatch if you’re a Toronto fan:

While Pastrnak deserves credit for the skillful finish — and yes, it was an unlucky bounce for Toronto — it’s hard not to wonder what happens if Marner doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel. These are the kinds of “little” plays that hockey players have no choice but to make if they want their team’s season to continue. Instead, in the biggest moment of the Maple Leafs’ season, Marner froze, and that was just enough to let the Bruins and Pastrnak sneak by.

(Note: Marner also had just three points in the seven-game series. He is a first-line player for Toronto. Yikes.)

Despite an incredibly talented core of players on paper, the Maple Leafs now have seven first-round losses in the postseason since 2017. The franchise has not advanced past the second round since 2002. With players like Marner making basic mistakes like this, it’s not too hard to see why this time of year remains a veritable torture chamber for Toronto fans.

NHL fans were naturally aghast over Marner’s effort on the Bruins’ game-winning goal:

The pink Stanley cup craze led to so many NHL jokes about Canada and the Maple Leafs

NHL fans are roasting Canada and the Maple Leafs as the pink Stanley cup craze went viral.

We’ve explained to you the craze over the pink Stanley cups everyone is lining up to buy at Target, but we mentioned in there that there’s a very large difference between the 40-ounce limited-edition Stanley cup and the much larger Stanley Cup that’s awarded to the NHL’s champion every year.

But of course when there’s something that shares a name even if it’s a cup versus a Cup, you know the jokes are going to be everywhere.

The theme here? Ragging on Canada and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The entire nation hasn’t had a Stanley Cup winner since 1993 (when the Montreal Canadiens won) and the Leafs haven’t hoisted one since 1967.

So … here you go. So many jokes:

Ouch.

 

 

 

 

Hockey fans were speechless after the Maple Leafs discovered a new, excruciating way to lose

Only the Maple Leafs would lose after a five-goal third period comeback.

The Toronto Maple Leafs really know how to put their fans through the wringer.

After years of playoff disappointments, you’d think Maple Leafs fans would be used to the epic highs and lows of Toronto hockey by now. And yet, on Thursday, the Maple Leafs found a new, agonizing way to lose a hockey game.

Headed into the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Maple Leafs were down 5-0 after actively being booed off the ice by their fans. Things weren’t looking great for the Maple Leafs when suddenly, the team started to wake up. Goals from William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Jake McCabe, and Auston Matthews quickly cut the Blue Jackets lead to 5-4.

And then, with less than a minute left in the third, Matthews tied the game 5-5 to send it to overtime!!

But unfortunately, even though the Maple Leafs got themselves back in the game to force a miraculous overtime, the Blue Jackets stole the win in the extra time off Kent Johnson’s tally.

That right there is the Maple Leafs experience in a nutshell. Absolute agony as they dig themselves into a hole, a spark of hope as they make an inexplicable comeback, then back to misery as they lose.

At least this was a regular season game — where the Maple Leafs got a point in the standings no less! — and not in the playoffs. Silver linings, perhaps?

NHL fans, on the other hand, were stunned at this latest catastrophic Maple Leafs loss after engineering a five-goal third period comeback.

Watch: Former Notre Dame forward Jake Evans scores on breakaway

Nothing was going to stop him on this.

Former Notre Dame forward [autotag]Jake Evans[/autotag] had a rough 2022-23 season, missing over two months with an injury. He didn’t score after coming back, meaning his last goal of the season came Jan. 12. The new season already appears promising though.

Evans’ Montreal Canadiens played their first game of the year against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Early in the first period, he pounced on a turnover by TJ Brodie and had an easy breakaway. Despite the Leafs’ attempts to stop him, it was too little too late as he finished in front of the crease:

As exciting as the moment was for Evans, it proved to be a footnote in the game. Auston Matthews scored a hat trick, which included his 300th career goal to make him the fastest U.S.-born player to achieve that milestone. However, it took a shootout for the Leafs to defeat the Habs, 6-5.

While surely a disappointing outcome for Evans and his teammates, he at least has to be encouraged by this particular play. Here’s hoping he has many more of those over the next several months.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen had a thrilled on-stage reaction after learning the Maple Leafs won

The Force is strong with this Maple Leafs reaction from Toronto fan Hayden Christensen.

Star Wars and Shattered Glass actor Hayden Christensen got the most welcomed surprise during an appearance at the Calgary Expo on Saturday.

Christensen, who earned global notoriety for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the Star Wars prequels, is from Canada and has been a Toronto Maple Leafs fan for quite some time.

As the Leafs made history by advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years, a fan shouted out the result to Christensen while he was on stage doing a Q-&-A.

Sporting a Maple Leafs cap, he promptly stood up and looked absolutely delighted as he cheered for the news.

Toronto hasn’t advanced in a playoff series since 2004, back when Christensen was still actively playing Anakin Skywalker.

As you can imagine, Maple Leafs fans are jubilant for their historic series victory, and Christensen joins his fellow Canadians in celebrating the massive achievement.

The radio call of John Tavares’ game-winning goal for the Maple Leafs will give you goosebumps

The radio call for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ seismic series win on Saturday is everything.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made history on Saturday night as the team advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Leafs forward John Tavares knocked in the series-winning goal in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road, which naturally sent the Toronto bench and players into a celebratory frenzy.

It’s just the best thing in the world to see a long-suffering team like the Maple Leafs finally get over the playoff hump after such a drought. The call on Maple Leafs radio exclaimed those extremely joyous feelings as good as anyone.

Like, how can you not love that? The thrill of hard-fought victory is exciting enough in the playoffs of any sport, but this radio call sums up the nearly two decades it’s taken for the Maple Leafs to get back into hockey’s good graces.

While Toronto still has a formidable road ahead of it to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, the Leafs are going to soak in this franchise-altering series win for quite some time.

The 9 most electric photos from the Maple Leafs’ cathartic first round victory celebrations

A celebration 19 years in the making for the Maple Leafs and fans!

You can forgive the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans for these rambunctious celebrations, considering it’s been nearly two decades since their last playoff series win.

In Game 6 on Saturday, the Maple Leafs bested the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime on John Tavares’ series-winning goal. The Maple Leafs last advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2004 and now, after years of heartbreak and disappointments, the dream has come true.

Seriously, the scenes coming out of Toronto right now are something else. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup! But no, this is what nearly two decades of back-breaking playoff losses do to a franchise and let me tell you, it’s glorious to see the catharsis.

All that celebrating from players and fans alike definitely have made for an unforgettable moment. Here are the nine best photos from the Maple Leafs incredible first round victory celebrations.

The Maple Leafs won their first playoff series in 19 years and fans went absolutely wild

The curse is finally broken, Toronto!

This is a day Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been waiting to see for nearly two decades.

On Saturday, the Maple Leafs bested the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. John Tavares scored the overtime winner for the Maple Leafs after Tampa Bay tied the game up early on in the third period.

After going up 3-1 in the series, the Maple Leafs allowed the Lightning to bring the series back to Tampa Bay for one more game. Thankfully for Maple Leafs fans, the team finally closed out a playoff series with a gritty victory for the first time in 19 years thanks to Tavares’ stunning overtime winner.

Talk about a moment many, many years of playoff disappointments in the making! For years, the Maple Leafs have failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, with many a Game 7 loss to their name. Now, however, the team gets to play a new slate of playoff hockey with the weight of the world off their shoulders.

And clearly, it meant a lot to the team, as here’s how general manager Kyle Dubas reacted to the victory.

Plus, Maple Leafs radio went wild, as expected.

Here’s how Maple Leafs fans reacted on Twitter after the historic and cathartic victory.