NHL insider reveals real reason for Maple Leafs injury secrecy

"It's very reminiscent of the hermeticism that Lou Lamoriello maintained throughout his career, including his time in Toronto. But now we get some more insight into why secrecy is so strong in Toronto. Insider Elliotte Friedman, in his November 26 32 Thoughts blog, dropped an interesting tidbit into why the Maple Leafs guard injury information more closely than the government takes care of national security files. Friedman wrote:"

"Once again, there was debate about injury clarity, and I was asked about it on a couple of my regular interview spots. It's something I've been thinking about, especially with the number of gambling scandals in different sports. In particular, Friedman was referring to the Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies injuries from earlier this month. The Maple Leafs never really said what was ailing Knies other than it was a lower-body issue. Meanwhile, Matthews' injury was unrelated to anything else he'd been previously dealing with."

"Now, Friedman does go on to make a highly valid point. He states that injury targeting is something real in the NHL. Unlike other sports, hockey lends itself to targeting specific injuries during games. But it goes beyond that. Injury targeting is par for the course in hockey. It's as old as the game itself. But gambling, that's something relatively new."

The Toronto Maple Leafs maintain strict secrecy around player injuries, a practice reminiscent of Lou Lamoriello's approach. The secrecy is driven by concerns that hockey uniquely allows opponents to target specific injuries during games, which increases risk when diagnoses are public. Recent withholding of details for Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies exemplifies the policy, often described only as vague lower-body issues. Rising gambling scandals in North American sports have intensified league and team efforts to prevent betting-related controversies, prompting tighter control over what medical information is disclosed to reduce potential manipulation or exploitation.

Read at Editor In Leaf