There are some things in sports that I thought were completely universal to the point that I never even think about them. One of them is a coach talking to their team after a game.
I had assumed this happened about 99.99% of the time. Sure, you might occasionally get the cold shoulder after an abysmal effort to send a message, but that’s still communication.
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However, an NHL bench boss is getting some attention after one of his players revealed that he normally doesn’t talk to the team after games.
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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller’s apparent habit of not talking to his team after games is one of those things most of us didn’t realize was optional. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews addressed the media after his team’s 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, and that’s when he said that head coach Jim Hiller doesn’t usually talk to the team after games.
“He usually doesn’t speak after games, so I’m sure we’ll continue to try to clean some stuff up, go over video and make adjustments,” Matthews said. “At the end of the day, it’s just minimizing those big mistakes or turnovers, especially against other teams’ top lines.”
Uhh… I didn’t realize that was optional.
Not even a “Good effort tonight, boys,” when things are cooking, or a “You dopes are going to be bag skating tomorrow,” after a brutal loss?
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I literally can’t picture this happening in the NFL. Imagine if after a game they did the requisite cut to the locker room and everyone was just sitting around taking off their pads and shooting their game jerseys into the laundry bin because the coach was like, “Meh, I’m not talking.”
I would find it awkward not to say something.
Hiller’s Leafs are off to a sub-.500 start and are currently second-to-last in the Atlantic Division. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
Coaching is all about communication, and not talking to the fellas after a game seems like an odd approach.
But hey, if it’s working then… oh, it’s not working.
A Toronto Maple Leafs fan attends the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ont., on April 5, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
This tidbit of info is not one that earned Hiller many fans, as the Leafs — always under the microscope as they are — are 8-11-2 on the year and sitting in seventh place in the Atlantic Division.
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Now, some post-game platitudes aren’t going to win you games… but it also won’t get the fans on your side when wins are tough to come by.
