I think we can all agree no matter what team you cheer on the poor officiating of this entire game had led to so many dirty hits and retaliation from the opposition

I love how the NHL would rather all their players be mangled than ever, ever admit their precious refs need fixing

I don't think I've ever seen a ref walk a player INTO the penalty box

As a Jets fan there's no way I'm defending that knee-on-knee. That garbage has to go no matter what jersey you wear. Refs need to call that.

I watched so many clips of this game, holy crap, these refs need to be fired

When you don’t call it, this is what happens

I swear the refs made every call to piss off both teams. No call on the knee. No call on the spezza 1. The fight with bunting where he did nothing and he got the pen or the cliffy fight where Toronto somehow got the powerplay. Cant forget the ref watching mathews get ragdolled on his hands and knees for 15 seconds. Refs should be ashamed

That’s what happens when the refs lose control of the game

Now Pionk should've been in the box for the knee on knee hit. Whether 2, 4 or 5. The Spezza play happens approximately 90 seconds later. Whether it happens later in the game the Spezza play happens because of negligence. The Leafs didn't lose on the officiating but come on and make obvious calls.

Spezza's performance in both games this weekend has convinced me to buy his jersey. Such a beauty.

Now why the heck would Pionk ram his face into a knee like that?

The refs needed to call that knee to Sandin. That looked really rough, and a call could have saved all that trouble that followed. If they don’t call what was clearly an injury to a player, of course the other Leafs will defend their teammate.

Classic case of the refs losing control of the game…

That was the worst officiating I’ve ever seen

None of this happens if the refs do their jobs

those refs should be fire what an awful game

I didn’t even watch the game and I can tell this is the result of officials not being able to keep the game under control

Love seeing the raw emotion and players standing up for one another like this! The game has been missing this kind of bite recently!

If your a ref, REF THE GAAAAAAAME

Refs refused to call obvious penalties and wouldn't let the players sort it out themselves. What are these guys good for?

I just wish Spez would have connected a little more solid.

Refs trying to defuse a situation they caused with their inability to see this kind of play, both sides are equally as guilty but if these refs did their jobs from the first hit this would not have happened.

where is the call ref? someone should get fired

the refs were a disgrace this game

Notice Pionk's reaction when he gets up? He knows he deserved that. Come on lol

I’m a leafs fan and I honestly thought the knee was accidental. The slow mo shows that he went for the shoulder check and was just squaring up for that.

Officials fault entirely, not gonna call one then they players will take it into their own hands

Why was Winnipeg acting like they won the cup? Holy cringe. Never realised how dirty they were.

Love all the GTA boys (Spezza, Simmonds, Bunting) responding to the dirty knee on knee

Props to keefer for sending a message that he’s not going to let the buds get bullied

Spezza continuing to show his value for the leafs!

I don't like the Leafs too much, but Spezza, who was already 10/10 for me, just somehow got to 11/10

Refs are soo garbage pionk should be suspended no question

Absolute Cheapshot. Can’t believe that wasn’t even 2. It looks like he tore his ACL! He should be suspended for 10 games

This is the ref's fault. Fire Brad Meier and Reid Anderson while you're at it. Then clean house on the Department of Player Safety and make refs available for questions after the game or have to submit a report.

Now I get why leafs brought in Richie and Clifford.

Spezza the Goat

the double trip and crosscheck at 2:45 is a thing of beauty. i don’t think i’ve ever seen leafs jerseys do something so goony in my lifetime, this team is finally shaping up

Spezza laying the boom on pionk was beautiful. Pionk should be getting at least 5 games for that disgusting knee on knee. I'd be shocked if sandin isn't done until the new year at least

Hell Yeah! Spezza stands up, love to see that. Refs won't make the calls then you start policing yourself.

If the refs don't do their job the payers will balance things out themselves. This is 2 games in a row now for the Leafs with horrid officiating.

If I didn’t have a giant bro crush on Spezza before this game I do now.

Never want to see anyone get hurt, but man was that exciting! Finally, some old-time hockey fireworks!

Spezza is the real MVP of the leafs

I’m Normally the biggest Anti-leaf guy ever but Pionk deserved that good on Spez

You should never know the referees' names. They should be little more than furniture. But every Jets fan and Leafs fan knows Brad Meier very very well.

Refs literally caused this smh

Spezza clearly wasn't trying to knee him in head, he was trying to destroy him for his dirty hit on Sandin. Same guy who knee'd Marner last year. He was gonna take a well-deserved beating.

I can't wait for LFR on this one

Being a leafs fan, 6 games was probably the right call. Spezza let emotion get to him but how can he get more games than biting a person? There is no consistency

Never thought I’d hate a team more than Montreal and Boston but I guess here we are Winnipeg

Long time hockey fan, but man do these moments get scary when they happen!

Bring back enforcers. Get rid of the instigator penalty.

Leafs basically said "If your not going to do your job refs, we'll do it for you." Good on them

I tuned in at the very end and saw Logan Stanley with his arms up in the air. Where was this clip? (after beating down a Leaf).

