Lightning winger Corey Perry is a master at getting under his opponent's skin. Just ask the Maple Leafs.
The veteran forward has long been viewed as one of the game's best pot stirrers. Whether it's an extra slash or an added shove, there are very few players in the NHL that can piss off others like Perry can.
So it wasn't a total shock when the Tampa Bay veteran was greeted with a rain of boos at Scotiabank Arena for Game 1 of the Leafs' opening series against the Lightning. It was a bit surprising to hear the jeers start before the game.
Corey Perry booed off the ice at end of warm-up pic.twitter.com/2A4WsfZVGe
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 18, 2023
Perry and the Lightning silenced the Toronto crowd quite quickly. He assisted on Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's opening tally in the first 1:18 of the game and then scored a power-play goal late in the second to push the score to 5-2.
He also assisted on Brayden Point's goal with less than two seconds left in the second, ending the game with a goal and two assists, along with a team-high seven shots on goal.
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It's a pretty safe bet that Perry will receive the same treatment from the Toronto faithful on Thursday night for Game 2. Here is a closer look at why the Maple Leafs fans are booing Perry specifically.
Why Maple Leafs fans are booing Corey Perry
Over the course of Perry's 18-year career in the NHL, it is very likely he's given a reason for all 32 clubs in the league to boo him. Out of all of the active players in the NHL, Perry has the most career penalty minutes, racking up 1,380 in his tenure.
But Maple Leafs fans in particular have a solid reason to hold a grudge against the veteran forward.
Perry has been on the last two teams that have knocked the Maple Leafs out of the playoffs. He was a member of last year's Lightning team that defeated the Leafs in seven games in the first round of the postseason, scoring two goals in the series.
He also was on the Canadiens team that stunned the Leafs in the 2021 first round. Montreal stormed back from down 3-1 in the series to knock off Toronto in seven games. Perry scored twice in that series, recording a goal in Game 6 and Game 7 to help the Canadiens come back in the series.
It's bad enough when Perry is mucking it up on the ice and being a thorn in the side of the Toronto club. It's even worse when that same face is back year after year, looking to once again knock the Leafs out of the postseason.
