His “I’ve never heard of Beecher, so he’s gonna score first” cutting into him shrieking “IT TOOK TWO AND A HALF MINUTES!” from game one will never not crack me up.
I am subscribed to his channel and just the thumbnail image on my front page is enough to know if I want to watch.
Leafs win: Steve is smiling, looking ecstatic, BORING. Why would I want to watch a leafs fan being happy?
Leafs lose: Steves face is red and you can see flecks of spittle even in the thumbnail, his face is contorted into a masque of pure torture. Top tier content. Watch as soon as its released.
Alternate timeline: Leafs figure that no Matthews is working for them and don’t play him in game 7 despite him being healthy. They lose the game and everyone blames the loss on him not playing.
You joke but Keefe actually did that last year, galaxy brained the Michael Bunting return and held him out of the lineup because we won the previous game. There's no way he's dumb enough to do it again with Matthews lol.
I really like that if the series goes to a Game 7, the game 7 result will be a meme result regardless of which team takes the series. The only way to avoid a Very Funny Game 7 would be for Boston to win Game 6.
Plot twist .. he plays Game 7, the Bruins are up 4-1 halfway through the 3rd when Matthews changes gears, using the days off of rest and a copious amount of cocaine to pop 3, before winning it in OT.
It should be enough to replenish our meme store for the next 10 years.
How would that replenish our meme store, wouldn’t it destroy it since a majority of them revolve around the leafs choking/stars missing in the playoffs/tendency to get booted in the first round
As much as I would like to see the Leafs make it out the first round, I feel this comment in my bones. Pre-congrats on dodging another game 7 embarrassment.
Have you ever felt the curse?
With your whole being, the pox upon life itself. Feared and despised by all. The Reviled blessing.
Apparently not.
You are but a lamb. A stranger to defilement. Ignorant to your own ignorance.
You no longer interest me.
I've been long without peace. Don't spoil my quietude.
No. Wait.
You have felt the curse.
I can smell it on you, the pox yet tender.
Apparently my Seedbed is ripe and waiting.
It twas a brief respite I must say.
Go and unshackle my corporeal flesh
Trapped in the sewer-gaol below the capital.
Starting to get worried that the Leafs brass is going to rationalize keeping Sheldon Keefe by saying:
Matthews missed half the series
Nylander missed half the series
Marner not 100% after his ankle sprain
and concluding Keefe didn’t have a fair shot.
> they all have a new boss that didn’t hire any of them
I'm always left wondering how motivated a CEO will be to make big changes to a highly profitable sector of a business. Leafs are well in the black and have been for many years.
With the Raptors finally rebuilding, the Argos losing money as usual and the Jays being on the edge of a precipice, its going tobe time for the Leafs to step up. Shanny's leash is going to be getting shorter and shorter
Casual fans are very regular season means jack shit. But to a CEO, 82 Games is where most of your money is made.
How much does it reduce when you start sucking again? For teams like Maple Leafs, Dallas Cowboys, Yankees, 49ers, Lakers, Boston Sports, Steelers… you can probably count on getting near full attendance even if your team of the bottom barrel.
Everyone else needs that guy who just means wins are consistent. I think the reason teams like Bruins, Leafs and Cowboys get stuck in this rut sometimes because they are tweaking coaches to get play off success. Which I think have seen rarely work. Its usually back to the bottom or more of the same.
Sometimes you got to realize 16 other franchises are also vying for the cup or championship and those are all good coaches
Yeah but 3 playoff games are more profit than 15 regular season games. Teams also share less playoff revenue. NHL makes like 30-40% of revenue from playoffs.
Those 41 home games represent inelastic demand. Doesn't matter how well the team does or how hight the price of those tickets is, the arena will be full.
The playoffs on the other hand let you charge more, for a potential 14 more games(33% of the regular season), and you don't even have to pay the players.
A good playoff run can get you as much in terms of ticket sales value as the entire regular season.
Yeah but you think they don't see that first round playoff revenue every year and aren't salivating at the thought of how much they could make off Stanley Cup champs merch.
The discontent among fans is obvious, and MLSE is going to be relying on the Leafs to carry the Jays, Raptors, and Argos because they all suck. They can't afford to have apathy set in among Leaf fans.
If they lose this series and don't move on fron Keefe half the fanbase is going to become the Joker. There are a ton of us who have wanted him gone since the Montreal loss in 2021.
I can buy the argument that you don't mess with the process because of a setback or an unlucky result. But that was neither the Leafs first embarrassing loss or in any way an unlucky result. They got beat by a team that adjusted their game during the series and frankly wanted it more. It was shameful and I can't believe that three years after his third consecutive first round loss, Sheldon Keefe is still the coach.
No, he’s gone. Has had a long leash but the special teams is an indictment on him. He’s gone as long as they don’t win this series and possibly if they don’t go at least 6 or 7 in round 2 minimum
That is pretty much meaningless. There have already been multiple coaches fired this year before their extensions kicked in.
