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Toronto Maple Leafs most hated players around the NHL |
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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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zrZwHLWVAE
Gary Roberts:
“Big Gare” was legendary when he played for the Maple Leafs, especially in the playoffs when he went into warrior mode and would ignite the Leafs fans and bench with bone crushing hits and clutch goals. Gary played for the Leafs in four straight seasons from 2000/01 – 2003/04. In 2001/02 the Leafs had a solid team, one that could have made it to the finals, in 19 games Roberts scored 7 goals, and chipped in 12 assists and a whopping 56 minutes in penaltys. He was an absolute animal. To put into perspective, Roberts played 69 games in the regular season and had 63 penalty minutes, so you can only imagine him getting 56 penalty minutes in 19 games, he was a wild man.
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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bft65Rfkq2w
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.
Clark was an absolute beast. In 793 games he had 1690 penalty minutes and I assure you he would have had more if he was healthier as he had no fear fighting anyone at any time. In 1992/93 and 1993/94 the Leafs were a powerhouse and Clark was on a war path. He scored 46 goals in 64 games in 94/94 and the Leafs should have went to the Cup finals that season if it weren’t for the famous Gretzky high stick on Gimour. What a disgrace it was and always will be. Clark got in so many fights and laid so many hits there are too many to pin point in a blog, so here is a link to my favorite Wendel Clark youtube video. You watch how he fights, hits and protects his teammates like a Captain, quite possibly the best Leafs Captain ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1yS5RR2LE
Darcy Tucker:
Quite possibly the biggest hit I’ve ever seen laid in the NHL was Darcy Tucker leveling Sami Kapanen. (sorry Kasperi). The smallest player in my list is Darcy but he certainly had the biggest heart when it came to standing up for himself and his teammates. Tucker would get leveled often and he would always get back up, and the fiery in his eyes was visible from the nose bleeds. Darcy was a bit of a wild one, and by a bit I mean he was a lunatic at times.
One of my favorite Tucker moments was when he tried to fight the entire Ottawa Senators bench, literally!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eQkXSj0pZs
Tucker was 5’10 and 170 pounds but had no problems holding his own. He may be the most hated Leafs player of all time by most teams. Certainly the Canadiens and Senators fans will agree with me on this one. Tucker was like a squirrel on speed on the ice, he was wild. Tucker had a 59 points season in 2001/02 and a 61 point season (career high) in 2005/06. He also had multiple seasons where he had over 100 penalty minutes; he was certainly the feistiest Leafs player I can remember in my life.
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6ej477GxM
Domi has had many memorable moments, some good, and some bad. A few bad ones were when Domi knocked out Ulf Samuelsson with a one punch in front of the Flyers net (sucker punch). Another brutal one was when Domi elbowed Scott Niedermayer in the playoffs and was kicked out for the remainder of the playoffs. (this was one that I didn’t like).
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbKc37h-nvs
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!
Blogger •Atlantic Division Writer • 
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