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Maple Leafs Winger Ryan Reaves Publicly Buries Arber Xhekaj For Refusing to Drop the Gloves

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TJ Tucker
January 21, 2025  (3:47 PM)
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Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves wasn't too pleased with Montreal's Arber Xhekaj after the Canadiens defenseman pointed to the scoreboard and turned down a fight over the weekend.

Ryan Reaves of the Toronto Maple Leafs is finally having his say on Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens and his actions on Saturday night that may have been the catalyst in a huge comeback win for the Maple Leafs.

With the Canadiens up 3-0 in the first period of Saturday night's game, Ryan Reaves challenged Arber Xhekaj to a fight, which lead to Xhekaj rejecting him and pointing at the scoreboard to remind Reaves what the score is.

Asked about Xhekaj's actions during the game, before the Maple Leafs rallied for 7 straight goals to beat the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 7-3, Reaves said Xhekaj got exactly what he deserved.

Reaves insisted that he definitely would have obliged Xhekaj if the request had come the other way he then established that Xhekaj embarrassed himself with the gesture.

"You want to point at the scoreboard and then get rattled off for seven? It's a tough look."

Reaves, who recently revealed the truth behind why he hasn't fought yet this season, agreed with a reporter when asked if he thought what happened to Xhekaj was karma. He also revealed that if Xhekaj issues a challenge to him in their next matchup, Reaves may very well just decline it to give the Habs defenseman a taste of his own medicine.

The rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs is a long one, and Xhekaj and Reaves seem to be bringing it back to levels that haven't been seen in quite a while.

At the most recent Maple Leafs practice, Reaves skated on the fourth line with Steve Lorentz and David Kampf. Toronto hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets in the team's next game, which takes place on Wednesday night.

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Maple Leafs Winger Ryan Reaves Publicly Buries Arber Xhekaj For Refusing to Drop the Gloves

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