The National Hockey League is not the top-watched sports league in the United States, according to a study by Christina Gough on Stadista. The NFL, the MLB, and the NBA, all topped the NHL in minutes of watched action in 2023, which aligns with the sports-watching-landscape track record.
Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Ryan Reaves, however, is committed to changing that and boosting the NHL ratings no matter what it takes.
After the Leafs’ 6-4 win against the Florida Panthers on Monday, April 1, Reaves mentioned to Shawn McKenzie of SportsNet that he’s willing to change the rules to make that happen., Reaves expressed his willingness to alter the rules to achieve this.
“My question for you, though: Whose rule is it gotta keep a shirt on here?” Reaves asked McKenzie.
“It’s not my rule,” the host replied.
“If we want to start catching the NFL and NBA,” Reaves started, “we’re going to have to start marketing this body a little bit.”
Ryan Reaves & Toronto Inched Closer to Florida in the Standings
To be fair, Reaves had a very good reason to feel good and ride a nice mood into his postgame interview.
The Leafs, coming off back-to-back wins against the Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres, defeated another Stanley Cup contender on Monday by beating the Panthers including going up 5-1 entering the final period.
“I think it was, you know, a point of focus that, you know, [the Panthers are] a high-intensity team,” Reaves told McKenzie after the game. “They play hard, they play physically, they play in your face and very direct.
“Good teams are not going to go away in the third (period), but we did a lot of good things in the first and second to pull it off.”
With the win, Toronto also inched closer in the standings to the Panthers, who have already clinched a postseason berth this year. The Leafs have now 95 points in 74 games and sit just 4 points behind Florida (99 points) in the Atlantic Division with a game in hand over the Panthers.
Auston Matthews Scored 2 More Goals, Leads the NHL with 62
One player in particular has caught the attention of Leafs Nation of late, and it’s not veteran enforcer Reaves. That would be, instead, finesse goalscorer Auston Matthews.
Matthews scored his 60th goal of the season on Saturday, March 30, in a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres that Toronto won 3-0 and that featured a rather bizarre, 10-man brawl.
Adding wood to his goalscoring fire, Matthews added two more goals to his tally on Monday. The 62 goals are a new career high for Matthews and are the most scored in the NHL this season.
“Let’s see if he gets 70 now,” Reaves told reporters after the game on Monday, April 1 via SportsNet, when asked about Matthew’s ever-growing goal count. “I mean, 80 is possible for that guy. Anything is possible with the way he shoots the puck.”
“We just came out with a lot of purpose there, especially in the first (period),” Matthews told reporters after the game. “Pretty sound game overall.
“Obviously, in the third there I thought we were a little bit more on our heels than we’d like to be, but that’s a really good team over there, so you give them an inch, they’re going to take a yard. Nice to finish off with the win and two points.”
