Darcy Tucker gets emotional and sentimental when talking about his time as a Maple Leaf
Photo credit: Frank Gunn - The Canadian Press
Former Leafs fan favourite Darcy Tucker appeared on a popular sports podcast, Spittin' Chiclets, on Monday morning and spoke about how much he loved his time in Toronto. He also dropped some comments about how badly it hurt when the team opted to buy him out.
Despite being drafted by the Montréal Canadiens in the 1993 draft as the 151st overall pick in the sixth round, Tucker always felt whole when suiting up in a Maple Leafs jersey.
A well known passionate winger who was always standing up for his teammates and dropping the gloves, which he did 101 times in his career, Tucker accumulated 1,410 penalty minutes in 947 games but he was still a productive winger who also compiled 215 goals and 261 assists in that span.
When Tucker was bought out by the Maple Leaf after eight seasons in Toronto, he revealed to the Spittin' Chiclets listeners that he felt as though his hockey career was getting towards the end.
Tucker opened up on the podcast and got emotional when stating:
"It kind of ripped a piece of me, [being bought out and having to sign in Colorado]. I'm a Toronto guy, I like the bright lights... It's just my personality. I don't mind it. It takes a special person to not mind being the hated guy and the villain and that part of it and it didn't bother me because I had such a good home life. It ripped a piece of me when I went to Colorado and I was never the same player." - Tucker on having to leave Toronto
Tucker also revealed that he had offers to continue his career even after his tenure in Colorado ended, but he just chose to retire, implying that he didn't want to play anywhere else and that he had left left a piece of himself in Toronto.
Tucker's words spoke volumes about how much being a Leaf truly meant to him. It's very unfortunate that things went the way they did and ended the way they ended for the beloved long-time Leaf, but all good things come to and end. Thankfully, Tucker is still a great ambassador for the game and for the Maple Leafs even long after his retirement.
| POLL | ||
MARS 25 | 455 ANSWERS Darcy Tucker gets emotional and sentimental when talking about his time as a Maple Leaf Where would you rank Darcy Tucker among all-time heart and soul players in Leafs history? | ||
| He's number 1 for me | 47 | 10.3 % |
| Definitely top 5 | 250 | 54.9 % |
| Probably top 10 | 125 | 27.5 % |
| He's likely not even in the top 10 | 33 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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