Leafs fans, former NHL stars tear apart team after ‘embarrassing' Game 5 loss to Panthers
It started during Game 5 on Wednesday night, when Maple Leafs fans showered the team in boos as the contest against Florida Panthers began to get out of hand on the scoreboard.
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Leafs Nation showed its displeasure with the squad — with a few jerseys even thrown on the ice at Scotiabank Arena and many fans leaving long before the game had officially ended.
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There's been MULTIPLE Leafs jerseys thrown on the ice in this 3rd period 😶 pic.twitter.com/zVBblVDTDQ
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 15, 2025
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The harsh thoughts towards the team didn't stop there, with social media exploding with criticisms of the Leafs.
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During an intermission on ESPN's broadcast of the Oilers-Golden Knights game later on Wednesday night, the panel of former NHL stars tore into the Toronto stars.
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'The lack of emotion I see, I would be pissed off,' said Chris Pronger, a former Hart Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champ. 'I would be sitting there dejected, at a loss for words as to how we just laid an egg in … potential their careers.
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'Toronto did not come to play,' he added.
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The ESPN NHL crew on the Maple Leafs...
Chris Pronger: "The lack of emotion I see... I would be pissed off."
Mark Messier: "This what was the worst performance we've seen in a long time..."
P.K. Subban: "Embarrassing... If they lose this series, there has to be a change..." pic.twitter.com/sSDo5wSAcj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 15, 2025
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'This was the worst performance we've seen in a long time in a game that had so many implications,' said Mark Messier, one of the greatest leaders the sport has ever seen. 'They have to come back and show some character in Game 6 because that was not a good performance.'
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P.K. Subban called the Leafs 'the definition of mediocrity,' while also calling out team president Brendan Shanahan for the squad's repeated playoff failures.
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'Brendan Shanahan has to be asking himself 'what do I have to do?' but also has to look at himself in the mirror,' he said. 'He went out and acquired all these players, coaches and GMs, it hasn't worked out.
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'This was the biggest game for them in the past two decades. A 6-1 loss in front of your fans is embarrassing,' Subban continued, adding that 'if they lose this series, there has to be a change, there has to be a change in leadership … it's unacceptable.'
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