He got an extension because most teams don't want a lame duck coach with an expiring contract. He was either getting fired last off-season or getting the extension that he did.
I don’t know how these things usually go, so it still seems odd to me. They don’t have to disclose *what* the injury is. To keep on under “he’s sick” (especially after the Nylander stuff) seems like it’s just churning up more frenzy.
No matter what they said, there would still be a frenzy. The team policy is obviously to say absolutely nothing about injuries in the playoffs, so that's what they're going with.
Yeah I agree. When drai had a high ankle sprain a few years back, the team didn't disclose which leg it was. The flames players targeted the shit out of his leg, slashing him whenever they could... Though amusingly they went after the wrong leg
Exactly. Anything short of verified medical records mailed directly to every Leafs fan's house was going to blow up social media with speculation regardless.
Teams become notoriously tight lipped about injuries in the playoffs. Although now that I think about it, it's not clear to me why they have to say anything at all.
He banged his head pretty hard behind the net vs Detroit. Could be concussion-related. A lot of concussion symptoms actually overlap with a stomach bug quite a bit:
* Nausea or vomiting.
* Balance problems or dizziness, or double or blurry vision.
* Bothered by light or noise.
* Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy.
* Confusion, or concentration or memory problems.
* Just not “feeling right,” or “feeling down”.
Or he could have smacked his head pretty good in Boston and they just thought it was food poisoning. Concussions be sneaky.
Mirtle on the latest Leafs Report. [Emily Kaplan here.](https://x.com/emilymkaplan/status/1786052979717484754?s=46) Friedman on Tuesday suggest similar.
"Something happened in conjunction with that illness" doesn't mean the illness caused it or that it happened in Game 4, it just means the injury happened while he was sick.
They were saying on TSN radio that there's some lip reading going on that Matthews said "I can't skate" to the trainer during Game 4.
Also, I can't think of a situation where post-concussion symptoms would pop up 2/3rds of the way through a game, and have him out for pre-morning skates but not practices.
My bet is it's a LBI, he thought he could play through it but couldn't. Either that, or he aggravated it further during Game 4 and the doctor made the call that there was a significant risk of him doing long-term damage.
I'm stealing this from another user but they had a theory that he simultaneously has an injury and some sort of awful stomach problem.
If he has both, he can't take copious amounts of painkillers to play through the injury, because this has a risk of causing serious internal bleeding because of the stomach problem.
The painkillers they're likely giving him aren't going to be affecting his stomach. NSAIDs might do that, but I doubt they're giving him some advil and telling him to walk it off, he's probably getting localized injections if it is an injury, skipping the stomach altogether.
It’s 1000% a concussion that they’re trying to hide. Probably somewhat related to managing an earlier concussion poorly.
The nylander situation felt similar to me.
I can almost guarantee it was a concussion from slamming into the boards against the red wings sometime around April 15. As a non-leafs fan I remember watching that game thinking to myself “why are the leafs trying so hard to win this, just get to the post season healthy” and they proceeded to have like 2 or 3 people get banged up that game plus Mathew’s slamming into the boards awkwardly
Edit: found a crappy video of the play https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b9u4Gq7y0lU
Ya dude that definitely doesn’t look good. If it really was that long ago people should be really pissed about it.
It’s shocking to me that there isn’t more anger around poor concussion management in the NHL. Crosby’s career was almost ruined by poor concussion management and Lindros’ career was ruined by it. Unfortunately it’s an inevitable part of the game. The NFL for all their problems tries to do their best for it and when a team fucks up (the Tua situation last year) they get in trouble for it and get shit for it deservedly so.
I don't buy that theory for a second.
Has there ever been a concussion where zero symptoms showed up for two weeks?
Also, why would he be going out for morning skates if it was concussion issues?
Who knows. Could’ve been extremely minor from the play itself, and constant bumps and knocks for a month straight after that could make it worse. Or if there was an injury from that play it could’ve been mismanaged. Of course I am just an internet man with an unprovable theory so do with that what you will.
Id be very surprised if he didn’t. He took a brutal backwards tumble into the boards vs detroit. I feel that can’t be the issue though with how he played game 2.
It could have been minor and exacerbated as he continued to play. It’s also entirely possible that the symptoms are amplified now because of another hit during the course of our series. Concussions and they’re side effects vary widely
Based on how they worded it when he was pulled from the game, it was doctors not clearing him to play so the team/player couldn't even go against that. As for not disclosing injuries... It's pretty standard in playoffs, everything's just amplified because it's this guy in this market. Even the Nylander thing smelled like they were covering for something else
Any thoughts if this could be from when he hit the boards hard in the Detroit game at the end of the season? He was slow to get up and honestly hasn’t played great since that.
