Keefe speaks out about Wilson-Tavares incident and the fans demand for some pushback
Late in the third of Monday's win against Washington, a scrum ensued in front of the Capitals net and after Leafs captain John Tavares tried to poke one home on Vitek Vanecek. Tom Wilson came through like the wrecking ball that he is and ended up shoving Tavares to the ice, skating away with a smile on his face. It caused a stir among those in Leafs Nation, as JT's line mates did not respond t all. You can see the play in question below:
It's no secret that the Leafs lack some some bite and toughness, but the backlash that William Nylander and Alexander Kerfoot received for not jumping in doesn't make much sense. If Nylander were to have jumped in, there's a good chance Wilson would have sent him flying too, given that Wilson is considerably larger than Nylander and it would've provided more of a spark for the crowd and Capitals as a team. Asked about the play, Keefe had this to say:
"You want to be a team that stands up in the moment. But you also want to be a team that competes and keeps pushing through physicality. As emotions rise keep playing.
You can say whatever you want to Tom Wilson and you're not going to change a single thing about how he plays if I had my choice I'd rather keep playing."
You can say whatever you want to Tom Wilson and you're not going to change a single thing about how he plays if I had my choice I'd rather keep playing."
Keep playing is exactly what they did and a few moments later, Nylander and Tavares were back on the ice in a 4-on-4 situation and after a lot of work from Tavares behind the net, and solid pass from Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin eventually scored the game-winner.
If anything, the scrum with Wilson lit a fire in Tavares, who played probably his best all around game of the season on Monday, even if he didn't score. His pair of assists were game-breakers and, as Keefe stated, he wants the Leafs to be a team that stands up in the moment but you also want to be a team that pushes through physicality as emotions rise. The Leafs did just that and played one of their best games of the season in what was a playoff-like physical game.
Regardless of how it happens, a win is a win is a win.
| POLL | ||
MARS 2 | 453 ANSWERS Keefe speaks out about Wilson-Tavares incident and the fans demand for some pushback Did the Leafs do the right thing by not engaging Tom Wilson after his shove on Tavares? | ||
| Yes | 166 | 36.6 % |
| No | 203 | 44.8 % |
| Show me the results | 84 | 18.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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