Bowness rant resonates with Leafs coach Berube

OTTAWA — The Maple Leafs held an optional skate at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Wednesday.

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Rick Bowness called out the Columbus Blue Jackets in an emotional media session following the team’s final regular-season game on Tuesday night.

“Losing is not important enough to them,” the 71-year-old coach told reporters after watching the Jackets throw just three hits and commit 23 giveaways while losing 2-1 to the Washington Capitals on home ice. “You have to hate losing. I don’t care if it’s a meaningless game. I don’t care. Show up and compete.”

Columbus surged back into contention after Bowness replaced Dean Evason on Jan. 12, but the team won just three of their final 13 games to miss the playoffs.

Bowness vowed to change the team’s culture if he returns next season.

Leafs coach Craig Berube agrees with Bowness’ view on the significance of hating to lose, but believes that falls to the players.

“Losing has to hurt and it’s got to be vocalized in the room by your players,” Berube said. “Like, when you’re losing and you’re not winning things have to be said in a not-so-nice manner and when that happens in a locker room enough times things are bound to change. You gotta challenge each other. He’s not wrong.”

The Leafs dropped more games than any other team after returning from the Olympic break going 5-14-5 down the stretch. Toronto is winless in six games (0-5-1) since the calendar flipped to April. So, do the Leafs need to hate losing more?

“I’m not going to talk about all that,” said Berube. “Like, I’m not getting into that stuff.”

Berube has repeatedly declined to go into detail about how this Leafs season, which started with high hopes, went off the rails so dramatically.

“It’s a disappointing season, definitely,” the 60-year-old said. “But, again, that’s for me to internalize and go through and things like that. I’m not going to express all my opinions to everybody. I’m going to keep that inside.”

Berube defended the team’s culture shortly after MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley decided to “part ways” with general manager Brad Treliving while citing culture issues in the organization. The team’s next head of hockey operations will ultimately decide whether Berube is back for a third season in Toronto.

“I love it,” said Berube, who has two more years on his contract beyond this one. “I love Toronto. I love the Leafs. Everybody talks about pressure and all this stuff. I think it’s great. For me, I’d rather have the pressure and having to perform and win than not have it.”

The Leafs will hold their end-of-season media availability on Thursday back in Toronto.

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The Leafs can lock in a bottom-five finish by losing their final game on Wednesday night in Ottawa. Toronto (78 points) will also finish in the bottom five if the Seattle Kraken (79 points) gain one point in their final two games. The Kraken own the tiebreaker over the Leafs.

The Leafs will only retain their first-round pick this year if it falls in the top five, otherwise it goes to the Boston Bruins to complete the Brandon Carlo trade last year. Some fans have been cheering for their team to lose as much as possible down the stretch in the hopes of keeping the pick and getting some sort of reward for this brutal season. Players have been tuning out the tank talk.

“I approach each game the same,” centre John Tavares stressed. “There should be an extreme amount of pride to play in this league, to play this game and to wear the crest that we’re wearing.”

Tavares is the only player to dress in every game for the Leafs this season. This will be the first time since 2018-19, his first year in Toronto, that he plays all 82 games in a regular season.

“I just try to prepare the best I can,” the Oakville, Ont. native said. “You want to play every game. That’s what you work all offseason for, that’s what you wait every day for is the ability to wake up and get to go and compete and play in this league. Obviously injuries happen at times, but you do everything you can to put yourself in the best spot each and every day.”

Tavares is often lauded as a consummate professional. He even brings an extra suitcase on the road so that he can maintain all the different routines he has to stay in top shape.

“He takes care of his body so well,” said rookie centre Jacob Quillan. “I looked up to him since I was a kid and just to see it now live is amazing. He gifted the boys some red-light [therapy] thing, so it’s good to add that to the routine. Yeah, it’s unbelievable.”

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When Tavares scored in Monday’s game, Joe Bowen bellowed, “Johnny Toronto!” on the radio broadcast.

