Master Leaf Theatre Special - Bad Sports Science

In a standalone episode of a fan favorite bit, we dissect a recent Maple Leafs controversy that almost no one took the bait on except for the two guys who brought it to life. In late January, 2026 - while the Leafs were in a potentially season-ending spiral - an article was posted at The Athletic about a former staffer who had some things to say about how the team was run. The staffer? A doctor of sports science who left the team in 2019. How is the team run? Like "a traditional hockey team" a.k.a., one without a doctor of sports science on staff. The doctor believes that not having a person in charge of sports science and performance has led to the Leafs' spate of injuries this season. And clearly, Master Leaf Theatre regular Jonas Siegel, believes him. Along with Islanders and Master Leaf Theatre fan Don Becker, we dramatize the original article, giving it the weight that its author intended it to have but never got from inside Leafs World. We also cover the angry reaction by Toronto GM Brad Treliving, who had a few choice words for both Siegel and the disgruntled doctor. Finally, we tie things up with Siegel's podcast partner James Mirtle, who gives us an appropriately grim outlook on the Leafs' future that requires no doctorates to figure out. We can't thank Don enough for coming on and giving us some great reads of this bizarre Master Leaf Theatre side story. You may have missed the "scandal" when it was originally published, but it was perfect for us and our signature performance outlet. Works Referenced: Why did the Maple Leafs eliminate a job designed to keep players healthy? by Jonas Siegel for The Athletic Brad Treliving on TSN OVERDRIVE (starts around 22:00) Brad Treliving defends Maple Leafs’ approach to sports science by Jonas Siegel for The Athletic Why the Maple Leafs need to start thinking about selling by James Mirtle, The Athletic Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠The Pinot Project⁠⁠ has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena. Visit ⁠⁠Lighthousehockey.com⁠⁠ for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion. Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (⁠⁠@FansFirstSN⁠⁠). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices