Few people have as much insight into what it is like to work closely with the Leafs’ Core Four players as former NHL head coach Dave Hakstol does. He provided a window into what they are like behind the scenes, stemming from his tenure as a Maple Leafs assistant (2019-2021) when he appeared Friday on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Matt Larkin.
“They’re great people. They’re all four really good teammates. They’re under such scrutiny, and I believe they own that. And they should own that.”
– Dave Hakstol on the Core Four #LeafsForever.@thegoldenmuzzy | @MLarkinHockey
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“I really believe that anybody that’s dealt with them over the past few years and watched them grow up and watch their careers grow really has to agree with me,” Hakstol said. “They’re great people. They’re all four really good teammates. They’re under such scrutiny and I believe they own that and they should own that.”
Hakstol also praise their commitment to their craft while also being dedicated to matching what the Leafs need from them daily, while under so much pressure to make a deep playoff run to end the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history, facing constant, intense scrutiny.
“They’re becoming veteran athletes, veteran players in this league, and they have the ability both mentally, physically to handle all of those things,” Hakstol said.
Hakstol witnessed firsthand for two seasons the growth and maturity of the Leafs’ Core Four as they handled the highs of a division title win to the lows of blowing a 3-1 series lead. He may be over three years removed from his last game behind Toronto’s bench, but he got a good taste of what they are like and remains steadfast that the group is capable of achieving great things.
He also provided some insight into what it is like to work alongside Sheldon Keefe who has recently been let go and snagged up by the Devils. Hakstol was complimentary of how Keefe conducted himself daily both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes.
“We could always go through and probably pick our pressers that we would like to do over again,” he said. “I’m sure that he has a couple. But I thought he handled himself very well in that environment.”
Regardless of how you feel about the Core Four and Keefe, it is always interesting to get a bit of perspective on what it is like to be working for an NHL team and how players conduct themselves. There are not many people within an organization that gets to be that close to the players than the coaches and Hakstol provided some intriguing insight into how Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares are as people and athletes.
Hakstol joined the Leafs’ coaching staff Leafs in 2019, running the penalty-killing unit under both Keefe and Mike Babcock. He departed in 2021 to become the head coach of the expansion Kraken, for which he was fired from earlier this year. Before his appointment in Toronto, he coached the Flyers for parts of four seasons between 2015 and 2018.
You can listen to the full interview with Hakstol here:
