Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett is one of the NHL’s most polarizing players in part due to his combination of skill, clutch scoring and a nearly unmatched ability to agitate his opponents. Bennett was effectively cast as the villain two seasons ago during the 2023 second-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he rammed Matthew Knies into the ground. Knies suffered a concussion and the Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs in five games.
Bennett was asked about the notion of being a player that nobody likes to play against and he believes it’s a characteristic shared by the rest of his Panthers teammates, during a recent interview on TSN 1050’s First Up.
“I think there’s definitely a lot of people who don’t like the way I play,” Bennett said. “That’s a saying, I think it goes for a lot of guys on our team, actually. It’s part of what it makes us successful, we have so many guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to win. It can be hard, it can be nasty at times but sometimes it’s necessary to do whatever it takes to win. We have a lot of guys that bought into that and it shows in how much success we’ve had over the last two years.”
“They hate me, but they always end with, ‘I want you to be a Leaf one day’”@FlaPanthers forward and Stanley Cup Champion @SBennett93 joined #FirstUp this morning and told us how #LeafsForever fans greet him around the GTA in the offseason. pic.twitter.com/OuOn91OdcZ
— First Up (@FirstUp1050) August 27, 2024
It’s hard to argue with Bennett’s assessment, especially after the Panthers captured the Stanley Cup and have firmly established themselves as the class of the league. Bennett’s persona non grata status has been effectively challenged as well, as many Maple Leafs fans have often tried to recruit Bennett through the offseason.
“It is funny though because I’m actually here all summer, I walk by and fans see me all the time. They actually always have something to say: they hate me, but they always end with ‘I want you to be a Leaf one day!”
Bennett played his minor hockey alongside Connor McDavid with the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Toronto Marlboros and like many of the youth program’s exports, there’s a natural inclination to eventually envision him in a Maple Leafs uniform, even if his controversial hit on Knies has made him arguably the most unpopular player among the fan base. Reputations can change in an instance but every time Bennett plays the Maple Leafs, it’s always a heated occasion.
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