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Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas gets into shouting match with Lightning fans during Game Three win in Tampa

By Chris Cerullo

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April 23, 2023 12:38 pm

Playoff hockey is an incredibly emotional experience for all fans, players, coaches, and apparently front-office staff. That was on full display in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas was filmed getting into an expletive-filled argument with Lightning fans sitting just below the box he and special assistant Jason Spezza occupied during the game. Spicy.

The main spat between Dubas and someone in the crowd came after Leafs forward Ryan O’Reilly tied the game at three goals apiece with just one minute remaining in regulation. Dubas appears to be delivering some payback for earlier comments likely directed at him when Toronto was behind in the game.

This postseason is an incredibly important one for both Dubas and the Leafs as they have failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for almost two decades. Four of those failures came under Dubas’ watch and the Lightning have played a part in that, ousting the Leafs in seven games last year.

Another angle of the argument was posted later on Tik Tok by user buffyclements1972. The new angle, which is much closer to Dubas allows us to make out some of the actual words being said. Here is your foul language warning.

“You’re a real f—ing hero,” Dubas yells in reply to someone telling him to go back to Canada. “You’re a real f—ing hero.”

Whether that spectator is actually a hero or not cannot be confirmed. What is confirmed however is that both teams will indeed be going back to Canada after Game Four in Tampa on Monday.

Puck drop for that is at 7:30 pm ET. The Leafs are up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Screenshot via @thekirkentobers/Twitter

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