Leafs coach Keefe says Toronto crowd was so loud he lost his voice
For at least one night, the Toronto Maple Leafs have fought off the “quiet crowd” allegations.
On Thursday night, Toronto extended their season with a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 at Scotiabank Arena, forcing a Game 7 on the road on Saturday night.
And talking about the win in his postgame press conference, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said he began to lose his voice due to the crowd noise.
“The crowd was tremendous. It was so loud in there. My voice is starting to go on me just due to line changes and trying to communicate with the guys. It was really, really loud,” Keefe said following the game.
Earlier in the series, Toronto radio announcer Joe Bowen was among the critics of the crowd, who have long been criticized for being too corporate. But Keefe said he was screaming throughout the night on Thursday just to be heard.
“I am not sure how it feels up top, but at ice level, there is a lot coming down on us. You have to override that to communicate with the guys. You are trying to stay calm and help the group stay calm. It is hard to do so if you have to scream as loud as you can at them.”
And, flipping the script from earlier in the series, Bowen applauded Toronto fans for their noise on the night.
The 7th man tonight was UNBELIEVABLE!!! We selected you as the games FIRST STAR!!! We will hear you at the Toronto Dominion Garden Saturday
GO LEAFS GO— Joe Bowen (@Bonsie1951) May 3, 2024
“In terms of what it feels like, it feels like what we just went through. Every single play matters. You expect it to be tight,” Keefe added. “At the end of the day, all we have earned is another date on the schedule. As good as this feels and as proud of the group as you are for the effort they’ve put forth, the results that they’ve gotten, and how we have performed in these last few games to earn the next one, all we have done is earned that one. Boston has had this game essentially on the schedule all the way through.”
Puck drop for Game 7 is set for 8 pm in Boston on Saturday.
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