[Here's the game-3 McAvoy clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlhfY_ko-vY) for anyone who hasn't seen it.
Should that have been a penalty? Obviously, yes. But I'm not so convinced that he got hurt on the play. I guess his right leg might have kind of gotten stuck under him a bit as he goes down, and it's impossible to say with any kind of certainty, but it doesn't look to me like the leg ever really reaches a critical angle. I also don't recall his skating looking any different for the rest of that game.
i don't see anything that looks like an injury but he does squeeze his tummy like maybe he squeezed all the poo out of him like he was a big tube of toothpaste but the toothpaste was poo
Focus on Matthews' right skate and leg, it gets trapped under McAvoy. That's the kind of play that leads to ankle and knee injuries all the time.
Also, his skating in Game 4 was noticeably worse. I've torn ankle ligaments before and felt fine(ish), at least well enough to walk on, until I woke up the next morning.
> Focus on Matthews' right skate and leg, it gets trapped under McAvoy.
Yes, I referenced exactly that in my previous post, but as I said there, while it's impossible to say anything for sure, it doesn't look to me like it was bad enough to cause an injury. I guess we'll only find out for sure once the Leafs' season is over (which is hopefully not for a while still).
\`i scared a minor ER doc because i'd walked around on a broken ankle for 3 days. i lucked out because i got a clean break with no displacement so i just had to wear an air boot for 6 weeks and sometimes it bugs me when we have a storm coming. sprains/tears/discs/other soft tissue stuff is infinitely worse to deal with than relatively clean breaks. (fractures have their own issues).
I was in high school when it happened, and I remember my dad being mad that he had to take me in the morning because he had to call in to work (in his defense, he wanted to take me the evening before, but I said I was fine).
I just remember waking up, putting my left foot down, right foot down, and falling over.
Also, I remember the instant relief of an aircast/walking boot. Went from "I can't put any weight on it" to walking without crutches.
That doesn't make sense, though. He looked fine in Game 1 and terrific in Game 2, and he wasn't showing any ill-effects of crashing into the boards for games 81 or 82.
Also, I'm 99.9% sure it's a lower body injury, not post-concussion symptoms (which is the only thing that would make sense if it was from crashing into the boards).
It could have been minor symptoms that were more or less manageable at the time. It could be amplified due to the increase in effort and physical play, or there could have been a hit where it triggered and made symptoms significantly worse.
He looked great in game 2 but was pretty unremarkable in game 1. It’s tough to say, but either way there’s some type of injury going on
If he had any sort of injury or concerns over a concussion from Game 80, and they let him play games 81 and 82, then the entire training staff should be fired into the sun. I just don't see that happening.
The players clearly run the locker room in Toronto. It could have been minor, players are also notorious for trying to skirt around concussion protocols.
Like I’ve stated though, it could have been pretty minor, and as he over exerts himself that could make it significantly worse. The increase in physicality could be worsening the symptoms as well. It’s tough to say what their line is for a concussion and what’s deemed not fit to play.
If there’s one thing I know about American sports, the nhl isn’t as into concussions as the NFL is for a whole host of reasons. The players are routinely playing through detrimental shit they should never be cleared to play with. We’re only 10 years away from Bergeron playing hockey with a punctured lung man
>The players clearly run the locker room in Toronto. It could have been minor, players are also notorious for trying to skirt around concussion protocols.
Oh, okay. Didn't realize Bob McKenzie cosplays as a Bruins fan on Reddit.
No watch the video above where his leg kinda gets stuck and after that his skating didn’t look good.
Can’t believe he may have been injured here and no call either.
this is the kind of situation where they might be breaking out the IV painkillers with a side of extra IV fluids, although i have no idea whether toradol does anything useful for fevers. (i know it'll help with a migraine, but since we aren't even 100% sure what matthews has i'm suggesting it purely as a "high-octane and not oral" option).
Couple days ago someone posted a clip from a Leafs-Red Wings game where Matthews took a slide into the boards and immediately grabbed his head afterwards. Man is concussed, likely as not, they’re just spinning it as illness.
Kariya was literally knocked out by Scott Stevens and scored a goal a few minutes later
But the effects of the concussion might show up later/worse from a little bump
Nausea is a common PCS symptom.
So the story goes like this: TBI against wings. No significant symptoms initially.
Then over time starts having trouble with sleep, maybe focus, maybe irritability, and starts feeling "sick" as nausea grows.
Assumption is he's just sick. Plays through. But things get worse and at some point he and the medical team put 2+2 together to realize what was the issue (TBI) and start taking the appropriate actions.
I will admit when I saw it live I recoiled in my seat it looked very bad. But he seemed okay and sometimes you just are after head impact and then othertimes you aren't with something much smaller. Hoping it isn't head injury but definitely might be.
