Bryan McCabe recalls the exact moment that forced him to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs
Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe was a stud in the NHL, however, his time with the team did not end on the greatest of terms.
Bryan McCabe had a lengthy NHL career as he was drafted in 1993 and played in the National Hockey League all the way until 2011, racking up 1,135 games and 528 points in the process.
Bryan McCabe opens up on his nightmare with the Toronto Maple Leafs
The former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was on Spittin Chiclets recently, where he got to open up about his time with the team and why it ended up going sour.
Having played with the team from 2000 to 2008, there is no doubt that McCabe experienced some ups and downs with the franchise.
However, the 2007-08 season featured a lot more downs as the team hadn't made the playoffs in two years, and they had been playing terrible hockey.
Furthermore, in an overtime game against the Buffalo Sabres early in the season, McCabe put the puck in his own net on Andrew Raycroft.
From that moment on, Maple Leafs fans would not stop booing the poor guy, and it made him dread every waking moment.
It was the hardest year of my life, honestly. It sucked the life out of me."
That same year, Cliff Fletcher was brought in as the general manager of the Maple Leafs, and he immediately wanted to trade Bryan McCabe.
The defenseman agreed to it when the season was over, and he eventually went to the Florida Panthers.
As McCabe explains, he had a much better time with the Panthers, and it wouldn't be long before he would retire as a member of the New York Rangers.
While McCabe was a great defenseman who did a lot for Toronto, there is no doubt that sometimes, a change of scenery is needed for all sides, and this was a prime example of that.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13 | 189 ANSWERS Bryan McCabe recalls the exact moment that forced him to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs Were you a fan of Bryan McCabe when he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| YES | 157 | 83.1 % |
| NO | 32 | 16.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
