The latest edition of the Battle of Ontario and the first since the 2024-25 playoffs delivered yet again on Saturday night, with the Toronto Maple Leafs defeating Ottawa Senators 7-5. The two teams traded goals, there were scrums seemingly after every whistle, and Maple Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher decided to have some fun with the crowd after the final buzzer went.

Stecher has been somewhat of an unsung hero for the Maple Leafs since they claimed him off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, stepping into a role where he’s been required to play big minutes at times, and he’s delivered relatively clean hockey with an offensive contribution every now and then, too. He’s regularly talked about how much this opportunity means to him, and his teammates have picked up on the energy that he brings to the team on and off the ice.

“Stech is the man,” Max Domi said of his teammate. “He’s honestly one of the most competitive guys that I’ve ever played with, and he competes every shift. That scrum at the end, big division win and he was on the ice scrumming it up. I mean, hey, it’s emotional. It’s what you want.”

Nick Robertson echoed Domi’s sentiments about Stecher’s celebration in fewer words.

“It’s just emotion. He’s a great guy, I love seeing that.”

The word ’emotional’ came up in the postgame media quite a bit, and it was no different with captain Auston Matthews. He went in depth about that aspect of the game and the extra stakes that a game against a team like the Senators can bring.

“It was an emotional game tonight,” Matthews told reporters. “Obviously, coming in, it’s a divisional opponent, two teams that don’t really like each other much, the history, especially with the playoffs last year, it was an emotional game, passionate game. It’s going to take until the last buzzer to get the job done, and obviously you love to see that passion.”

The Maple Leafs can tie the Senators in points with a win over the Detroit Red Wings on the road on Sunday.

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