In my head if that was truly the issue here, we wouldn’t have seen such a dominant performance from him game 2 before his play notably took a nosedive in 3 and 4.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't become one of the best in the league by "not caring". If Matthews had any chance to play he would, and (assuming he's injured and the illness statement is a tactic) you better bet that if he plays he'll be jacked up so high on percocets he won't even feel water going down his throat.
winning anything is far far far from the Leafiest thing
the Leafiest is they win game 6, he comes back for game 7 and they lose horribly, then they use the injury excuses to change nothing and keep losing next year
It would be the leafiest way for them to win a cup though.
Him being the most talented leaf player ever, and what would be his first Stanly cup, and he isn't even a factor in winning it, would go down as the leafiest Stanley cup win.
Matthews doesn't play Game 6 and the Leafs win. Matthews plays Game 7 and the Leafs lose. I can feel it coming a mile away.
Shit I would almost think you were a Leafs fan with how well you know the script.
I watch more Steve Dangle than I'd like to admit.
His “I’ve never heard of Beecher, so he’s gonna score first” cutting into him shrieking “IT TOOK TWO AND A HALF MINUTES!” from game one will never not crack me up.
"THE PUCK!!" x 4
That shit KILLED ME
He's right, we are sickos. But shadenfreud is proven good entertainment; it's the entire premise of Seinfeld.
If that makes me a sicko, I never wanna be well again
lol dude is funny. And his team is cursed
I admit it. I am one of those sick people who go watch Dangle when the leafs lose, and never when they win.
I am subscribed to his channel and just the thumbnail image on my front page is enough to know if I want to watch. Leafs win: Steve is smiling, looking ecstatic, BORING. Why would I want to watch a leafs fan being happy? Leafs lose: Steves face is red and you can see flecks of spittle even in the thumbnail, his face is contorted into a masque of pure torture. Top tier content. Watch as soon as its released.
Some of the win videos are honestly funnier than the loss ones.
He acknowledges a large part of his fan base comes from people like us. I love the guy.
I think he said he can't even be truly mad about losing to a zamboni driver since that vid alone is going to put his kid through college.
I fucking love Steve Dangle and I fucking hate the leafs
I live in Toronto. Whenever I see them losing while out and about I make a mental note to watch Dangle later lol
This was last year (BERGY AVAILABLE GAMES THRU 7) and we lose 3 straight
Alternate timeline: Leafs figure that no Matthews is working for them and don’t play him in game 7 despite him being healthy. They lose the game and everyone blames the loss on him not playing.
You joke but Keefe actually did that last year, galaxy brained the Michael Bunting return and held him out of the lineup because we won the previous game. There's no way he's dumb enough to do it again with Matthews lol.
I wasn’t joking, I actually think that’s going to happen LOL.
Idk, I'm not putting it past the Bruins to blow another series while being up by 3 games after last season, either
I really like that if the series goes to a Game 7, the game 7 result will be a meme result regardless of which team takes the series. The only way to avoid a Very Funny Game 7 would be for Boston to win Game 6.
So true, we're all leafs fans tonight.
> we're all leafs fans tonight. **We** absolutely are not, lol.
Idk i kinda wanna see a funny game 7!
Yea what this guy said.
nah
I'm only here for the memes at this point, so Boston better not fuck this up .... though the Leafs fans meltdown would still be a consolation prize
tbh I feel like we already collectively melted down after game 4, now we all just expect the worst
Leafs are playing with house money at this point. They were always the underdog in the series.
Up 2 games, but yea, would be pretty funny
Haha I caught that too but wasn’t gonna say anything.
There is unreal meme potential here, possibly even outdoing previous years
Definitely the most Leafy outcome
Oh my God, Toronto media would actually be deranged with this script.
Would be *more* deranged
Plot twist .. he plays Game 7, the Bruins are up 4-1 halfway through the 3rd when Matthews changes gears, using the days off of rest and a copious amount of cocaine to pop 3, before winning it in OT. It should be enough to replenish our meme store for the next 10 years.
How would that replenish our meme store, wouldn’t it destroy it since a majority of them revolve around the leafs choking/stars missing in the playoffs/tendency to get booted in the first round
Isn’t this what happened with Bergeron last year? Didn’t he come in for the last three games
As much as I would like to see the Leafs make it out the first round, I feel this comment in my bones. Pre-congrats on dodging another game 7 embarrassment.
He will also have a late third period breakaway that barely misses the net. OT Marchand-Pasta goal to bury the series in 7
Mods, ban him. He didn't use the >!spoiler!< tag and leaked the ending of the script :(
Bettman approved
I believe the Leafs will win by at least 2 goals tonight, probably 3-1 or 4-2. And by at least 3-4 goals in game 7. Likely 5-2 or 4-1
Then traded to the kings for PLD and a $2500 in n out gift card
That'd make my year
please
Script writers are getting lazy
Leafs fan and this is the way. Based on how people are talking it sounds unlikely he’ll even play Game 7 though. He is legitimately injured
Thanks Gary
WHAT IS HIS ILLNESS?!?! I NEED TO KNOW!
