Stanley Cup winner Sam Bennett reveals unexpected interactions with Maple Leafs fans in GTA

This season, Ontario native Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers lifted the Stanley Cup after a hard-fought seven-game series against the Edmonton Oilers. Over the years, Bennett has become one of the most polarizing players in the league, given his physical style of play. Because of that, his interactions with Maple Leafs fans in the Toronto area have been interesting, to say the least.

On one hand, many fans adore Bennett's hard-nosed, old-school hockey approach to the game, which saw him log 100 penalty minutes last year. On the flip side, some feel his physical play often crosses the line into being dirty. While opposing fans dislike seeing him compete against their teams, his supporters love his aggressive style.

Bennett wound up as public enemy number one for Toronto fans during the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs after a couple of controversial plays. Even though his playing style has often stirred up debate, Bennett shared on the "First Up" podcast that even when fans trash talk him in GTA, it usually ends on a positive note:

"Fans see me all the time and they actually always have something to say, like, they hate me, but they always end with, 'I want you to be a Leaf one day.'"

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Looking at Sam Bennett's controversies in the 2023 and 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs

During the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bennett was a part of two controversial plays that many felt warranted a suspension. In one instance, while standing in front of the goal, he cross-checked Michael Bunting in the back of the head and then again while Bunting was down.

Later in the game, Sam Bennett was involved in a scuffle with Matthew Knies, taking him down in what some fans described as a Judo throw. Despite calls for a suspension, he received only a $5,000 fine for the cross-checks and escaped any other punishments.

In the 2023-24 playoffs, Bennett outraged Bruins fans after he delivered a hit to Boston captain Brad Marchand in the neutral zone.

While the hit initially seemed clean, a second angle revealed Sam Bennett had punched Marchand, knocking him out of Game 3 and sidelining him for Game 4.