Maple Leafs Culture and Identity with Kris Versteeg | JD Bunkis Podcast
Two-time Stanley Cup champion Kris Versteeg joins JD Bunkis to discuss what the Leafs lack, locker-room accountability, taking pride in your role, coaching shortcomings, and how to quantify effort.
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#NHL #Hockey #MapleLeafs #Bruins
We love the name on the front of the jersey. These players only love the name in the back. We'll finally win when the culture / mentality changes.
That was a great way of saying what most of us think.
Makar is the best defenseman in the NHL. He can single handedly break out of his own zone and develop a scoring play. Nobody on the Leafs is even close. Leafs entire team has trouble getting out of their own zone.
Their number 1 Dman Reilly would probably slot in the bottom 3 on the Bruins
Is Makar available this off season?
As a bruins fan i must say the culture and identity, the commitment and pride, are massive. The young players we have like beecher, hienen, lauko, lohrei, wotherspoon, geekie watch Marchands work ethic, team friendly deal, behavior off the ice in the community, leadership in the locker room and they learn what it means to be a Bruin. They are looking to win cups while they can play. They might fall short but the best way to set yourself up for success is by building a commited and proud team.
Well said!
I'm not sure WHO thought this series would be or go any different .. I've been a leafs fan since birth . This team isn't built for the playoffs . They are playing a team they don't match up well and CANT BEAT . Soooooooo why is this shocking ? Why is this like an OMG moment ???? Just lost that ANYONE thought we were gonna win this series .
Marchand has more points than top 4 combined
Talent wins regular season; Heart wins playoffs.
in the end the regular season is more fun to watch than the playoffs tho
@@unimpressively_charming Explain how?
How do the Leafs win the regular season? They won their division only 1 of these past 8 seasons and that was the lockout year in the Canadian division. The fact is other teams are better both in the regular season and the playoffs
True, but the Leafs don't even bring the talent to the playoffs. Mr 69 goal scorer in the regular season has 1 goal in his last 10 playoff games and has 3 games out of 4 this series where he has ZERO points. Where is the talent?
Blow the whole team up. Marner, and Tavares have to be the first to go. Their getting paid way to much….Zach Hyman is getting 5.5 million and they aren’t even half the man he is.
Easier said than done bud, you just named the 2 players who have a massive AAV with both of em having a NMC because Marner's NMC kicks in already too so yeah good luck in moving those 2.
Sadly Tavares is going nowhere , as far as Marner i would hold on and see if a new coach can motivate him. Keefe has been a complete failure , i would wait and see what a new coach does. I remember Marner blocking shots and playing hard under Babcock , hopefully he can get back to that kind of play. Tavares was a mistake , they didnt need him. They needed a defensive sqad then and still do.
@@VanMichael21 I think Marner would take a trade to 1 of the Florida teams in a heartbeat because it would mean an extra 1.8 million in salary. Florida has no state income tax. Neither does Vegas. So simply ask for a list of teams he would agree to play for.
Marner is my least favorite maple leaf ever. There’s nothing about him I like. Shrinks like a frightened turtle in the playoffs, exudes feminism and adolescence, with a face and attitude you must want to flatten
@@c_telking4433 I agree, same with nylander, we should’ve let him walk when he sat out half the season whining for money. Feminist/lgbt Kyle dubas got punked and destroyed the franchise financially.
I don't understand why Matthews seems to be immune to criticism in the Toronto media. It's always "Marner has been bad, Tavares is bad, the defence is bad, the goaltending is bad. We need more players to be like Matthews". Next year he'll be the highest paid hockey player on planet earth and since he entered the NHL he currently sits 37th in the league in playoff points. You're getting paid more than McDavid and MacKinnon! You've had skilled playmakers on your team every year and your team has made the playoffs every year of your career. There's no conceivable reason that you shouldn't be in the top 10 players in the league for playoff points over that stretch. You simply haven't been good enough! Leon Draisaitl has almost twice as many playoff points over the same time with 1 less game played.