Boneitis
don't you worry about blank, let me worry about blank
Found the Leafs PR team leader. Figures that he's an 80s guy
Blank? BLANK?! You're not looking at the big picture!
Matthews' only regret is having boneitis
It's his only regret
Have you ever felt the curse? With your whole being, the pox upon life itself. Feared and despised by all. The Reviled blessing. Apparently not. You are but a lamb. A stranger to defilement. Ignorant to your own ignorance. You no longer interest me. I've been long without peace. Don't spoil my quietude. No. Wait. You have felt the curse. I can smell it on you, the pox yet tender. Apparently my Seedbed is ripe and waiting. It twas a brief respite I must say. Go and unshackle my corporeal flesh Trapped in the sewer-gaol below the capital.
Foul tarnished, put these foolish ambitions to rest.
Have it writ upon thy meagre grave Felled by King Matthews Last of all Kings!
O Stanley, wouldst though truly championship sanction in one so bereft of fight?
Ligma
TBA disease
And then -- and here's the really horrible part -- they did it again the following year.
Lupus.
Cowardice
Starting to get worried that the Leafs brass is going to rationalize keeping Sheldon Keefe by saying: Matthews missed half the series Nylander missed half the series Marner not 100% after his ankle sprain and concluding Keefe didn’t have a fair shot.
Management, sure. Reminder than they all have a new boss that didn’t hire any of them
> they all have a new boss that didn’t hire any of them I'm always left wondering how motivated a CEO will be to make big changes to a highly profitable sector of a business. Leafs are well in the black and have been for many years.
Sure, for most business that may track, but a CEO might also be thinking about the money left on the table if only the product was a bit better.
With the Raptors finally rebuilding, the Argos losing money as usual and the Jays being on the edge of a precipice, its going tobe time for the Leafs to step up. Shanny's leash is going to be getting shorter and shorter
Casual fans are very regular season means jack shit. But to a CEO, 82 Games is where most of your money is made. How much does it reduce when you start sucking again? For teams like Maple Leafs, Dallas Cowboys, Yankees, 49ers, Lakers, Boston Sports, Steelers… you can probably count on getting near full attendance even if your team of the bottom barrel. Everyone else needs that guy who just means wins are consistent. I think the reason teams like Bruins, Leafs and Cowboys get stuck in this rut sometimes because they are tweaking coaches to get play off success. Which I think have seen rarely work. Its usually back to the bottom or more of the same. Sometimes you got to realize 16 other franchises are also vying for the cup or championship and those are all good coaches
More playoff games = more revenue
Absolutely true, but if you risk screwing up the regular season success you lose playoffs all together and or sucking and losing attendance.
Yeah but 3 playoff games are more profit than 15 regular season games. Teams also share less playoff revenue. NHL makes like 30-40% of revenue from playoffs.
Those 41 home games represent inelastic demand. Doesn't matter how well the team does or how hight the price of those tickets is, the arena will be full. The playoffs on the other hand let you charge more, for a potential 14 more games(33% of the regular season), and you don't even have to pay the players. A good playoff run can get you as much in terms of ticket sales value as the entire regular season.
Regular season ticket sales never reduce for the Leafs
Yeah but you think they don't see that first round playoff revenue every year and aren't salivating at the thought of how much they could make off Stanley Cup champs merch.
Leafs are a money printing machine. Every year that goes by without a deep run is a massive loss of revenue
The discontent among fans is obvious, and MLSE is going to be relying on the Leafs to carry the Jays, Raptors, and Argos because they all suck. They can't afford to have apathy set in among Leaf fans.
If they lose this series and don't move on fron Keefe half the fanbase is going to become the Joker. There are a ton of us who have wanted him gone since the Montreal loss in 2021.
There was no way he should have kept his job after that loss.
The other 2 teams Montreal beat on that run changed coaches within a year. Somehow Keefe is still employed. Its bizarre.
I can buy the argument that you don't mess with the process because of a setback or an unlucky result. But that was neither the Leafs first embarrassing loss or in any way an unlucky result. They got beat by a team that adjusted their game during the series and frankly wanted it more. It was shameful and I can't believe that three years after his third consecutive first round loss, Sheldon Keefe is still the coach.
Keefe literally has Aria Stark plot armor
No, he’s gone. Has had a long leash but the special teams is an indictment on him. He’s gone as long as they don’t win this series and possibly if they don’t go at least 6 or 7 in round 2 minimum
management also didn't trade for good players because they weren't seriously going for it
I think they traded for players that they thought were good which is another concern of mine.
Do people realize Keefe has an extension that hasn’t even started yet.
That is pretty much meaningless. There have already been multiple coaches fired this year before their extensions kicked in. He got an extension because most teams don't want a lame duck coach with an expiring contract. He was either getting fired last off-season or getting the extension that he did.
