Many Leafs fans were wondering that on Tuesday night when Toronto met the Boston Bruins in the fifth game of a best-of-seven series to determine who will make it to the next round of the NHL playoffs.
Wild scene from Leafs, Bruins game everyone is laughing about: ‘the look of betrayal’
from Halifax who is also Bruins captain was ‘clobbered’ by linesman Andrew Smith
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With Boston leading the series three games to one it was do-or-die for the Leafs, who managed to keep their playoff hopes alive with a two-one victory on a goal in overtime by Matthew Knies.
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But it was an unexpected play during the third period by one of the linesmen that drew a lot of attention.
It started with a scuffle between Brad Marchand of the Bruins, and Leafs player Pontus Holmberg, the former seemingly in a brief headlock before they both got to their feet. Moments later, Marchand took a run at Holmberg and knocked him over, and then again struggled back to their feet.
But before either one could make another move, linesman Andrew Smith entered the fray, tackling an astonished-looking Marchand to the ice — or, as the Sportsnet commentators called it: “And the referee clobbers Marchand!”
Marchand, a 35-year-old from Halifax who is also the Bruins captain, looks a little stunned to have been taken down by a game official, but he had little time to contemplate the event before he and Holmberg were both handed penalties for their actions.
Meanwhile, X user @Payam_Riazi drew a Titanic comparison with “Don’t let go jack” comment. Whereas @SHD_Agent_Duong aptly summarized, “The look of betrayal.”
But the prize for the best rendition of the moment has to go to the X account @ArtButSports, which within minutes had compared Smith and Marchand to none other than Jesus and Saint Joseph in the 17th-century painting Death of Saint Joseph by the Italian Baroque painter Gioacchino Assereto.
The painting had, coincidentally, been sold at auction this year, fetching just over US$100,000. Another social media account, @LeafsWave featured a closeup of the modern scene with the suggestion: “Hang this in the Louvre.”
The playoff action moves back to Toronto for Game 6, with the puck drop at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 2. Marchand and Holmberg will be in the lineup. No word on whether Smith, wearing no. 51, will be part of the game.