“It’s surreal,” Tavares said. “You grow up dreaming about the National Hockey League and follow the Leafs and hear him call so many games and [hear his trademark call of] ‘Holy Mackinaw’ and countless others so for him to give one to me over the course of my time here has been surreal.”

Bowen, who will retire following this season, was honoured with a video tribute and standing ovation during Monday’s home finale.

“What a career,” said forward Max Domi. “One of the first people that comes to mind when you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s unfortunate that this is the year he had to go out on, but I wish him the best and absolutely love Joe. Special, special guy.”

Bowen has not travelled to road games in recent years, but will be in the press box for the final call of his 44-year career on Wednesday.

“He’s just the best guy,” said winger Steven Lorentz. “Full of energy, full of life and you can hear that passion when he’s calling the game ... He called it with so much passion and emotion that it just made it that much more electric even if you’re just sitting in the car listening to him.”

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The Leafs fans that stayed to the end of the final home game saw the players salute Bowen in the press box. They then cheered the home team off the ice.

“It was a fun game maybe for the fans to watch, but it’s tough ending the season like this,” said winger William Nylander following the 6-5 defeat to the Dallas Stars. “So, I mean, just go into the summer and be ready to have a big season next year.”

Despite how the season has wrapped up, the vibe inside Scotiabank Arena never got too dark.

“Obviously incredible support,” said Nylander. “And everybody, the fans, the players, everybody is on the same boat. Everybody here wants to win, especially the ones that support us every night and keep the positivity. I mean, walking out throughout the past few games so many people have been super positive. That’s what we’re going to need to come back better and united for next season.”

Nylander has yet to decide if he’ll play for Sweden at the World Championships this spring.

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The Leafs called up Dennis Hildeby from the American Hockey League and the 24-year-old Swede will start the season finale instead of Joseph Woll.

“Good to get in for a game,” Berube explained. “Woll, we used him a lot down the stretch here, so good to get Hildeby in here before he goes back to the Marlies. He’s played, what, 19 games this year for us and did a good job, so thought it would be good to get him in for one more.”

Hildeby posted a .912 save percentage in 19 games with the Leafs earlier this season. He last played in the NHL on Jan. 19.

Woll struggled since the Olympic break going 2-9-3 with an .882 save percentage. The team didn’t make it easy on him as Woll faced an average of 37.7 shots per outing during a nine-game stretch from March 10 to April 4.

“Overworked, in my opinion,” Berube admitted. “Faced a lot of rubber. Too much.”

Woll finished the season with 38 starts. Berube believes the 27-year-old, who missed the beginning of the season due to personal leave, is capable of a heavier workload in the years ahead.

“There’s a few things he probably has to think about and change a bit to handle that type of load,” the coach noted. “It’s a lot. You look at the goalies in the league and there’s only a handful of guys who play 50 or more games in a season.”

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James Reimer will start for the Senators against his former team on Wednesday.

“I’ve said it a million times, but obviously a lot of special memories from this team,” the 38-year-old said with his usual toothy grin.

Reimer, who spent part of training camp in Toronto on a pro tryout, made his first NHL start for the Leafs in Ottawa way back on Jan. 1, 2011.

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Leafs rookie and Ottawa native Luke Haymes will have 20-30 supporters in the crowd on Wednesday.

“Super exciting,” the 22-year-old centre said. “Hometown game and the whole family will be there. Grew up watching lots of Sens-Leafs games so it will be super fun to play in one.”

It will be the third career NHL game for the Dartmouth College product, who has one assist so far.

“It’s been good,” Haymes said. “There’s some things I want to build on. Obviously some nerves in the first few games, but super fun playing in front of the home crowd. The Leafs fans are unbelievable and we’re going to look to win a lot more games next year. For myself, just building my game in the summer to where I can come in and be more of a force, but I’ve been solid the first three games and will look to build on that tonight.”

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With winger Calle Jarnkrok dealing with an injury, Michael Pezzetta will draw into the Leafs lineup on Wednesday, per Berube.

The Senators, who are locked into the second wildcard spot, will rest several regulars including Michael Amadio who joins Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot on sidelines for tonight’s regular-season game.