Of the "core 4" he's undoubtedly the best and takes his fair share of heat. The Leafs are a mess , the Shanaplan was a COMPLETE FAILURE. Shanny and Keefe are both gone hopefully. As for trading any of the core 4 that's a pretty big hurdle to get over.
hes a good player all around and he got the MOST GOALS IN THE NHL this year. Maybe the top scorer in the league making the most isnt so hard to understand? eh
@@unimpressively_charminglet’s see him put the team on his back and carry them to a series lead then. Thats what elite players that want to win do, right?
We have a marner fan here!
Matthews has proven himself through the season, but Marners play and pride during the playoffs just doesnt reflect a player that has demanded as much money as he had. You dont need to score goals to be effective, but be a part of the play, block shots, hit someone! He's an amazing player, but he doesnt fit in well with this team. i think he needs to mature more but i also think the core 3 has created a locker room thats more about other things than hockey(IMO)
My fav thing to do this time of year… listen to Leafs commentators the last week of the regular season… and again when the bruins have them on the ropes 🤣. For real, does anyone have a brain up there ? No one outside Toronto thought this would be a close series
If they can somehow manage to win games 5 and 6, the Leafs have a tremendous opportunity to choke in game 7, ideally up 4-1 in the third period and losing 5-4 in overtime
sounds about right. Grand Marshal, nice!~
Hawk fan here. Versteeg played hurt in the playoffs. One year he played on one leg and so did Hossa, but we still won!
Gregory Campbell played a minute and a half in the PK with a broken leg. Bergeron had Broken ribs, seperated shoulder; torn cartilage and a punctured lung, and still played.The Leafs are soft. No Leadership
@kennethsonia5350 I still go back and watch that every now and then. Campbell is a warrior. What a moment.
@jim7292 Leafs fan here for past 50 years now, this team is a major disappointment. I cheered my guts out for Chicago Blackhawks, and was thrilled at their victories. You are right players were present and played through injuries...impressive. Leafs are a disgrace!
Great analysis by Kris Versteeg
If Matthews was serious about winning, he would have signed a team friendly deal
No. It's a business, multibillion dollars business and everyone has the price
@@peterpeterson5550that's why we will not win. To some players, the business end is the most important. To some, winning is. It shows in how they play, especially in the playoffs.
If price him at goals per game, his contract isn't bad actually. He's not really the problem, let's be real. The problem is the other two in tavares and marner who have been horrible for an overwhelming majority of the series. But I can't say most of the roster is very good. I can find fault with most of the roster. You don't have to look far.
Or a long term deal, he did neither. 0-2
@@peterpeterson5550 Ask the Bruins players, they disagree with you.
Well, I am happy about one thing, I finally settled on the six leafs who will be my pallbearers. That way they can let me down one more time.
Out coached and same style every year. Other teams are happy when they face this team.
The Leafs organization disgusts me.
I really think they don't want to win. Not enough money in it for them. Corporate business is not always about having the best product.
@@thobur2661 I agree. They're so out of touch with what Leaf fans want and reality in general. I don't think they'd care even if they knew.
@@SedatKulafofski-eh5pc I would love to see someone like Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour or someone of that stature in the organization get Shanahans job.
As a long time toronto resident I gave up years ago, for decades MLSE treated the fans like their own personal ATM cash machine. They have made an effort recently but fall short over and over. They burned Freddie out, he’s the best goalie they have had in 10 years.
Leafs should also play Cade Webber, 6' 7". Big defenseman, they got nothing to lose.
3:27 - People were trapped by Boston on paper? Really? People actually thought the Leafs would win? After Boston won all 4 games in the regular season? The games where we also took a bunch of stupid penalties to prove how tough we were? That Boston? I don't know how someone could be watching Hockey all year this year and think the Leafs were somehow a favourite to win this series. That blows my mind.
