Toronto Maple Leafs fans launch petition to bring back cancelled post-game show

Another Canadian sports radio show has bitten the dust. 

Toronto Maple Leafs fans aren't too happy after finding out that Leafs Talk, a popular post-game show on Sportsnet 590 hosted by JD Bunkis and Sam McKee, will not be returning for the 2026-27 NHL season. 

The show's demise was announced by Bunkis on social media on Tuesday, just mere hours before the Leafs took to the ice for their home opener against the Montreal Canadiens. 

"Leafs Talk won't be returning this year, but want to thank you and everyone for all the love and support," Bunkis wrote. "Was at the core of what made the show so fun. Sammy and I will still be together on my show (including tomorrow) so hope folks will follow us there." 

Hey bud. Leafs Talk won’t be returning this year, but want to thank you and everyone for all the love and support. Was at the core of what made the show so fun. Sammy and I will still be together on my show (including tomorrow) so hope folks will follow us there

— JD Bunkis (@JDBunkis) September 29, 2026

It's a bit strange that the announcement of the show's cancellation came so close to the start of the season and was only prompted in response to a Leafs fan eager to listen to the show. 

There is also the fact that Jays Talk, which is the Toronto Blue Jays version of the post-game show, has been operating alive and well during the most recent MLB season. Is a cancellation on the way for that show as well? 

Either way, the abrupt cancellation didn't sit well with a subset of Leafs fans, who have already started a petition to help bring back the show. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition has garnered over 1,000 signatures. 

"Leafs Talk has been a cherished post-game tradition for Toronto Maple Leafs fans for years," the petition's description read.

"Sportsnet and Rogers have made the abrupt decision to sever Leafs Talk from their programming. This move has left a significant void in our post-game ritual, disconnecting a passionate community from a tradition that not only celebrated hockey but fortified a sense of unity among Leafs Nation." 

Sportsnet 590 will still have dedicated post-game coverage of Leafs games this season, and Bunkis did confirm that his morning show, The JD Bunkis Podcast, will continue on. Yet, it seems like fans are not ready to let go of that duo of Bunkis and McKee. 

Rogers has not been kind to sports radio across the country in recent months. Back in July, the Canadian telecom shuttered both Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver and Sportsnet 960 in Calgary, effectively leaving both cities without any sports radio options. 

Those closures left Toronto's Sportsnet 590 as Rogers' only full-time sports radio station in the country.