Camera catches Leafs' bench hilarious reaction to Reaves knockout

Last night, feared Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves squared up with Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot in a fight and knocked him out.

Fighting is arguably on its way out of the NHL, but everyone still loves a good scrap. The Leafs have been known for years to be one of the softest teams in the NHL, but the addition of Reaves and more toughness in their roster has changed the mentality of the team. On the bench, players were going nuts when Reaves sent Jeannot to the ice.




The moment Reaves delivered the knockout, Auston Matthews and Max Domi were seen with their jaws dropping before they jumped together to celebrate. Every other player on the bench stood up for the fight, and even the coaches looked like they were cracking a smile.

It's always awesome to get these extra looks into what the personality of the team is like on the bench. Despite having a ton of holes in their roster and not a clutch bone in their body, the Leafs look like they've gotten closer this year, and more amped for the physical play. We'll have to see this spring if they can finally make any sort of meaningful playoff run, or if this team is the same old squad of losers they've always been.