Is sad man, the days before the start of the playoffs there’s so much excitement and hope in the city. Imagine if one day this team can make a run for the cup. But here we are again, feeling nothing but anger and disappointment. If 34, 16 and 88 are all injured now, why did they play the last few games of the regular season??? If they don’t get rid of Keefe tomorrow then I don’t know what will have to happen for this team to change
why did you think this year would be any different? makes no sense. keep cheering for this team and keep being disappointed.
A headache and a tummy ache... Injured..... lol
Even Las Vegas has a Stanley Cup Absolutely embarrassing!!! This franchise is all about money 💰
Leafs have 13 cups Vegas has a long way to go
Always has been. Have a couple stars and fill out the roster with AHL guys. Since Harold’s time. Haha
@@Glacialspring ... and you haven't seen a single one of them
@@Glacialspring0 cups since the league has had more than 6 teams, meaning the moment they've needed to win more than two rounds in the playoffs they've been unable to. More joke of a franchise than Arizona/Utah.
MacKinnon waited 9 years before he won the Stanley Cup. Matthews doesn't have the work ethic that MacKinnon has.
McKinnon has grit, determination and heart. I think Mathews is about buying watches, cars and holidaying in the Caribbean. It is a me first attitude, not team mentality.
@democraticdialogue7271 Very true, every time I watch the Leafs, I see a bunch of primadonna's. I have never seen Matthews throw a check on an opponent. Don't think he has ever been in the penalty box.
Even though MacKinnon waited 9 years he was still showing up in the playoffs in the years before. He had 10 points in 7 games in his rookie season in the playoffs and had 25 points in the 2020 playoffs which was his 7th season... Matthews is in season 8 and has never scored more than 5 goals or had more than 11 points in the playoffs.
@odoaceroftheneoromanempire7178 So very true. Leafs have some issues, I'm not sure if they can ever be fixed.
Leaves in 5
Yes, leaving in 5
@@MichaelThomas-ll1hw😂
Heaving a coach like Darryl Sutter would do wonders for team like the Leafs. He got a raw deal in Calgary because the players didn't like him. Still can coach and a hard ass coach like him is what Toronto needs
These players will not react well to Sutter and they’ll have to blow it up anyways.
@@musicbygoldenj well he’s what they need. They need a hard ass coach who’s going to change the mentality of that soft group of players.
Question??? Do the TML's have any kind of Captain or real Leader? (ie Boston Marchand).
Babcock 🤣🤣🤣
No..
they do not
Year after Year, Leafs are the same, and as a fan, I took a step back last season, taking less time spent on watching the game, or even not interested in highlight especially when they are losing. It is what it is, we cannot change the culture and the direction of team, and make them a winner. So, we adjust and adapt to the reality, and at the end of the day, this is only a game, an entertainment. Enjoy it while we can.
It's funny that guys like JD and other pod guys are negative about the Leaf players bitchin on the bench, but every NHL player like Kris loves it.
And everyone except, funny enough, Next Man Up got the verbiage right. He doesn’t say “this isn’t juniors”.
that leafs 3rd alternate jersey is the best. I'd love that to be our home for a few years
Their identity is the "core four". That is their identity. It is stressed every day. How can all of the players feel important when the core four is constantly talked about as if they are the only thing that matters. Combine that with the so called "leaders of the team" inability to show up to play the majority of every game, you will almost invariably get a version of this. Stop saying core four. It stands for the opppsite of what a team should be.
Treliving tried to change that coming in but it's already burned into everyone's psyche already. Until it gets broken up
Core Fore!
The Boston Florida series is going to be awesome.
STEEGER! HAWKS LEGEND!
I saw a video where the Willie Lio reading came out more akin to "stop F---ing crying, that's the issue" instead of "it's not juniors" and it made way more sense.
