
Fans threw beers at Maple Leafs bench as things turned ugly during Game 7 disaster
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a seventh consecutive Game 7, and it got ugly on the ice after getting blown out at home.
A report from Sportsnet said one fan threw a beer at the Leafs' bench while longtime right winger Mitch Marner had to dodge a thrown jersey late in the third period of an embarrassing 6-1 defeat.
Toronto fans also left the arena tailgate in complete disarray, filled with trash and garbage following the loss.
4 Fans leave Maple Leafs Square in disarray following the Toronto Maple Leafs' loss to the Florida Panthers in NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey game at a tailgate event outside Scotiabank Arena, in Toronto on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
AP
4 Jonah Gadjovich #12 of the Florida Panthers celebrates as they defeat the Maple Leafs in seven games.
NHLI via Getty Images
With 10 minutes left in the third period, fans also began throwing home team jerseys onto the ice in disgust as the Panthers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will face the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Maple Leafs' poor performance is just the latest chapter of playoff pain in Toronto, where the team is centered around Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and ex-Islander John Tavares.
Since Tavares came to the Maple Leafs in 2018, the team is 0-5 in Game 7s.
And the team has lost seven consecutive Game 7s, which is the longest streak in NHL history.
After winning the first two games of the series only to lose the next three, Maple Leafs fans had already begun turning on Matthews, the team captain, by throwing his jersey on the ice after Game 5.
Head coach Craig Berube said after the game that the Maple Leafs' playoff debacles were a mentality issue more than a skill problem.
'For me, it's all between the ears,' Berube said during his postgame media availability. 'It's a mindset.'
4 Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers celebrating after scoring a goal in the third period of Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs
NHLI via Getty Images
4 Heartbroken fans watch on as the Maple Leafs rollover in a Game 7 blowout.
AP
The team likely won't continue as currently constructed. The Maple Leafs' alternate captain, Marner, is set to hit free agency this offseason and is expected to depart.
After the Maple Leafs allowed three unanswered goals in Game 7, completely taking the air out of their raucous building, Marner yelled at his team on the bench, screaming 'wake the f–k up.'
The defending champion Panthers move on to face the Hurricanes on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Local businesses, fans make final preparations for Florida Panthers' championship parade and celebration
Thousands are expected to descend on Fort Lauderdale Beach Sunday to celebrate the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. More people are expected to be at the celebration this year compared to last, so businesses and fans are gearing up for the big day. Fans and businesses are making last-minute moves Brian Broeckelmann said he couldn't make last year's Panthers championship parade. "I actually had to work," he said. But he gets a second chance, and said he isn't missing this year's parade. He's getting some last-minute Panthers gear for him and his family at Sinbad Sports. Broeckelmann said he thought the first championship was a once-in-a-lifetime event. "Yeah, except this team is pretty special," Broeckelmann said. Owner Sinbad Elhaddad said he ordered more gear this year. The City of Fort Lauderdale said more people are expected to go this year. He told CBS News Miami that the Stanley Cup Championships have boosted sales by about 30%. "From last year, people are still coming and asking for last year's gear," Elhaddad said. "Now they're gonna be asking for back-to-back." How to travel for the parade and celebrations City officials are recommending that parade-goers use ride-share services, since driving can be difficult. The city has a map that shows 26 different parking garages that are open, but city officials say they can be anywhere from a 5-minute to an hour walk from the parade. So instead of all that hassle, you could take the water taxi. Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi president Greg Farley said he has 15 boats that will all be running Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and he said they can all carry a combined 1200 people. He told CBS News Miami it's more economical and fun to travel this way. "It will be $15 all day," Farley said. "So Passengers will get a wristband before they board the boat for the first time and they can get on and off as much as they want throughout the day." The Water Taxi route map is here. On State Road A1A, the barricades are set up and the stage is being built. Joe Donovan and his wife are visiting from Boston; their hotel is right on the parade route, so they'll catch the team marching down the strip before flying home Sunday night. "We've been to championship parades before in Boston, but we've never been to one on the beach," Donovan said.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Panthers exit interviews: Tkachuk talks possible surgery, Ekblad talks contract
