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Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones shook his head, agreeing with Brad Marchand after the veteran forward, who's now ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs from the playoffs on five separate occasions, said the fans beat the pressure into this team.
After Sunday's Game 7 win, Marchand was labelled the Maple Leafs' "executioner" following a three-point game, which now puts him up to 37 points against Toronto in the playoffs.
"I don't look at it that way," Marchand said. "No one player wins any (game). I just happened to be a part of good teams that have had the upper hand. But if you actually historically look at the games, I didn't play well. It wasn't me that beat them. It was our team."
Marchand is right in one sense. Of course, it's the entire team that comes together for a win. It doesn't fall on one specific player. It never has and it never will.
However, the other side to that is: Marchand hasn't been through what Maple Leafs fans have been through, watching their team fall over and over in the same fashion.
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'We Had Too Many Passengers': Auston Matthews Calls Out Maple Leafs Effort In Yet Another Disappointing Game 7 ExitThe Toronto Maple Leafs skated through beer, holding their sticks up high and thanked their fans after another disappointing Game 7 loss. It was another year lost for everyone. He doesn't understand what Toronto's fans have endured because he's owned every single meaningful game against this team, going all the way back to 2013.
"I think if you look at the heat this team catches," Marchand said, "it's actually really unfortunate. They've been working at building something really big here for a while, and they were a different brand of hockey this year, and they're getting crucified and I don't think it's justified, just because they weren't able to do it.
"I mean, we're a really good, deep team too, and that's how things go sometimes."
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'You Feel Their Disappointment': Maple Leafs React To Fans Throwing Jerseys And Debris On The Ice After Game 7 EliminationIt got ugly in a hurry. Marchand followed that statement by calling Game 7 of the second round not a "high-pressure" game compared to the Stanley Cup Finals.
"When you're playing for an actual Cup, and you give up a three-game lead, and then you're in Game 7, like, that's a high-pressure game. Game 7 of the second round, yeah, it's a high-pressure game. But it's not compared to some other games that guys have played," he said.
"So when you actually look at that, and then you see the pressure that Toronto faces, and everyone's talking about whatever the 20 or 30-year build up, I don't know what it is, but you see the fans and the way they're talking, like, they just beat the pressure into this team, and it's got to be tough on those guys to walk through the rink every day and not feel that.
"I mean, you see the way the fans treat them at the end, like, how do you not feel that every single day? And when you go through big games, you realize which are actually big games and which are just big moments."
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‘It’s Meant Everything’: Mitch Marner Reflects On Maple Leafs Tenure As Uncertainty, Change Loom Following Another Game 7 LossAfter another disastrous Game 7 showing from the Toronto Maple Leafs, change feels inevitable. The Maple Leafs haven't advanced past the second round since 2002 — 23 years ago. They haven't been to the Stanley Cup Final since they won it in 1967. It's understandable why fans might be upset after another failed attempt to get out of round two.
And a lot of those games in recent memory, where Toronto's season ended, has been at the heels of Marchand, who said on Sunday night that he grew up a Maple Leafs fan.
"I enjoy playing against the Leafs. And I enjoy interacting with fans, like, it's fun," he said.
"It's not something I'll forever get to do, and I don't take myself too seriously. I love getting made fun of, I love making fun of people, and if you can't take it, then so be it. But, I can, so I'm going to enjoy the moments that I have, and that's one of them."
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'I'm Not Really Going To Address That Right Now': Auston Matthews Hurt? Maple Leafs Star Dodges Questions After Game 7 EliminationThe Toronto Maple Leafs fell 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, but you always wondered if Auston Matthews was healthy. One moment that goes unnoticed more often than not is his Player of the Game honor during the Hall of Fame game between the Boston Bruins and Maple Leafs in 2019. After receiving the award, the forward skated around Scotiabank Arena holding the trophy in the air.
It was another opportunity to give it to the Toronto faithful which he didn't want to pass up.
"When I come in here and I get boo'd and I get that award in the game, I'm going to show it, and I'm going to enjoy that."
Marchand will look back on all the moments against his childhood team with joy. Never once has he been bounced by them in the playoffs. Never once has he lost a do-or-die game against them.
But it's the fans who "beat the pressure" into the Maple Leafs.
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