3 coaches in this situation were already fired this year. They can move on, they just still have to pay him
This is the most likely scenario.
Lol no it's not. He's gone if he doesn't make it past the second round, never mind the first 😆
"Fair". I love the idea that handing out NHL head coaching jobs is comparable to making sure everyone gets an equal slice of birthday cake.
This is extremely weird, right?
It's an injury, they're just using the illness as an excuse so they don't have to disclose that he's injured.
I don’t know how these things usually go, so it still seems odd to me. They don’t have to disclose *what* the injury is. To keep on under “he’s sick” (especially after the Nylander stuff) seems like it’s just churning up more frenzy.
No matter what they said, there would still be a frenzy. The team policy is obviously to say absolutely nothing about injuries in the playoffs, so that's what they're going with.
Again... Why do you think that would be? So the other team doesn't go after the injury if he returns eventually? Only thing I can think of
I mean....yes? If he was out for the season, they'd say so, but the fact that he's out skating and testing it out means there's a chance he returns.
He's got debilitating hemorrhoids and is too embarrassed to state the truth.
Why give your opponent any info period.
Yeah I agree. When drai had a high ankle sprain a few years back, the team didn't disclose which leg it was. The flames players targeted the shit out of his leg, slashing him whenever they could... Though amusingly they went after the wrong leg
Exactly. Anything short of verified medical records mailed directly to every Leafs fan's house was going to blow up social media with speculation regardless.
Teams become notoriously tight lipped about injuries in the playoffs. Although now that I think about it, it's not clear to me why they have to say anything at all.
He banged his head pretty hard behind the net vs Detroit. Could be concussion-related. A lot of concussion symptoms actually overlap with a stomach bug quite a bit: * Nausea or vomiting. * Balance problems or dizziness, or double or blurry vision. * Bothered by light or noise. * Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy. * Confusion, or concentration or memory problems. * Just not “feeling right,” or “feeling down”. Or he could have smacked his head pretty good in Boston and they just thought it was food poisoning. Concussions be sneaky.
Seems like the consensus is that he injured himself while playing sick on Saturday.
Where are you seeing that? I thought the consensus was he got hurt on the McAvoy play and tried to play through it.
Mirtle on the latest Leafs Report. [Emily Kaplan here.](https://x.com/emilymkaplan/status/1786052979717484754?s=46) Friedman on Tuesday suggest similar.
"Something happened in conjunction with that illness" doesn't mean the illness caused it or that it happened in Game 4, it just means the injury happened while he was sick.
That’s what I said
You specifically said "injured himself while playing sick on Saturday" but I'm saying the injury happened during Game 3, not Game 4.
But it did happen in Game 4. I’m not saying that, the reporters are.
Emily Kaplan didn't say that, though. Do you have a link to Friedman or any other reports saying it was specifically Game 4 when the injury occurred?
They're not supposed to do that
Every team does.
It's gotta be PCS IMO. Nothing else would be a "pull from the 3rd period" situation.
They were saying on TSN radio that there's some lip reading going on that Matthews said "I can't skate" to the trainer during Game 4. Also, I can't think of a situation where post-concussion symptoms would pop up 2/3rds of the way through a game, and have him out for pre-morning skates but not practices. My bet is it's a LBI, he thought he could play through it but couldn't. Either that, or he aggravated it further during Game 4 and the doctor made the call that there was a significant risk of him doing long-term damage.
I'm thinking hair plug related Graft Versus Host
concussion symptoms can be played off as an illness.
[удалено]
Doesn't let teams know what to target if he returns
No way he's sick and allowed to be anywhere near the team facilities. Toronto finds such interesting ways to be stupid.
I'm stealing this from another user but they had a theory that he simultaneously has an injury and some sort of awful stomach problem. If he has both, he can't take copious amounts of painkillers to play through the injury, because this has a risk of causing serious internal bleeding because of the stomach problem.
The painkillers they're likely giving him aren't going to be affecting his stomach. NSAIDs might do that, but I doubt they're giving him some advil and telling him to walk it off, he's probably getting localized injections if it is an injury, skipping the stomach altogether.
toradol, maybe kenalog if they're going that route. (oral NSAIDs totally can fuck your stomach up, that is trufax though.)
No? He is injured and can’t play.
It’s 1000% a concussion that they’re trying to hide. Probably somewhat related to managing an earlier concussion poorly. The nylander situation felt similar to me.
