At a recent Toronto Maple Leafs practice, things got a little more physical than your typical skate - and not just between the players. Auston Matthews accidentally steamrolled assistant coach Derek Lalonde during a drill, while head coach Craig Berube ended up in a collision of his own with defenseman Jake McCabe.
The result? A few laughs, no injuries, and a surprising reminder that this Leafs team might be loosening up at just the right time.
Let’s start with the Matthews-Lalonde moment. During a routine drill, Matthews came flying into the zone with a full head of steam.
Lalonde, who was participating in the drill, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The contact wasn’t malicious - Matthews clearly didn’t mean to hit him - but the result was a full-on body check that sent the assistant coach sprawling to the ice.
It was the kind of collision you’d expect in a game, not at practice. And yet, it seemed to spark more laughter than concern.
But the coaches weren’t done taking hits just yet.
Not long after, Berube found himself in the middle of the action as well, colliding with McCabe during another drill. Only this time, the outcome was a little different - Berube stayed on his feet. And he made sure everyone knew it.
When asked about the incident during a TSN interview, Berube didn’t miss the chance to take a light jab at Lalonde. “It was funny,” he said.
“I was standing right there and they were doing a little cross-and-play and ‘Newsy’ got rocked. But McCabe ran into me and not much happened, right?”
Then, with a grin, he added, “Probably McCabe got the worst of it.”
It’s a rare sight to see coaches physically mixed up in practice drills like this. Typically, they’re directing traffic from the sidelines, not dodging (or dishing out) hits. But this moment of levity might be telling us something more about where the Leafs are mentally right now.
Just a few weeks ago, Berube was visibly frustrated, searching for answers as his team struggled to find consistency. Now, he’s smiling, joking, and - apparently - standing his ground in more ways than one.
That kind of energy can be contagious in a locker room. It’s not just about a coach taking a hit or staying upright.
It’s about a team that’s starting to play looser, more connected, and maybe even starting to enjoy the grind again.
Moments like this don’t show up on the stat sheet, but they matter. They hint at a shift in tone - from tense to relaxed, from pressing to trusting. And for a team like the Maple Leafs, who’ve faced their fair share of adversity this season, that shift could be the difference between surviving and thriving down the stretch.
So yes, it was a funny moment. No one got hurt, and the video probably made the rounds in the group chat. But it also served as a subtle message: this team is still battling, still bonding, and maybe, just maybe, starting to find its groove again.