Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann had a lot to say on his way out of Toronto.
In an interview with Joshua Kloke of The Athletic this week, McMann suggested that it is very difficult to play in a market like Toronto and for the Leafs.
Bobby McMann talks about how it was hard playing for Maple Leafs
The newest member of the Seattle Kraken was fairly honest with his comments.
“Yeah, it can be," McMann said when asked about if it's hard to play in Toronto. "When things aren’t going well, it’s that much harder to play there, I think. We’re all human, and I think all NHL players at times get put on a pedestal. Everybody lets things get to them to a certain extent, some more than others.
“When things aren’t going well, a lot of us are so critical of ourselves already that then when you start hearing it from things like media, people around town, the people that you aren’t as connected to, oftentimes you try and brush it off. But it’s hard because you’re human, and eventually it gets to you and it starts to wear on you. And you also understand the magnitude of the Leafs in that city and how important hockey is there. So I think a lot of the guys who were really big competitors wear that on their shoulders and wear the weight of the city on their shoulders a lot because of how important the sport is there.”
It's difficult to see this from a player who didn't win or accomplish much while playing for the Leafs in Toronto and it could be seen as someone complaining on the way out.
However, at the same time, when things are going great, there is quite literally no better place to play than Toronto. If you look at the history of this franchise, the fanbase does put players on a pedestal, but it's because they care. Darcy Tucker, Mats Sundin, Curtis Joseph, and Gary Roberts will never have to buy another drink in Toronto again because they showed true passion through hard work that guided them on multiple fun playoff runs.
McMann's comments point towards a bigger issue with this Leafs roster
Those players didn't even have to win a Stanley Cup for them to be looked at as gods in this city. When Sundin left, there was some criticism towards him because he never allowed the team to trade him, but after his career was over, the fan base looks at him in awe, because he cared and didn't whine about the media.
The reason the fan base has turned on this team specifically is because they don't have that passion. Max Domi may be fighting every night but he's not good and he isn't going to help this team win. He can't score a goal and the best player on the Leafs is a guy who cherry picks every night looking for a breakaway, but is also scared to go into the corners.
As fans, we're going to boo when the team looks lifeless and we're going to cheer when they care. If McMann and the rest of the team has hurt feelings over that, then they're in the wrong business and I hope Leafs management can trade them all for players who can take that criticism and translate it success on the ice, instead of complaining about it.