Former Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe was recently asked about his time playing in Toronto, and he described it in one of the worst imaginable ways ever. Over the course of eight memorable seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2000 to 2008, Bryan McCabe, along with Tomas Kaberle, <a href='https://thehockeywriters.com/kaberle-to-mccabe-a-blast-from-the-past/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>formed a potent defensive duo</a>. Listed at 6'2 and 220 pounds, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/player/bryan-mccabe-8459462' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Bryan McCabe</a> was a physical presence on the ice, known for a blistering slap shot, tireless energy, and fearless physicality. Despite his contributions, McCabe's time in Toronto ended on a sour note. Speaking on Spittin' Chiclets, he told of how fan reactions, particularly after a costly mistake against Buffalo, soured the end of his time with the Maple Leafs. It was game seven of the regular season. I started to sense at the end of that last year, and they were starting to turn a little because we missed the playoffs again and the next year it hadn't happened yet. Then we're in Buffalo in overtime, it's a 4-on-3 powerplay for them. There's four seconds left and 'Razor' [Andrew Raycroft] stops the puck. He comes to me at the front of the net and I'm boxing my guy out. I'm trying to whack it in the corner, and I catch it just right and hit both posts and I score the overtime winning goal on my own team! But as soon as it happened, I was front page of The Sun for three days, my wife still has the posting it says 'Bryan McKlutz'. Then every time I went to touch the puck, the boo birds came out. It was misery; it sucked the life out of me. - Bryan McCabe <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/spittinchiclets/status/1867282721825063059'> </a></blockquote></div> But the team's fortunes with him cannot be denied. In 523 games with the Leafs, he totaled 83 goals and 214 assists, many courtesy of the brilliance of Mats Sundin. Originally a 40th overall selection by the New York Islanders in the 1993 Entry Draft, the St. Catharines, Ontario native spent two seasons with the Islanders before he was dealt to Vancouver for Trevor Linden. In 2000, McCabe was sent to the Maple Leafs along with Alex Karpovtsev and a draft pick. Since retiring in 2012, McCabe moved behind the scenes and is now Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Panthers. This past season, his efforts paid off with the Panthers taking home the Stanley Cup.