There hasn’t been much mention of Auston Matthews defending his Maurice (Rocket) Richard goal trophy this year.
So how about the 70th anniversary of the Richard Riot in Montreal for the Maple Leaf captain’s first two-goal night in three months? Putting up a pair on the power play on Monday as part of a 6-2 pounding of the Calgary Flames for an ailing Toronto man advantage unit certainly is a good sign for the playoffs.
Until his second-period slam dunks from the slot, a sixth loss in seven games was a distinct possibility, as was more trouble for the Leafs holding a high playoff seed in the Atlantic Division.
Richard did not see the 1955 playoffs at all for the Canadiens after then-National Hockey League president Clarence Campbell suspended him for the balance of the season for a March 13 stick swinging altercation with Boston’s Hal Laycoe. After striking Laycoe, the fiery Richard struck linesman Cliff Thompson.
After a hearing (no video in those days) Campbell’s decision infuriated the Habs’ fan base, who interpreted it as anti-Quebecois to deliberately hurt their chances of stopping the Detroit Red Wings dynasty. When Campbell attended a March 17 game at the Forum against Detroit, despite threats to his safety phoned into the league’s head office in the city, he was pelted with garbage and a fan took a swing at him.
After a tear gas cannister was ignited in the rink, the game was cancelled and awarded to Detroit. Crowds did thousands of dollars in damage to stores around the Forum and Richard had to go on radio to appeal for calm.
Matthews had 69 goals last season, but has been held to 26 so far. Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers is the runaway leader with 49 this term.
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GO GREEN
The Leafs donned their annual St. Patrick’s green on Monday, in homage to the team name from 1919-27. Re-branded from the Arenas by Irish-Canadian owners to attract a growing number of immigrants in Toronto from the Emerald Isle, the Pats won the 1922 Stanley Cup, though ironically lost Game 1 of that series to the Vancouver Millionaires on March 17. Conn Smythe changed the name to Maple Leafs upon his buisness group buying the team in 1927.
Toronto’s record on St. Patrick’s Day, including playoffs, is now 22-17-3, and 7-2-1 since 2000.
“It’s important that certain traditions are kept,” Leafs president Brendan Shanahan told the Toronto Sun in a previous interview about the wearin’ o’ the green each year.
“That’s one our fans look forward to and our players all request to keep one of them.”
During warm-up a woman was waving a shamrock decorated sign that claimed she was named for Leaf great Red Kelly and she certainly had the hair colour.
CONNORS CORNER
It has been a good start in Pittsburgh for forward Connor Dewar and defenceman Conor Timmins after the Leafs dealt the pair at the deadline for a fifth-round draft pick.
Dewar had a two-goal game Saturday when the Pens routed New Jersey 7-3, and has three overall, while Timmins has three points in four games. Interestingly, the Leafs were a combined 9-1 in games when both men had a point.
After not getting a point in his first two starts with the Boston Bruins’ farm team in Providence, including a game against the Toronto Marlies, Fraser Minten recorded a natural hat trick and an assist in Providence’s 4-1 win over Springfield.
LAND AHOY
While you won’t see Gabriel Landeskog in the lineup on Wednesday when the Colorado Avalanche visit Scotiabank Arena, he was on the ice for Monday’s entire practice in his ongoing quest to return to play, coming up on two years since cartilage transplant surgery.
The team captain has been in practices, testing himself in part in non contact drills.
“I thought he looked great in practice today,” coach Jared Bednar told nhl.com. “He’s making strides. Obviously, this rehab is not linear. There’s lots of peaks and valleys in it, and sometimes it’s two steps forward and one step back, but he’s still making progress and obviously feeling comfortable enough to come out and join the team. “So, hopefully that continues and continues to grow and [he’s] working to a point of a return.”
The 32-year-old hasn’t played since June 26, 2022 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
LOOSE LEAFS
William Nylander’s goal and two assists brought him to 599 points and past Frank Mahovlich for ninth place in franchise history … Monday was also John Tavares’s 500th game as a Leaf, his 1,169th in the NHL.
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