One of the newest Maple Leafs had some choice words for a player who has been a thorn in the side of the club for years.
One of the newest Maple Leafs had some choice words for a player who has been a thorn in the side of the club for years.
Ryan Reaves is apparently not a big fan of Corey Perry.
During the end of the first period of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, the Sportsnet broadcast caught Reaves and Perry having quite the exchange on the bench.
The Maple Leafs forward is one of several players GM Brad Treliving brought in this offseason to bring in some toughness and, of course, play a bit of an enforcer role.
Reaves, who engaged in a couple of fights through his first two games, explained following practice on Wednesday that he has never been a fan of the Blackhawks forward.
"I never really liked him to be honest," Reaves said. "We always seem to run into each other when we play each other. But yeah, not a lot of love for that guy."
Reaves said the love lost dates back to when he first met him on the ice.
"Just the way he runs his mouth," Reaves added. "He kind of acts tough, he’s not tough. I don’t know."
Reaves' candid remarks will certainly endear him to some Maple Leafs fans who watched as Perry haunted the Maple Leafs in the 2021 playoffs while with the Montreal Canadiens and then in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1GF_5hBOV4[/embed]
Perry, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Blackhawks this summer, appeared to get the last laugh, scoring Chicago's third goal, which stood up as the winner in a 4-1 victory to hand the Maple Leafs their first defeat of the season.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAWta1PaZkM[/embed]
Asked if Perry would be the type to engage in a fight with him, Reaves had a quick answer.
"No, he definitely wouldn’t"
Reaves signed a three-year, $4.05 million deal with the club in July.
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