Always feel the Maple Leafs as a big corporation more than a family. Mtl run in 93 and the last one 20-21. Not the best team but there was something special with this group. More of a collective than 4- 5 "superstar" .. Anyways games are so tight one play during a game can change everything.. ..still wish the leafs to comeback !
JD, you are good, keep it up. 👌
Watch Kirk Gibson in the 92 World Series and see what a winner is.
He wasn’t in that World Series. I believe you meant the HR he hit off Eckersley when he could Barely walk? ‘88 WS. Amazing moment.
It would be great for Mitch to get traded to LA so he can play with PLD. 😀
Very very well said 👏
Put woll in net and have Murray back up. This happened with Florida when they switched goalies and beat the bruins! Last year
This is so fun, I love watching the team fall apart and I love the drama. I love Willie missing time, I love bitching Mitch and flakey Auston Mathews doing an interview in about his regular season goals in the middle of a meltdown. It’s so damn satisfying on so many levels 😂😂😂
It's a number game, fill the stands during regular season makes up for missing the playoffs.
The pressure from 1000's arm chair QB's, the masses of irate fans must have an effect on the leafs players, every shift, gripping their sticks trying to not make mistakes instead of going out there doing their magic. A W would shift the whole thing.
Have to block it out and play well that’s a part of it
i hope they reach the light
The Culture of the Captain.
Maybe they should start scouting beer leagues. I mean top tier players aint working.... what they have to lose?
Why not take that rage out on the bruins instead of a pair of gloves.?
Welcome to the "sensitive hockey player" era
I miss Kessel
the Bruins dont
What an interesting thing for me to feel
Love to see a guy like Quenneville. He will hold the boys accountable. If Shanahan has a problem with that, he needs to be shown the door. If MLSE can't understand this, what can we do?
This is the channel they will listen too
The time to trade the top end assets to balance the roster has passed and that failure is on the management. Combine that with the gutted draft picks there isn’t anything left to maneuver with. They need to sign Mariner, let JT go or sign him to a better team friendly deal and wait for the cap to clear itself up to sign better depth players. Draft and trade wise they need to find a Cojo or Belfour.
Dealing with this as a leafs fan is not like pregrieving a loved one.. it's more like dealing with an addict who refuses to change after countless opportunities and keeps gaslighting and abusing
"Remember, the solution they seek is already within there thoughts. They have intuition and you'll find the answer you're looking for.
Dubas screwed this team over for the long run when he signed Tavares and negotiated the big 3s first set of contracts. He went for JT because he was the big name, when he bith didn't fit the timeline or needs of the team. He tried to revolutionalize team contract structures givibg the stars what they wanted, because he thought he was so smart he could find a bunch of cheap gems that would allow him the build a deep team around the stars. But like every GM his signings, trades and overall decision making were hit and miss. He did the same thing in Pitt - signed Karlsson when they needed to get younger and already have Letang, and the team never jelled. Crazy how he has so many apologists who defend him at every turn, when he inherited a team with a great group of young talent and barely improved the team over 7 years.
Guy has no business working as a GM. Now hes over there to screw up Pittsburgh.
Shanahan: we believe in this core; we will win with this core, year end debrief..
Exactly. Why isn't anybody talking about firing Shanahan?? He's the "genius" behind the blue print.
Toronto losing to Boston is not a big deal by any strech of the imagination if you're being realistic. The teams are closely matched and Boston has proven themselves as playoff performers way more than the leafs the last few seasons. Leafs nation seems to delude themselves annually of what this same group of players is capable of. Why would anyone expect a different result?
Also Samsonov, though he has heart, he isn't a great Goal tender, possibly a 2nd rate one if that.
If they lose this series, this team is getting blown up in the off-season, and Auston Matthews is going to request a trade
All Leaf fans. Scream your face off and support this Canadian team.
The experiment is over, let's blow up the teams top 4 and get huge salary cap space and rebuild from scratch, with players that can handle the playoffs with heart and desire.
