Anthony Stolarz Clears Up Any Remaining Confusion Regarding Comments About Leafs Teammates

Aside from the Toronto Blue Jays clinching their spot in the World Series for the first time in 32 years, the talk of the town when it comes to hockey has been the heated comments made by goaltender Anthony Stolarz after the Leafs' 4-3 overtime loss against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

Stolarz commented about his collision with Kraken forward Mason Marchement and how the Maple Leafs needed to respond better and with a different level of intensity after it seemed like no one came to his aid. He also preached that his teammates should be driving the net hard on other goalies in the league to make their life just as difficult as his has been.

Head coach Craig Berube wasn't too pleased that Stolarz's comments made it to the media as he would have liked for that to stay within the locker room. Nevertheless, Stolarz has taken full accountability for his actions and is showing true leadership at a time when the Leafs could use a different voice.

Goaltenders aren't usually vocal and they like to keep to themselves. However, Stolarz is the complete opposite, and in doing so, he's providing the Maple Leafs with another outlet of veteran leadership, which he credits to his time with the Stanley Cup winning Florida Panthers.

Going back to the incident, Stolarz's leadership extended further as he wanted to point out that because he stepped in right away after his collision with Marchment, it looked like his teammates weren't there to support or protect him, even when they were.

Stolarz was aware that the Kraken were the only ones penalized for the play and his comments mirror those of defenseman Brandon Carlo, who also said something similar after he was called out for not protecting his netminder.

With Berube and the leadership group having said that they are now ready to move past this situation, it will be interesting to see how the Leafs respond tomorrow night when they play host to the New Jersey Devils.