Former Leafs G Andrew Raycroft calls out Leafs fans for supporting Jack Campbell through struggles
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone through more than their fair share of challenges since the early 2000's, but I think everyone can agree that the absence of a bona-fide number one goaltender has been one of the primary reasons for the Leafs' struggles over the majority of the last two decades.
It's not for a lack of trying, as the Leafs have gone through the likes of Curtis Joseph, Ed Belfour, Andrew Raycroft, James Reimer, Frederik Andersen, and now Jack Campbell without experiencing any real sustained success.
In the case of Raycroft, fans have been a little extra relentless towards the Belleville, ON native, due to the fact that he was acquired in the now infamous Tuukka Rask trade.
Leafs Nation has developed this nasty habit of turning on its goaltenders and running them out of town - something Raycroft is all too familiar with. Still, while many have stood by Jack Campbell throughout his struggles, they may finally be ready to turn.
On Saturday, Campbell once again allowed 5 goals, this time to the Vancouver Canucks, to cap off what's been an abysmal run since December 1st for the 30-year-old. But even through his disappointing collapse, Campbell is still receiving some support. In this case, from The Athletic's James Mirtle, who pointed out that many of the goals that Campbell had allowed on Saturday were funny bounces and tips.
Andrew Raycroft certainly wasn't given the same vote of confidence from the fans or the media through his struggles in Toronto, and he wanted to let it be known on Saturday how he feels on the subject.
Now, the obvious difference between Raycroft and Campbell is that Campbell has gone long stints providing Vezina-caliber goaltending before he began to fall off - and there's also still time for him to turn things around and return to form.
Nevertheless, Raycroft certainly didn't appreciate being run out of town for providing similar goaltending to what the Leafs are currently getting from Campbell.
| POLL | ||
MARS 6 | 434 ANSWERS Former Leafs G Andrew Raycroft calls out Leafs fans for supporting Jack Campbell through struggles Will Jack Campbell be the Leafs' starter come playoff time? | ||
| Absolutely | 252 | 58.1 % |
| Not a chance | 40 | 9.2 % |
| They'll trade for a goalie | 74 | 17.1 % |
| Hopefully Mrazek can figure it out | 68 | 15.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
