Matt Murray accused of cheating, taking a ton of heat on social media

Since returning from a groin injury at the start of the season, Matt Murray has been on fire. The 2 time Stanley Cup champion faced down the man he stole the Penguins' net from on Friday and, just like he did en route to 2 straight Cups, Murray proved to be the better goaltender on the day. Murray was fantastic against the Wild. His .893 SV% absolutely did not do him any justice. The Leafs netminder made timely saves in difficult situations to help the Leafs' depleted defense hold the Wild to 3 goals.

During the course of the game, Murray knocked the net off of the moorings 3 times, resulting in stoppages. This, combined with one instance last game where he knocked the net off after the Leafs were called for icing, has sparked outrage from opposing fans. Many wonder why Murray hasn't been called for Delay of Game, while others have gone as far as to accuse Murray, the Leafs and the NHL of cheating to rig games in the Leafs' favour. No, really... they actually think that.


Fans of the Devils, Canadiens, Oilers and Wild all lined up to call out Murray for "cheating"



Wild head coach Dean Evanson also objected to the plays, blaming the referees for not calling Murray for delay of game. Even Wild goalie coach Freddy Chabot decided to comment.


Now, as a goaltender, I've definitely been guilty of giving the post a little extra push when my team is hemmed in. Far more often though, the net comes off as a result of throwing your entire body across the net in an attempt to stop the puck. The post simply gets in the way. Should Murray have been dealt a delay of game penalty on one of these? Maybe. Do the conspiracy theories about bias towards Toronto by the NHL or Murray being a cheater hold any water? Absolutely not.

Anyone who watched the Leafs/Lightning playoff series this past Spring knows that the Leafs were not the beneficiaries of any favourable calls whatsoever. To suggest that the Leafs and the League are in cahoots is simply ridiculous.