Brendan Shanahan Sounds Off On The NHL's Bias Against The Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs President of Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan was not shy in speaking his mind on the NHL's seemingly anti-Toronto bias.
Over his 21-year NHL career, Brendan Shanahan was feared on and off the ice, not only for his incredible abilities to be a complete two-way forward, but one that wasn't afraid to speak his mind or throw his weight around when necessary.
But now the Maple Leafs President is directing his ire toward the league itself instead of his on-ice opponents of yesteryear.
When speaking with Gino Reda on TSN's That's Hockey, he spoke about a variety of topics from Auston Matthews' injury to Mitch Marner's contract situation.
Shanahan's Reaction To Anti-Leafs Bias
But it was comments toward the NHL and its seemingly anti-Maple Leafs bias that have caused a bit of a stir as the executive didn't hold back in his criticism of the league:
That being said, from time to time because I did that job, he and I like to talk, talk about things going on in the league, some of the decisions made and the thought processes behind it, it's always best to wait a bit when you're calmer, he's calmer.
George is doing what he thinks is best for the league; I'm just trying to do what's best for the Toronto Maple Leafs."
It's a great bit of insight from a typically private Shanahan who knows the difficulty behind making some of those Player Safety decisions however wasn't shy in admitting that he's been in Parros' ear about some of the calls against Toronto.
Toronto has been one of, if not the only team to have such a microscope put on them and every single detail is picked apart and analyzed. This holds true when it comes to their special teams, as Toronto not only gets more penalties, but they are also afforded less chances than their opponents.
Toronto's abysmal power play start this season has turned around but you have to wonder whether or not the consistent targeting of Maple Leafs players played a factor into their play at the start of the year.
The team's run-ins with the league range from being penalized for some very weak calls, to having no calls on the opposition for injuring their player, and finally suspend a player five games for the same hit they made a non-call on.
That, in addition to the multitude of goals that the Maple Leafs have had called back due to interference it feels like they are handicapped on any given night.
While it might not be outright stated, Shanahan knows that the Maple Leafs are given less leeway than others and it's potentially one of the many topics they've discussed.
Hopefully for the Maple Leafs and their fans, whatever Shanahan convinced Parros to take it a bit easier on Toronto for the rest of the year.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the NHL has a bias against the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 989 | 86.6 % |
| No | 153 | 13.4 % |
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