"Deserves better than to be a Maple Leaf": NHL fans react to Leafs' Nikita Grebenkin's legendary 'backcheck, forecheck, paycheck' postgame comment

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Nov 21, 2024 06:49 GMT

NHL fans have been busy reacting to Toronto Maple Leafs' rookie Nikita Grebenkin's memorable postgame comments after his debut. The young Russian forward shared the advice he received before his first game:

"Team speak me: Backcheck, forecheck and paycheque," Grebenkin said.

Grebenkin made this comment after the Leafs' 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Spittin' Chiclets shared a video of Grebenkin on X/Twitter, captioning it:

"Nikita Grebenki knows the hockey language after one game in the NHL"

Here are some reactions from fans on X:

"He deserves better than to be a Maple Leaf," one fan said.

"Love this guy already," a fan said.

"Protect this gem," another fan said.

"That's the type of player you want in the dressing room," a fan commented.

"I like this kid, a bit goofy but has a personality and having fun with it," another fan tweeted.

"Some of these Russians are fu*king hilarious," a fan said.

Toronto Maple Leafs’ shutout win in Nikita Grebenkin's debut game

Nikita Grebenkin had one shot on goal in 11:05 minutes of ice time in his debut game for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they won 3-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. Joseph Woll made 31 saves for his first shutout of the season.

"I think behind a great defensive effort, I played within my system," Woll said via NHL.com.

Fraser Minten scored his first NHL goal to put the Leafs up 1-0 in the first period. He received a pass from William Nylander and shot past Vegas goalie Adin Hill. In the third period, Nylander made it 2-0 with a power-play goal. He took a pass from Mitch Marner and beat Hill. Pontus Holmberg added an empty-net goal at 16:41 to make it 3-0.

The Golden Knights struggled in the third and couldn’t create enough chances to score.

The Leafs won their third straight game and are 6-1-0 in their past seven. Coach Craig Berube praised the team’s hard work and patience, especially with several key players missing.

“We played hard more than anything,” Berube said via NHL.com. “Resilient, battled and competed, it was a heavy game like we thought. I thought our guys did a real good job with the physicality part, grinding, being patient, not forcing things."

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be back in action on Sunday when they host the Utah Hockey Club.