Honest question why isthat a ten min misconduct not much happened other than the cross check and that was separate.

so spezza gets a penalty but pionk not? wtf is this

yo the refs are garbage wtf is wrong with the nhl

Imagine diving for a hand pass at that moment.

Spezza is the most underrated Leafs player

Whatever suspension Spezza gets, the refs should also get for losing control of the game.

Spezza putting his knee to that greaseballs face was satisfying beyond words ..that was better than a win

I think Spezza did the right thing in retaliation for his teammate because the ref didn't call the my knee on knee if the ref would have called it Spezza wouldn't have done this he did the right thing

I'm liking these Winnipeg and Toronto games man what a rivalry this is gonna be 👀

Spezza, what a play. Gotta love it

I can't imagine what the media and many fans would be saying if it was Kadri doing what Spezza did... When Spezza does something incredibly dirty: "what a leader." Would you really be saying that if it was someone like Kadri involved in this situation? I mean, I think it was an incredibly dirty play by Spezza that should be a lengthy suspension. Look at what happened to Tavares in the playoffs. It's a very dangerous play and leaf fans should know that better than anyone. However, I also recognize the Refs are total crap and let games get out of hand far too often. Poink should have already been off the ice serving a game misconduct and hopefully he'll see a suspension as well. The NHL Reffing is letting games get out of hand and when players try to sort it out themselves the refs step in and don't let them fight like the used too. This style of reffing creates more problems than it solves. The NHL seems to care more about using the refs to manufacture drama than actually caring about player safety these days.

Live by the knee, die by the knee, I say.

What's the complaint about the Spezza hit? Don't go to the ground where the knees are if you don't wanna get a knee in the chin.

The first knee on Sandin looked accidental (Pionk upper body leaning outward, Sandin leg sticking out 1:11). The second knee on Pionk's face looked intentional (Pionk already on the ground, Spezza falls on him 1:20). i dunno.

Spezza a legend

i love these type of games

Big props to Spezza, Pionk deserved it all and more.

spezza could be up for a suspension

How many non leaf fans thought that officiating was beyond pathetic

Why'd you guys leave out the Clifford fight Or the final 2 min where Wayne and Logan went at it. Or the Matthews Perrie incident Come on @sportsnet

Old time hockey. Good stuff 👏

In this situation coaches only need to say "Ya, go." players know what to do.

I’m a Bruins fan, but I do appreciate how Spezza stood up for Sandin

Mathew’s was just getting mauled by PLD and the ref just watched it. That started everything

This Winnipeg team has to be one of the most whiniest dirtiest unlikable collection of players since the 2011 Canucks.

Yikes that's cheap from Pionk

I always like spezza as a leader, always standing up for his teammates getting hit, where’s the others going after pionk like Ritchie, simmonds and Clifford

lol pionk was like, whats up? when he decided to get up

The officiating this year is atrocious! Something has to be done to hold them accountable for the lack of judgment every ref has shown this year. Pionk is a joke. Way to go bud, try & ruin a rookies career before it even starts. I hope Spezza knocked some sense into yah!

That all could have been prevented if they called the first knee on knee penalty. Both of those hits were brutal eeesh

Good on spezza, great leadership

A playoff series between these two would be poggers.

That's the emotions I wanna see in a hockey game 🤙

This stuff will continue to happen if reffing like this continues

I'm so proud of Spezza. Refs should have done something 😂

Just a poor game from the officials. Absolute garbage. I feel for both teams in this instance. If the zebra's had done their jobs to begin with. None of this would have happened. And then Spez gets 6 games, for targeting the head. How about a matching suspension for intent to injure on Pionk's part. Jaosn Spezza just did what any non snowflake veteran player would have done. And that's stand up for his younger counter part. Even though I don't agree with the hit to the head, accidental or otherwise. The head should never be the intended target. Too many talented players have been shelved for far too long because of head hits. In all honesty, I would've rather seen the gloves come off and a fight ensue... like the old days... but, we all know that will never hhappen. So this is what you get. Horrible officiating, and a normally classy vet, getting hauled into the office to get suspended for a situation that could have been avoided had the refs just done their jobs.... The officiating needs to get better. Pure and simple...

Lol they literally walked Simmonds backwards into the box

I blame the refs, NHL needs to teach these guys how to referee. Atrocious!

Simmonds Richie Clifford Bunting and Spezza playing rough let’s get it. Refs sucked this game.

Refs did a piss poor job. And not the first time by this crew. Questions need to be asked and answered. NHL needs to address this.

boy does Toronto ever get media coverage what about the winners perspective !!!!!! incredible coverage and narrative from the east

Literally watched this 3x over this is chicken noodle soup for the soul considering what the refs and team let the wild get away with on soupy. I’m glad to see the buds standing up for each other

On another note, Spezz is an absolute beauty

I love Spezza's response!

Okay, I didn't like the hit Spezza gave, but Pionks knee on knee was way worse and somehow he came out with only 1/3rd of the suspension time. That's messed up