One of the biggest stars of the series for the Maple Leafs (three goals, eight points), Morgan Rielly addressed the media after his team’s first-round series victory over Tampa Bay.
As the longest-serving Leaf, can you describe the emotions you’re feeling? Where does relief rank in those emotions?
Rielly: It is up there for sure. It is a great feeling when the puck goes in. To have it be Johnny is extremely special. It is a mix of being relieved, extremely happy, grateful, and also, you want to keep going. You want to keep building. You want to keep pushing for more.
I think that is a great thing about our group. We are looking forward to the challenges that are ahead. We are proud of the effort, but ultimately, we want to keep playing. We want to keep pushing for more.
What is the difference with this team? Why did this particular group get it done when others weren’t able to?
Rielly: It is a tough question to answer, honestly. I don’t think there is any right answer or one reason. Each group has been different over the years that have come and failed. This group has managed to push through and win the first round.
I don’t know what that difference is — experience, different people, the people that have been here in the past trying to grow from those past losses, leadership up top, the coaching staff…
It is a hard question to answer because there is no one thing that is different. It is just a cumulative group that has really worked hard, learned a lot over the years, and has grown together. We want to win. We are desperate to win. We are not done. We want to keep playing and we want to keep pushing.
What will you remember from the scenes inside the locker room after the win?
Rielly: It is just one of those moments where there is a lot of emotion. You are very happy. Again, it is a mix of you’re relieved, you’re happy, it’s a great win, and everything like that, but it is the first round. We want to keep going.
For us, we are happy for each other. We are happy for Johnny. We are happy for the goalie. We are happy for the coaches. But ultimately, we are looking forward to playing more hockey, some more challenges ahead, keeping this group together, and giving ourselves a chance to keep playing hockey.
