Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves shockingly calls out fans before the regular season begins

PUBLICATION

Tom Banks
October 9, 2024 (6:41 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Ryan Reaves is one of the biggest characters in the entire NHL, but now the veteran has taken the surprise route of calling out his own fans.

Last season was one of the worst in the long, storied career of enforcer Ryan Reaves in the NHL, with reports emerging that the team were looking to move on from him earlier in the off-season. Reaves still brings a physical presence to the ice, showing that he's still ready to step up against the toughest in the game, but with how quick things have got on the ice, it's clear that the game could be passing him by.

Regardless, the Maple Leafs still have him pencilled in on the fourth line ahead of a crucial 2024/25 campaign, where they once again have lofty Stanley Cup ambitions despite a growing 57 year drought. If Reaves can bring that physicality the team needs, especially in the post-season, he'll definitely become a fan favourite, but ahead of the regular season, he made a move that may change that, as he called out Leafs fans on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast.

«It was hard for me at the beginning of the year because I was playing like s**t,» Reaves admitted. «When you are not performing here, the media jumps on you, the fans - who are sitting in their parents' basement - they're jumping on you.»

While Reaves opens up on struggling and the deserved criticism that comes with that, he took a shot at Leafs fans, saying that they are all in their parents basement, and while that may be the case for some, it's definitely an over generalization. Given the character that Reaves is, most Leafs fans will brush this one off, and if he performs on the ice, they'll all look past it, but if he struggles again, look for the criticism to continue.