Not gonna lie I love these videos because, it’s so great to see the leafs fans get so upset, you can hear it in homies voice lol
😂😂 how the tune has changed. Bruins have as good a chance as anyone despite these two’s bias against them 😹😹
Neither of these guys were at games 3 & 4 but are experts on the fan contributions 😂
Clearly you can know what it was like while not being there
But nobody talks about how Brendan Shannahan still collects a huge salary for 'the leaf blueprint'? Tavares should give back his next years salary and retire.
I've seen the Leafs come into town in many cities across Canada. They are like Rock Stars because of the media attention they always get. Sadly, many of them buy into this and start thinking they are. Whatever hunger they may have had growing up and getting to the show seems to have fizzled away as they allowed their egos to grow. That is the reality that management doesn't give a sh*t about winning a cup. They make their money during the regular season with the inflated prices of food and drinks and the merchandise that is sold. Icing a good team with individual stars during the regular season is way more profitable and marketable than a bunch of lunch pail players willing to give it their all to win the cup. Whence the "Core 4" costs half of the 25-player roster salary.
I know that it is a easy answer, but think about it. first it was management so they change it, then it was coaching so they changed it, than its no key players, so they changed it. and so on and so on. Nothing works. Once a team makes the playoffs, they need to beat in a series 4 other teams to win the Stanley Cup, let that sink in just a second. That is 1 more than the entire league back in the Early 60's, which was the last time a Toronto Maple Leaf team won a Cup. So what really needs to change is the Team! Sell Them, move them, change the home ice, Change the team colors. But just get rid of the franchise and bring in some thing completely new. How many NEW Franchises have won a Cup since the Leaf's last won? Almost all of the new franchise teams have. The last team to win was St. Louis and they were one of the first new teams to be added and even they finally won again Before the Leaf's. IT's the Franchise, Get rid of the entire Franchise. Right down to the door man , the janitor, hell even the bricks in the building. Its time to flood someone's back yard and start developing 5 year old's, who have no clue who the LEAFS WERE, they will never be again the team we all deserve. Thank you and Good Bye Leaf's. Reply
The Leafs need to relocate and get rid of all management and all players.
Can I ask a serious question. Why on earth is Ryan Reaves dressing? This isn't the 2011 Bruins with Chara, Thronton, Lucic, & McQuaid. Reaves is a liability. Why not bring up Logan Shaw who scored 30 for the Marlies and put him on the 4th line right wing? They are having trouble scoring and Reaves does nothing to contribute in that department.
Because your talking about Keefe here who has no idea how to win in the playoffs, but I like your idea for sure! 👍💯
The recent eclipse was more successful. The Sun and Moon coordinated a magnificent sight with next to no practice. Improvisation is the answer…
It’s impossible to assemble a well-balanced championship lineup with a soft core four increasingly dominating the payroll. ✔️
If Leafs lose, watch for top management to be cleaned out, then major deals, next year, under new management to shed the top players.
If Mathews can play and is fully recovered put Nylander and Reeves on his wings! They've gotta hit Boston with a mean forcheck and get the puck on Mathews stick! Same with Tavares! Tavares's wingers have gotta crush the body on the forcheck and get the puck out front to Tavares, Domi or Bartuzzi and put the puck in the net!!! They've gotta come out with heart and desperation and refuse to loose!!! Do this and the Leafs will win!!!💪😠
Nylander doesn't hit...
Them giving a nerd like Bunkis a show instead of a guy that’s played meaningful, winning hockey like Versteeg is so emblematic 😂😂
shoot the puck no more pretty play attempts
What's telling is the lack of interest of rental veterans of resigning with this club after their runs...This locker room is divided between the 3 Teacher's pets and the rest of them
That 4-on-3 special teams was hilarious to watch. It could have been 4-on-2 or 5-on-2 and it wouldn't have mattered. This team can't score.
