It was the scream heard/seen around the world... well, at least in Toronto. Obviously, I'm talking about the infamous Radko Gudas/Joseph Woll scene in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers eliminating the Leafs in 5 games last May really stung, especially since the Leafs had just beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning a couple of weeks prior to end their playoff slump, winning their first series in almost 20 years. Still, it wasn't so much the loss that Leaf fans were upset with. It was watching Gudas stand over a deflated rookie netminder, screaming in his face. I mean, just look at this.
Back when the Maple Leafs first signed veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves to his 3-year deal this summer, Reavo was asked about the Gudas/Woll scene and essentially dared Gudas to try that again when he's on the ice. Well, tonight, Gudas will have his chance to poke the bear, as both he and Reaves will dress for their respective teams tonight when the Ducks take on the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Reaves said he's not going to go out of his way to go after Gudas, but says he'll have his eye on him all night.
Gudas views the entire situation as very overblown, as he sat down with NHL.com's Dave McCarthy on Saturday morning in anticipation of their tilt with the Leafs tonight. Gudas told McCarthy that he didn't think that letting his emotions get the best of him would cause the uproar that it did in Toronto and around the league.
Tonight's game will be an interesting one, not only to see if the Leafs have a response planned for Gudas in this one, but also because they have a chance to extend their current win streak to 3 games tonight. With captain John Tavares out with an injury and Martin Jones starting in this one, the Leafs will have to look to build a lead early and stay out of penalty trouble if they want to avoid dropping another game to an inferior opponent tonight.