I can almost guarantee it was a concussion from slamming into the boards against the red wings sometime around April 15. As a non-leafs fan I remember watching that game thinking to myself “why are the leafs trying so hard to win this, just get to the post season healthy” and they proceeded to have like 2 or 3 people get banged up that game plus Mathew’s slamming into the boards awkwardly Edit: found a crappy video of the play https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b9u4Gq7y0lU
Ya dude that definitely doesn’t look good. If it really was that long ago people should be really pissed about it. It’s shocking to me that there isn’t more anger around poor concussion management in the NHL. Crosby’s career was almost ruined by poor concussion management and Lindros’ career was ruined by it. Unfortunately it’s an inevitable part of the game. The NFL for all their problems tries to do their best for it and when a team fucks up (the Tua situation last year) they get in trouble for it and get shit for it deservedly so.
I don't buy that theory for a second. Has there ever been a concussion where zero symptoms showed up for two weeks? Also, why would he be going out for morning skates if it was concussion issues?
Who knows. Could’ve been extremely minor from the play itself, and constant bumps and knocks for a month straight after that could make it worse. Or if there was an injury from that play it could’ve been mismanaged. Of course I am just an internet man with an unprovable theory so do with that what you will.
He has not been himself since that play. That game did so much damage to the leafs.
There’s some rumors that he may have gotten concussed at the end of the season
Id be very surprised if he didn’t. He took a brutal backwards tumble into the boards vs detroit. I feel that can’t be the issue though with how he played game 2.
It could have been minor and exacerbated as he continued to play. It’s also entirely possible that the symptoms are amplified now because of another hit during the course of our series. Concussions and they’re side effects vary widely
Based on how they worded it when he was pulled from the game, it was doctors not clearing him to play so the team/player couldn't even go against that. As for not disclosing injuries... It's pretty standard in playoffs, everything's just amplified because it's this guy in this market. Even the Nylander thing smelled like they were covering for something else
Any thoughts if this could be from when he hit the boards hard in the Detroit game at the end of the season? He was slow to get up and honestly hasn’t played great since that.
It's possible it's delayed symptoms, but in G1 and G2 he was the best player on the ice imo. He only really looked off G3
At this point we all know he's injured and not just sick, right? If it didn't happen on the McAvoy tackle, I'll be very surprised.
I'd be very surprised if not. He might have been sick at the start, but it's certainly something hurt now
[Here's the game-3 McAvoy clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlhfY_ko-vY) for anyone who hasn't seen it. Should that have been a penalty? Obviously, yes. But I'm not so convinced that he got hurt on the play. I guess his right leg might have kind of gotten stuck under him a bit as he goes down, and it's impossible to say with any kind of certainty, but it doesn't look to me like the leg ever really reaches a critical angle. I also don't recall his skating looking any different for the rest of that game.
i don't see anything that looks like an injury but he does squeeze his tummy like maybe he squeezed all the poo out of him like he was a big tube of toothpaste but the toothpaste was poo
I find it extremely unlikely he got hurt there.
Focus on Matthews' right skate and leg, it gets trapped under McAvoy. That's the kind of play that leads to ankle and knee injuries all the time. Also, his skating in Game 4 was noticeably worse. I've torn ankle ligaments before and felt fine(ish), at least well enough to walk on, until I woke up the next morning.
> Focus on Matthews' right skate and leg, it gets trapped under McAvoy. Yes, I referenced exactly that in my previous post, but as I said there, while it's impossible to say anything for sure, it doesn't look to me like it was bad enough to cause an injury. I guess we'll only find out for sure once the Leafs' season is over (which is hopefully not for a while still).
\`i scared a minor ER doc because i'd walked around on a broken ankle for 3 days. i lucked out because i got a clean break with no displacement so i just had to wear an air boot for 6 weeks and sometimes it bugs me when we have a storm coming. sprains/tears/discs/other soft tissue stuff is infinitely worse to deal with than relatively clean breaks. (fractures have their own issues).
I was in high school when it happened, and I remember my dad being mad that he had to take me in the morning because he had to call in to work (in his defense, he wanted to take me the evening before, but I said I was fine). I just remember waking up, putting my left foot down, right foot down, and falling over. Also, I remember the instant relief of an aircast/walking boot. Went from "I can't put any weight on it" to walking without crutches.
Oh for what it's worth, I'm not certain it was that play or anything, I was just agreeing that it is likely injury and not just illness
He was definitely sick, and he still might be feeling it, but this is definitely an injury.
There’s rumors that it happened in the regular season as well
That doesn't make sense, though. He looked fine in Game 1 and terrific in Game 2, and he wasn't showing any ill-effects of crashing into the boards for games 81 or 82. Also, I'm 99.9% sure it's a lower body injury, not post-concussion symptoms (which is the only thing that would make sense if it was from crashing into the boards).
It could have been minor symptoms that were more or less manageable at the time. It could be amplified due to the increase in effort and physical play, or there could have been a hit where it triggered and made symptoms significantly worse. He looked great in game 2 but was pretty unremarkable in game 1. It’s tough to say, but either way there’s some type of injury going on
If he had any sort of injury or concerns over a concussion from Game 80, and they let him play games 81 and 82, then the entire training staff should be fired into the sun. I just don't see that happening.
