Sam Bennett says Leafs fans all say the same thing to him
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had many foes throughout their history, but perhaps no one has been as universally disliked in recent years as Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
Though Bennett was born in nearby Holland Landing, Ontario, and spent much of his formative years growing up in the east end of the city, he hasn’t exactly been popular in the area in recent years.
Winning his first Stanley Cup this spring with Florida, Bennett earned a reputation as public enemy No. 1 in the Panthers’ 2023 second-round playoff win over the Leafs.
Bennett picked up 20 minutes in penalties in the series but was most remembered for a harsh toss of Leafs forward Matthew Knies to the ice that caused him to miss the remainder of the series with a concussion.
Bennett joined TSN 1050’s First Up to discuss his playstyle and his connection with fans in Toronto over the summer.
“Since I’m here [in Toronto] all summer… fans see me all the time, and they actually always have like, something to say, like, they hate me, but they always end with, ‘I want you to be a Leaf one day,'” Bennett said.
Bennett is heading to free agency next summer, with one year left on a three-year deal worth $4.425 million per year.
“They hate me, but they always end with, 'I want you to be a Leaf one day'”@FlaPanthers forward and Stanley Cup Champion @SBennett93 joined #FirstUp this morning and told us how #LeafsForever fans greet him around the GTA in the offseason. pic.twitter.com/OuOn91OdcZ
— First Up (@FirstUp1050) August 27, 2024
“I think there’s definitely a lot of people that that don’t like the way I play. But I think it goes for a lot of guys on our team,” Bennett said. “Part of what makes us successful, I think, is we have so many guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to win. And it can be hard. It can be nasty at times, but sometimes it’s necessary to just do whatever it takes to win, and we have a lot of guys that have bought into that. And it shows for how much success we’ve had over the last two years.”
Bennett put up seven goals and seven assists in 19 games with the Panthers this postseason en route to the Stanley Cup win.
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