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Toronto Maple Leafs still being trolled by Florida fans

The first-round playoff celebrations of Toronto Maple Leafs fans have once again come back to bite them in the… bud.

During Thursday night's road game at Amerant Bank Arena, Leafs players received an interesting welcome from the Florida Panthers' faithful.

Calling back to the "we want Florida" chants that Toronto fans were heard exclaiming after their team eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2023 playoffs — their first postseason series win in 19 years — the Panthers crowd responded with a chant of their own.

"You got Florida!" they shouted tauntingly shortly after the game's opening draw.

And unfortunately for the Leafs, they got what they asked for once again, losing the game 3-1 to the team that knocked them out in five games and eventually advanced to the Stanely Cup Final.

To add insult to injury, before the game, former Leafs coach and current Panthers bench boss Paul Maurice was asked about the infamous photo of former Florida defender Radko Gudas yelling in the face of Toronto goalie Joseph Woll after winning the series.

"We thought it was kinda funny. He's just such an emotional guy. It was his barbaric yelp. People from Toronto didn't appreciate it the same way we did," Maurice told reporters at Thursday's morning skate, as per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Despite losing the game, Toronto's head coach, Sheldon Keefe, said he was satisfied with his team's effort.

"Probably the best game that we've played in, in terms of the quality of the game," Keefe told reporters after the loss. "It was tight, it was fast, it was competitive."

Now 2-2 to start the year, Toronto will look to add another to their win column when they take on Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena on Saturday night.

Hopefully, Leafs fans won't get too excited if they win.

Lead photo by

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports


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