Maple Leafs forward goes viral after one-punch knockout in Ottawa
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maple Leafs prospect Landon Sim landed a highlight reel knockout punch in Ottawa, and Leafs fans have not stopped talking about it since.
The clip is already everywhere on Leafs Twitter, and it is not hard to see why.
Sim, a New Glasgow, Nova Scotia native who Toronto signed to a two year entry level contract back in April, has built his entire reputation around exactly this kind of moment.
He is not the flashiest skater in the organization and he never will be.
What he does have is an edge that makes coaches and fans pay attention every single time he steps on the ice.
What actually happened in Ottawa
During Tuesday's preseason matchup between the Maple Leafs and Senators, Sim dropped the gloves and settled things with one clean shot.
No wrestling match, no drawn out scrum, just a single punch that ended it almost as soon as it started.
It is the kind of sequence that gets replayed on every hockey account within minutes.
Fans who followed Sim's junior career were not exactly shocked.
He built his name with the London Knights, where he helped the club win back to back OHL titles and the Memorial Cup before turning pro.
Why this matters for the Leafs
Toronto fans have compared Sim's game to Darcy Tucker and Michael Bunting, players who never lit up the scoresheet but made life miserable for opponents every shift.
That is the role Sim is chasing at the pro level, and moments like this one in Ottawa only add to the buzz around him heading into his first full season under an NHL contract.
Whether he cracks a lineup spot anytime soon is still an open question.
For now, this fight is doing plenty of the talking for him.
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