Reaves gifted a shirt to every player on the team and walked into Game 7 wearing the custom-made shirt.
Reaves gifted a shirt to every player on the team and walked into Game 7 wearing the custom-made shirt.
BOSTON — Leave it to Ryan Reaves to keep things light.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward walked into the club's morning skate on Saturday at TD Garden wearing a custom-designed Leafs shirt with the phrase 'HAKUNA MATATA' written in bold white letters on the bottom in front of the Toronto skyline.
"They look great don't they?" Reaves asked as his team prepared for a do-or-die Game 7 with the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Reaves was one of a couple of players made available to the media following the club's 5-1 loss to the Bruins in Game 1. He spoke about keeping the mood around the team light, despite the lacklustre performance.
"Almost the Hakuna Matata kind of motto. You can’t be worried about what happened in the past. You just got to look forward.”
The phrase comes from the 1994 movie 'The Lion King' and where the phrase was the name of the song that meant "no worries for the rest of your days". Reaves explained that he had to shirt made up for the team days after dropping the quote.
"The boys have had those since Game 3," Reaves said. "I got a bunch of them made for the boys."
Signed to a three-year, $4.05 million deal in the offseason, Reaves was brought in to add his personality to the group, among his other attributes. He was a healthy scratch for the first time in the series during the club's 2-1 victory against the Bruins in Game 6.
Despite that, Reaves was still in the locker room during Game 6, doing his regular pump-up routine during warmups and intermission.
"When I don't play in the playoffs I usually do that," Reaves explained. "You can't win with 20 guys. There's going to be guys that come in and out of the lineup. For the guys that do not play, do whatever you can to contribute.
"If I'm not playing, the least I can do is bring some energy to the boys."
Related
Bruins Alter Routine in Hopes of Changing Fortunes Ahead of Game 7 Against Maple Leafs
News from THN.com
NHL Announces 2024 Calder Trophy Finalists
NHL Playoffs Opinion: Why Has This Year's First Round Been Such a Dud?