In this article I would like to discuss some of the most disliked Maple Leafs players. Some teams just despised certain players the Buds would ice and I don’t blame them one bit!
It wasn’t always the fighters or goal scorers that were hated, usually a combination of a number of things or a specific incident that would really get under the skin of some fans and obviously players. Personally, I loved those players growing up and I’ve even been lucky enough to have met some of them in real life, shook their hands and told them how I loved when “this happened….
Everyone has their own list of players they hated from other teams, for example I’ve never liked Daniel Alfreddsson (crusty the clown), nor did I like Sean Avery and I still dislike that little puke Brad Marchand. Mind you, Marchand has really improved his game overall and I give him credit on that, but he’s still a runt that id enjoy watching someone label him with a few good shots to that big beak of his.
I’m going to list five players that other teams/players couldn’t stand the sight of who wore the blue and white.
Starting at number 5…
Leo Komarov: Leo isn’t like the other hated Leafs players, he doesn’t often fight and he isn’t as much of a Wildman as the others. But what he is good at is annoying the opposition, he’s a grade A pest who hits hard, chirps in a number of different languages and really pisses people off.
Last season “Uncle Leo… scored a goal after taking a beating in front of the oppositions net and he put his arm around the defender to celebrate his goal. The Capitals defender Orpik was furious after Leo scored the goal, which was assisted by Matthews on an incredible spinning pass from behind the net.
It’s certainly not the first person that Leo has upset on the Capitals as Komarov and Williams had a little battle going on all playoff series last season. Straight up, Komarov is annoying to play against and it’s great as his teammates love him and his antics.
You know who doesn’t love Uncle Leo? Drew Doughty! He can’t handle Komarov and his constant irritating play as he never gives up. Check out this little clip:
Gary scored in triple overtime to beat the Senators in the 2002 playoffs. He also laid an absolutely filthy hit on Kenny Jonsson from behind in the 2002 playoffs to end his season. It was the definition of bone crushing and when Gary has someone lined up on the forecheck they better be prepared to take the hit and not try to turn up the boards. Gary ate Jonsson for breakfast and spit him out for dinner.
The Leafs pounded the Islanders 6-1 and there was a line brawl in the dying seconds of the game. Of course number 7 was in the midst of the action and had no fear as always. Islanders fans must really dislike Gary Roberts, but I sure do love the intensity of “Big Gare… and will forever remember his rawness. If you recall in 2016, Roberts and Draper got a little chippy in the Leafs vs Wings Alumni game, Roberts would have eaten Draper alive so it’s a good thing the game was for fun!
Here is Roberts and Draper in action at the alumni game:
Wendel Clark: Before Auston Matthews was selected as the number one pick, the last Leafs number one overall selection was Wendel Clark. If Clark wouldn’t have played such a beastly game he would have lasted a lot longer, but that wasn’t how Wendel played the game of hockey. Clark exploded into the NHL with 34 goals in his rookie season with a crazy 227 penalty minutes. You didn’t want to fight Clark nor did you want to get in his way, he would run you over and you would feel it. He followed up with 37 goals in his second season and magically added to his penalty total with 271 minutes. The Leafs made the playoffs both of those seasons and Clark was a huge reason why. A healthy Clark would have been so destructive, but his back was not the best and he missed a number of games throughout his career with the Maple Leafs but will always be loved by all Leafs fans and hated by all other teams.
One of my favorite Tucker moments was when he tried to fight the entire Ottawa Senators bench, literally!
Tie Domi: Quite possibly the only players to ever fight two players at once is Tie Domi. The Leafs were playing the Stars and Domi was talking smack to two players and called them both on, he started the fight by punching both players in the face at the same time, not once but twice!
A moment I will never forget was when the Leafs were playing against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Domi was in the penalty box and there was a fan giving him a hard time, so Tie leaned over the glass with his water bottle and squirted the livid fan. The fan went nuts and ended up falling into the penalty box when the glass gave way and Domi fed him a few shots before the ref got in there and broke it up. Flyers fans must love big Domer.
Domi will certainly be known as one of the greatest fighters for the Maple Leafs. Here is a fights and hits video for you to check out.