Auston Matthews is a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Remember when the overwhelming elation of such a thought existed as the lone sentiment this fickle fanbase could agree upon?
Today, thanks to a lacklustre (by Matthews’ standards) Game Four performance, old-timey grit guys can’t help themselves but rise from the woodwork, all with the sole intent of criticizing the single most talented player this franchise has seen in over a century.
Just look at these dummies:
Matthews has a long way to go to be ‘the best in the world’ as Babcock often talks about. He’s not even the best on the Leafs. #Leafs #TMLTalk
— Russell Moore (@MooreRussell) April 20, 2018
To them, I say this:
Take a second, re-evaluate the various choices leading you to this moment, and toss your phone into Lake Ontario at such a speed that Aroldis Chapman develops genuinely romantic feelings for you.
Get it Together
No person in hockey, be it player or coach, is above criticism. Such a thought is one I’ve preached all season long, usually referring to Mike Babcock‘s repeatedly mind-boggling personnel snafus.
Matthews fits into this category as well, albeit in a different context.
Babcock is a 54-year-old adult making upwards of $8 million per year to coach the Leafs. Matthews, a borderline teenager, lives each day with the full weight of hockey’s most illustrious franchise placed squarely on his shoulders.
You tell me which one deserves some slack.
It’s funny to witness the specific players some Leafs fans choose to criticize, while simultaneously letting a select few completely off the hook.
Here’s a fun game. Without cheating, describe to me a single significant play you remember James van Riemsdyk making last night. If that’s too hard, do it for Tyler Bozak instead. How about Ron Hainsey, the trusted veteran?
Can’t do it? Oh, well what a surprise!
The market turning a blind eye to the utter invisibility of their team’s veterans in favour of skewering their franchise player is the same market responsible for running Phil Kessel out of town while ignoring that he played under a coach who unironically believed a Colton Orr-Fraser MacLaren fourth line was a swell idea.
Breeding Mediocrity
This isn’t a new development.
Despite having heavy power play minutes handed to him all year, Leo Komarov compiled just 19 points in 74 games, bogging down Nazem Kadri to the point where the latter went pointless for an entire month. Then, practically the second following the orchestration of his exodus from Komarov’s wing, Kadri returned to his usual 30 goal pace.
Of course, that’s just a coincidence, right?
And still, despite all the otherwise indisputable evidence, it’s William Nylander who #BabCult disciples channel their scrutiny towards.
Such a truly incomprehensible thought process reveals a broken mentality of player assessment so deeply ingrained within this fanbase that it’s bred an environment built on a foundation of mediocrity.
Where are the Vets?
JVR, fresh off a 36-goal campaign, is expected to command upwards of $7 million per year this summer in free agency. Maybe, and just hear me out, but maybe HE should be catching some flack too. Really, aside from some net-front jostling, the nine-year vet was downright invisible Thursday night.
This goes double for Bozak, the longest-tenured Leaf.
The guy mustered a paltry 11 goals despite playing half the year next to Mitch Marner, and not a peep is uttered about it. This is Bozak’s ninth year donning the blue and white. He’s 32-years-old. Call me crazy, but it’s entirely plausible for him to be facing the music every time he embarks upon his annual February-March offensive sabbatical, failing to return for the playoffs.
I mean, this series has produced some of the fastest, most skill-dependent hockey of the Matthews-Era. And still, there remains a group of real-life people who truly believe, from the bottom of their blessed hearts, that Matt Martin is the missing ingredient of the victory pie.
Keep in mind, this is the same Martin who, following his removal from the lineup, watched his teammates play the rest of the season at a 119-point pace without him.
Get it Together
If this franchise is truly destined for greatness, the fanbase needs to start acting the part.
No question, the playoffs are an intense time of year. And what’s the number one cliche coaches tell their young players during the postseason’s lead up?
Act like you’ve been there before.
It’s a cliche for a reason, a mantra the entirety of Leafs Nation, including myself, needs to hear.
Regardless of how this series unfolds, the Leafs are bound to lose a few playoff games over the upcoming years. Last time I checked, not a single team has swept their way to a Stanley Cup in recent memory. With that said, Twitter simply cannot devolve into a reenactment of The Purge every time the Leafs don’t come out on top.
Fans who’ve truly “been there before” don’t attack their franchise’s 20-year-old stars when their performance is anything but dominant.
Next: Adam Brooks and Progress
And if they don’t do it, you shouldn’t either.