Five Players That Will Reignite the Battle of Ontario

Tonight, the Battle of Ontario returns to the playoffs after a 21 year hiatus! For anyone wanting a refresher on those battles many years ago, feel free to read this. What made the rivalry so special was the hatred amongst the two teams. That hatred came from the intensity shown by the likes of Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Neil, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi, and Gary Roberts, among others. You had Curtis Joseph at one end and Patrick Lalime at the other for most of these battles. It was Pat Quinn versus Jacques Martin. There were also four playoff matchups in a five year period. This is only round one for the current group of Senators and Maple Leafs players. So, which players will amp up the intensity to reignite the Battle of Ontario? Let’s dive into the details.

READ MORE: Breaking Down the Battle of Ontario

Brady Tkachuk

Tkachuk gave hockey fans a glimpse of what playoff Tkachuk could look like with his play at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Since entering the league in 2018, Tkachuk leads the NHL with 750 penalty minutes. He’s second to Radko Gudas in hits with 1759. He’s is undoubtedly one of the premier power forwards in the NHL. There’s a reason people think he’ll succeed in the playoffs. The hockey world just watched his brother win a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season. They’ve seen Tom Wilson throw 100 hits in 21 playoff games, all the while scoring 15 points to help the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018. The key for Tkachuk will be to walk the fine line between being a physical leader and taking costly penalties.

Max Domi

Domi is 30 years old. That means he was very young when his dad, Tie, was a central figure in the Sens-Leafs battles in the early 2000s. Even if he doesn’t have vivid memories of those games, I’m sure his dad was happy to remind him of what happened. Of course, Max is nowhere near the tough guy that his dad was. He only registered 32 hits this season in 74 games. He has shown a willingness to fight, though, including ten fights over his last two seasons with the Leafs. Whether he fights or not, look for him to be involved in the rough stuff. How could he not be? He’s a Leafs player with the name Domi on his jersey.

Ridly Greig

Do I even need to write anything here? If anyone has already reignited the Battle of Ontario, it was Greig with his slap shot empty netter last season. That led to Morgan Rielly cross checking him to the face, for which Rielly was promptly handed a five game suspension. Rielly, by the way, has averaged 23 penalty minutes per 82 games over his career. On that one play, he was handed 15 penalty minutes. Basically, Ridly Greig can even make the nicest of players lose their cool. Of Greig’s four NHL fights, two have come against the Leafs. Greig is a pest in every sense of the word. Look for him to happily annoy the Leafs in his first ever playoffs.

Scott Laughton

Growing up in Oakville, Laughton was a Leafs fan. He’s 30 so he probably has some memories of the later Battle of Ontario playoff series’. He also fought Greig in March, in just his fourth game with the Leafs. He knows that needs to display toughness to be at his best in his role as a defensive forward. Also, this was back in 2019, but Brady Tkachuk and Scott Laughton have a history. Tkachuk was fined for cross-checking Laughton after Laughton had some words for the Senators bench after a goal. With four points in 20 games as a Maple Leaf, Laughton hasn’t played all that well since being traded for. One way to win the fans over? Participate in some of the rough stuff early on in the playoffs.

Nick Cousins

In a player survey conducted by The Athletic last year, Nick Cousins won the “who’s face do you most want to punch?” poll, earning 28.57% of the vote. He also already has a playoff history with the Maple Leafs, having scored the series clinching overtime goal in game five two seasons ago as a Florida Panther. Make no mistakes about it, Cousins is intentionally annoying. That’s why Brad Marchand felt the need to grab him by the throat earlier in the season. He knows how to get under the skin of his opponent, and he’ll likely continue this style of play in the Battle of Ontario.

Honourable Mentions

David Perron is a willing competitor, and quite annoying to play against. Steve Lorentz grew up as a Leafs fan and finished first among Leafs forwards with 199 hits this season. Simon Benoit led all Leafs with 204 hits this season, and also had three fights. Of course, the best battles are when the star players are involved. Who knows, maybe Auston Matthews and Tim Stützle will involve themselves. With the Battle of Ontario, nothing is off limits!