The Florida Panthers held their exit interviews with the media on Saturday, one day before the team's parade to celebrate their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Here are some of the notables from the interview sessions. Panthers star winger Matthew Tkachuk played through the entire postseason with torn adductor muscle, which had torn all the way off the bone, in addition to a sports hernia that he had sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in mid-February. 'He was a mess,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. Yet despite missing the final 25 games of the season and being uncertain for the start of the playoffs, Tkachuk played in every game of the postseason and finished averaging a point per game — 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 23 games — while fighting through the injury. Tkachuk said he might have to get surgery this summer but nothing is definitive just yet. 'I don't know yet,' Tkachuk said. 'I've gotta go through some steps here and then see if I need surgery or not. It's it's gonna take a few weeks to determine if I need it. Probably 50-50 right now. I don't know if it'll be a normal summer or not. I hope so. I'm just gonna jump right into surgery without talking to everybody and going through everything. I mean, I have a few weeks here where I can figure it out.' Regardless, it will not be a 'normal summer' for Tkachuk for personal reasons — he's getting married. Top-pair defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has been with the Panthers his entire career since being selected No. 1 overall in 2014, is due to become a free agent on July 1 unless he signs an extension before that. Ekblad said 'conversations have been had,' but a deal hasn't materialized just yet. 'They'll be working on it,' Ekblad said. 'Things like to seem to come down to the last minute here.' Ekblad has mentioned time and again how much he wants to stay with the Panthers. He's a lifer, with 732 career regular-season games played and 83 playoff games. 'It's part of who I am at this point,' Ekblad said. 'I've spent 11 years here. That's more than I've spent in any home or city in my life. It's home, and I expect it to be home.' The Panthers certainly have been enjoying themselves the past few days, making multiple trips to the Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach, a stop at the Miami nightclub E11even, going out to team dinners and taking a boat ride. Things have gotten chaotic at times, but after becoming just the seventh team in the expansion era of the NHL to win the Cup in consecutive years, yeah, they're taking the time to celebrate. 'We're not toning it down,' Ekblad said. 'We just won two Stanley Cups in a row; we deserve to have a good time. We have good people in that room, so anything…if people think we're crossing the line, there's no chance. We're just having a good time, it's pure excitement. There's obviously a respect factor, and, you know, personally, I try to toe that line, but, no, it's all fun, and you know, we deserve it, for sure.' Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said the team is able to enjoy itself more this time around because they 'know the feeling already a little bit.' 'Don't get me wrong, it's still amazing,' Barkov said, 'but now everyone just knows how to sit back a little bit and enjoy it because last year was so hectic. It happened and it's your first time ever, and you've been dreaming about it for such a long time. I feel like this year, everyone gave permission to themselves to enjoy it. We've had a good time.' Who's been the party MVP at this point? 'I don't see how Barky doesn't get his jersey retired at E11even,' Tkachuk said with a smile. 'He was incredible. E-Rod [Evan Rodrigues] was on another level. Marchy [Brad Marchand] has been Marchy. I'd say Reino has been really good, too. It's been great for me. I'm just able to hide in the weeds this year, and I feel like I've been doing pretty good, as well. But there's been some guys that have put in quite a shift. It's been an impressive outing from the team.' Now, the partying has led to some dings and dents on the Stanley Cup. Has the team heard from the Hall of Fame about that? 'No. I think they've seen worse,' Barkov said. 'I think every week, they have to go and fix some part of it. But yeah, don't be stupid. Don't take it to the ocean, stuff like that. We should know the rules by now.' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said that, yes, he will be wearing a shirt depicting his two cats (Penny and Poppy) at the team's parade on Sunday, just like he did last year. 'I don't have a choice,' Maurice said. 'That's I deal I made a couple years ago.' Maurice also said his speech at the parade this year will be 'PG-rated' compared to the one he gave last year. As for how the coach has celebrated the past few days compared to his players? 'I haven't had a hangover yet, so way ahead of where I was last year,' he said.


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Diontae Johnson supports ex-Steelers teammate, predicts Kenny Pickett to start for Browns
Kenny Pickett and Diontae Johnson have reunited on the Browns — and the ex-Steelers wideout believes his former QB will get the starting nod in Cleveland. On an episode of the Sports and Suits podcast, Johnson subtly explained that Pickett has been getting the Browns' starting QB reps: "I think [the Browns] are gonna roll with Kenny [Pickett] right now," Johnson said. "I've been seeing Kenny, right now, with the ones — and then Joe [Flacco] will come in. I think they're probably gonna roll with [Pickett], just like to see — coming off the season he was with Philly and having a Super Bowl." Johnson then addressed concerns over Pickett's hand size, claiming that the former Steelers QB "can spin it" even with gloves on. The Pickett-to-Johnson connection in Pittsburgh lasted just two years — as the Steelers traded Kenny "Two Gloves" to the Eagles, and Johnson to the Panthers in March of 2024. The two former Steelers teammates will look to play a major role in Cleveland's offense in 2025 — and they'll both get their first opportunity at a revenge game when the Browns head to Pittsburgh in Week 6 this upcoming season. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.