The coach should be fired today! Go with Martin Jones in net, Scratch Morgan R # 44, Play old man Mark G in his place.
The identity is "I wanna get paid."
Boston is just better plain and simple.
I feel like someone needs to take an eraser to the chalkboard
Yep, when you're struggling and all over the place, you have to get back to remembering who you are. Start from the basics. Keep it simple. Do the Leafs know who they are?
Bruce Boudreau for coach....ditch Marner. Fire Shanahan. Those are good places to start.
JD Bumkiss needs to stop taking it too serious, its a game. and he aint paying the leafs bill.
The leafs need Woll to have a " Steve Penny "type of game and steal the game. If Matthews plays it looks like very few minutes and on the PP. The other top guys like Tavares, Willy,Mich need to step up and be double shifted.
Players salary should be based on how well they perform in playoff hockey! Based on their playoff performance the Leafs biggest stars are highly over paid !!!
we don`t remember the one that finished second
The Bruins are coming off the best regular season last year in history and they were the number 1 team in points up until around the last month. Are they that much worse? Krejci was not nearly the same player and Bergeron was still good but older. I think that Toronto fans and Toronto media were really disrespecting a team that handled you all year and finished ahead. Listening to you and Dangle you'd think the Bruins were absolute trash.
I don't know how Leaf fans suffer early exits post-season every year & then act shocked & dejected.
Have the leafs ever won 3 consecutive playoff games to win a series?
I’d rather watch the ‘Gary Roberts Hockey’ Leafs grind a series out than watch ‘superstars’ Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, Morgan
Its hard to believe the Leafs singed Nylander the guy is a SLUG! So is Marner, and another bad deal was morgan rielly. The guy has never been a top tier D-man, he's a good 4 or 5 and he's way overpaid just like the rest of these players. Its time to blow it up, on and off the ice.
I agree 💯 percent
Toronto is built like the AVS except that they don't have the same depth, especially on defense. The team is built like a bobblehead; too top heavy. Here's a take: keep Matthews and nylander, trade marner...somehow, don't resign Tavares for more than 6 mil/year and actually build a D core and a solid 3rd line. You got lucky with samsonov being the goaltender he's been for the price you're paying. Hopefully woll can come back and compliment him for the time being.
lol, the only thing in common with the Avs is they play on ice
@@Ryan-wr4fl👍😁
lol Mackinnon is 3 times the player Matthews will ever be. He has heart, compete, and frankly more skill.
@@casewojo6186 I totally agree. To think Matthews will be making more money than MacKinnon next season. Side note if I hear one more time from Leafs fans. Leafs should trade Marner to Colorado for Makar and a 1st. They are nuts.
Maybe…maybe…maybe…
look at the balance sheet and call them losers.
Boston was up 3-1 against the panthers last season and choked. Leafs still have a chance
That was the Panthers. Completely different teams and a stupid comparison.
they have to improve the goaltending like connor hellebuyck make a trade
Staying healthy is key ! If you can't stay healthy , you're too weak to win ! This is a season team and that's all. Playoffs is a different world and unfortunately, a world they cannot endure ! 😡
So why are we saying how many more good yesrs matthews has left when shitting on tavares when hes at the age performance drops off? He just avoids criticism lol😊
Keefe is amongst the mid to lower paid NHL coaches. He was good with the Marlies, then became a replacement coach for the Leafs... He should be sent back down to the Marlies.
Utah should hire him LoL
Matthews as captain? Mistake.
Willy goes off on the bench like he's a hockey fan eating non stop TO media all day, I'd be pissed he is chirping and hadn't played a shift yet. Culture is such an HR buzz word, it has no meaning anymore. If you are using the word culture and reminding this team it's culture is losing you are not helping. IGNORE THE CULTURE AND HISTORY AND PLAY THE GAME IN FRONT OF YOU!!
Many time you lose but played well and just lost to a better team, but over last 8 years too many times THAT didn't seem the case