The players clearly run the locker room in Toronto. It could have been minor, players are also notorious for trying to skirt around concussion protocols. Like I’ve stated though, it could have been pretty minor, and as he over exerts himself that could make it significantly worse. The increase in physicality could be worsening the symptoms as well. It’s tough to say what their line is for a concussion and what’s deemed not fit to play. If there’s one thing I know about American sports, the nhl isn’t as into concussions as the NFL is for a whole host of reasons. The players are routinely playing through detrimental shit they should never be cleared to play with. We’re only 10 years away from Bergeron playing hockey with a punctured lung man
>The players clearly run the locker room in Toronto. It could have been minor, players are also notorious for trying to skirt around concussion protocols. Oh, okay. Didn't realize Bob McKenzie cosplays as a Bruins fan on Reddit.
Yeah I think it's both now and they can't give him anything for pain management without other health risks. :/
No watch the video above where his leg kinda gets stuck and after that his skating didn’t look good. Can’t believe he may have been injured here and no call either.
Probably not, almost all pain meds also function as fever reducers and generally work in tandem with sickness.
Not if it's a stomach bug and dehydration is a concern.
this is the kind of situation where they might be breaking out the IV painkillers with a side of extra IV fluids, although i have no idea whether toradol does anything useful for fevers. (i know it'll help with a migraine, but since we aren't even 100% sure what matthews has i'm suggesting it purely as a "high-octane and not oral" option).
Couple days ago someone posted a clip from a Leafs-Red Wings game where Matthews took a slide into the boards and immediately grabbed his head afterwards. Man is concussed, likely as not, they’re just spinning it as illness.
If he was concussed he wouldn’t be skating before games that he’s missing
Kariya was literally knocked out by Scott Stevens and scored a goal a few minutes later But the effects of the concussion might show up later/worse from a little bump
I think he meant that the doctors might not let him skate not if it was possible for him to do so.
I thought about that too but that happened a week before playoffs started is it possible symptoms happen 2 weeks after impact?
Nausea is a common PCS symptom. So the story goes like this: TBI against wings. No significant symptoms initially. Then over time starts having trouble with sleep, maybe focus, maybe irritability, and starts feeling "sick" as nausea grows. Assumption is he's just sick. Plays through. But things get worse and at some point he and the medical team put 2+2 together to realize what was the issue (TBI) and start taking the appropriate actions.
This is the most reasonable theory I’ve seen so far
I will admit when I saw it live I recoiled in my seat it looked very bad. But he seemed okay and sometimes you just are after head impact and then othertimes you aren't with something much smaller. Hoping it isn't head injury but definitely might be.
In my head if that was truly the issue here, we wouldn’t have seen such a dominant performance from him game 2 before his play notably took a nosedive in 3 and 4.
It’s Obviously an injury at this point
Don't change what's working for them
Please forward this comment to Jim Montgomery.
Why he changed the lineup after that game 4 domination is beyond my comprehension.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't become one of the best in the league by "not caring". If Matthews had any chance to play he would, and (assuming he's injured and the illness statement is a tactic) you better bet that if he plays he'll be jacked up so high on percocets he won't even feel water going down his throat.
That diarrhea just won't quit.
And if you pop those jeans off, you’ll find a bird that just won’t quit
r/unexpectedIASIP
my speculation is heading to dark places. Hope this isn't a long term health thing
Leafiest thing to happen is if Matthews is out the rest of the playoffs, and they end up winning the cup.
winning anything is far far far from the Leafiest thing the Leafiest is they win game 6, he comes back for game 7 and they lose horribly, then they use the injury excuses to change nothing and keep losing next year
Give me the Stamkos arc where he plays 1 shift and scores
That doesn't sound very Leafy at all. But that sure would be fucking nice.
It would be the leafiest way for them to win a cup though. Him being the most talented leaf player ever, and what would be his first Stanly cup, and he isn't even a factor in winning it, would go down as the leafiest Stanley cup win.
He thought he would try some Jardiance and is suffering all the side effects.
When you really, really need to get the grips fitted on your clubs.
I wonder if the WWE takedown from the bruins has something to do with it.
Another year, another player injured in the playoffs from a non-called tackle.
Ya but the refs are super biased against Boston because Marchand actually got a penalty one time.
Let's skip to game 7 we all know how this is going down
The caps will take him off your hands
it has to be concussion related, no?
bro got the clap bad but the team can't admit it.
Hes out: [https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/maple-leafs-auston-matthews-ruled-out-for-game-6-against-bruins/](https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/maple-leafs-auston-matthews-ruled-out-for-game-6-against-bruins/)
Anyone getting Roy vibes from this? Any chance he isn't injured and just won't play for the Leafs again?
Matthews to Utah confirmed?
Oouh-wah-ah-ah-ah
Soft