Toronto Maple Leafs fans haven’t been fond of Jake Gardiner’s play as of late and they made it pretty clear on Monday night as fans let the 28-year-old defenceman hear it every single time he touched the puck.
The night went downhill for Gardiner after he was beat by Carl Soderberg for a shorthanded goal late in the second period as it resulted in him getting booed the rest of the night.
Many Leafs fans excepted big things from Gardiner after the 2008 first round draft pick posted a career-high 47 assists and 52 points in 82 games last season, but things have not worked out in his favour so far this year, at least in the eyes of the fan base.
Following the Leafs’ 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on home ice on Monday, many of Gardiner’s teammates were quick to defend him in their post-game media scrum, including Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner and head coach Mike Babcock.
It’s not the first time Leafs fans have booed a player or their team and it certainly won’t be the last. However, let’s not forget that these are human beings we’re dealing with here, so you know they hear it all, too, even if they don’t want to.
Gardiner’s teammates had nothing but good things to say about his game and the things he adds to the team off the ice, but it’s going to be tough to change the mind of any angry Leafs fans right about now.
The Maple Leafs will look to end their two-game losing skid on Thursday night when they pay a visit to the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning.
