The Top 3 Current Toronto Maple Leafs Conspiracy Theories
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ time in the bubble didn’t go as planned. Is it their fault or are they the victims of an elaborate conspiracy?
There’s nothing like a good conspiracy theory. The Toronto Maple Leafs are often at the center of many of them.
From Jeremy Bracco’s mysterious disappearance to the questionable decision making from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, fans often believe in the presence of some machination to cheat the Leafs out of success.
These are the top three Maple Leafs conspiracy theories currently circulating.
Number Three
Depending on how one views hockey officiating, they may have been scratching their heads when the league announced the referee team of the Toronto Maple Leafs Game Five showdown against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Wes McCauley and Kevin Pollock wore the armbands while Greg Devorski and Matt MacPherson worked the lines. What’s odd about this officiating team was that the referees were last-minute substitutions for Trevor Hanson and Eric Furlatt.
Bit of a shakeup in the NHL ref lineup today. Furlatt/Hanson would've been in the rotation to work #TORvsCBJ, but NHL subbing in McCauley and Pollock - working together for the first time this postseason. https://t.co/kgntc1U6N4
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) August 9, 2020
What is indisputable is the expected number of penalties dropped thanks to this officiating change. This likely wasn’t an accident. According to Scouting the Refs, Hanson called an average of 4.1 penalties and 3.5 minors per game this season. It was the fifth most of any referee in the league. Furlatt called an average of 3.6 penalties and 3.1 minor penalties per game.
Instead of allowing the crew to go on as initially planned, the change was made for a duo where both of the replacement referees made fewer calls on average. Pollock blew down 3.4 penalties and 2.9 minors per game. McCauley shares the third-fewest penalties per game of all the regular officials on staff. He called 3.2 of them, 2.9 of which were minor penalties.
This then begs the question, what’s wrong with using refs that keep their whistle in their pockets? It’s generally detrimental to the more skilled team to give the players more rope. That’s because the opposition will use dirty tactics to slow the more skilled team down. In this series, the Maple Leafs were clearly that group.
If the NHL’s plan was to reduce powerplay opportunities for the Maple Leafs by maintaining more even-strength play, they got exactly what they were looking for. The referee tandem gave the Blue Jackets the man-advantage twice, while the Leafs had just one powerplay.
The refs game management for the rubber match included allowing Mitch Marner to be blatantly tripped by Nick Foligno 46 seconds before Liam Foudy put his team up 2 – 0.
Fans will always blame referees for a perceived mishandling of a game. This conspiracy theory is generated only because the league is also directly involved. If McCauley and Pollock were the originally scheduled duo to preside over Game Five, there would now be fewer fans with raised eyebrows.
Number Two
There are many people who are metaphorically screaming online that the NHL Draft Lottery was rigged. That’s because the ping pong ball emblazoned with the New York Rangers logo was the one that was ultimately chosen.
The controversy mainly stems from the handler’s odd behaviour. For some reason, he drops the Rangers ball into the hopper and then retrieves it.
Most likely, it was because he forgot to hold it for a moment for the cameras to capture a closeup. That hasn’t stopped conspiracists from suggesting the ball was dropped because it was weighted.
The exact moment the NHL rigged the Draft Lottery. Notice the look in his eyes when he dropped the ball in the tube early. Somethin fishy goin on here... pic.twitter.com/oyAYVLEIJO
— christian (@skjeiplswin) August 10, 2020
In order to buy into the idea that this was a rigged lottery thanks to a heavy ball, one must first suspend disbelief. First, forget the idea that a heavier ball would be more likely to drop below the lighter ones. Then, ignore the footage of all the balls bouncing randomly around the clear machine.
A weighted ball isn’t the only suggestion as to how the lottery was fixed. Many social media accounts have drawn attention to the moment that the button was pressed to pull the winning ball up the tube.
At that precise moment, the official presiding over the lottery was looking directly at the bouncing balls. There are many who believe that he waited for the exact location of the Rangers ball before hitting the button. That’s a true talent.
The reason that it’s suggested that this was a rigged process is due to the large market of New York being the beneficiary. It should be good for the league. The same can be said if the Maple Leafs saw their ball rise up through the tube. The conspiracists would have been out in force then too.
Sadly, it wasn’t the Maple Leafs ball that was drawn. As a result, the franchise found themselves seeded to draft thirteenth in the first round. The Buds had already traded that pick (it was top-10 protected) to the Carolina Hurricanes when they unloaded Patrick Marleau’s big-ticket contract. The Canes now get a shot at a valuable prospect.
Number One
It appears as though Mitch Marner is often at the center of one conspiracy or another. When the winger was negotiating his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it appeared as though every reporter with new information was accused of being in cahoots with the Marner camp.
Social media was full of people accusing hockey journalists of secretly being Mitch’s dad, Paul Marner. When that wasn’t happening, it was suggested that media personalities were in the pocket of Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris.
Now that the Toronto Maple Leafs are on the sidelines for the 2020 playoffs, the Marner conspiracies are back out in force. There are some who believe that Paul is actively leaking toxic material to the media in order to help his son’s image.
This includes suggesting that Marner should be traded to a team where he is respected as their best player.
The narrative that the media is unfairly favorable to Marner has also returned. There are accusations that Marner gets a free pass because he is Canadian while William Nylander gets skewered mostly because he is European.
This suggestion is almost laughable, especially since pundits and analysts like Don Cherry have been weeded out of the mainstream hockey fabric. Oh, and William Nylander is actually Canadian.
There may be some truth to members of the media communicating with those closest to the players. However, it would be surprising to expect established media members to subtly act as that player’s mouthpiece. A good conspiracy should include some motive for action. The media isn’t that desperate for content.
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There seems to never be a shortage of conspiracy theories surrounding the Maple Leafs. Hopefully, one next season is created by fans of other teams, suggesting something’s afoot after Toronto finally ends their cup drought.