I always enjoy behind the scenes sports docs and I guess it's cool that you get to follow a hockey team (finally!) for the whole season. But you get little more than a small glimpse behind the curtain. A lot of the stuff that made the HBO 24/7 Road to the Winter Classics so great are missing. For example, on the ice you don't hear any back and forth between the players; you just hear the Leafs players and coach. At the trade deadline, you only hear about the two trades the Leafs made (Rittich, Foligno). The player-coach/GM meetings are also very sanitized. I get it -- the Leafs and other NHL clubs probably wouldn't let any more than that get out. But for a viewing experience, it leaves a lot to be desired. The cinematography, cut scenes, etc are all not even as close to as good as 24/7 either. Overall, it's a solid meh.
12 Reviews
interesting for torontonians...
rollexx13 October 2021
Nice to see the inside happening and goings in the team, but it should have spent more time on the players (namely their stars), and also this series was less episodes than other all or nothing series (but to be fair, they didnt get pass first round so i guess thats why).
Ha ha, very satisfying for Habs fans
kyla-723025 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
It was pretty enjoyable to relive all those overtime goals as we crushed Toronto's dreams!
Gloating aside, we call the Maple Leafs the Mople Leafs in this household, cause they always seem so sad and miserable. It was fascinating to watch Sheldon Keefe coaching the team. They were mopey before he arrived, but man, if someone talked to me that way I wouldn't feel like doing my best either.
Anyway, this wasn't the most interesting documentary, and it ends kind of abruptly. It would have benefited from another episode that explored a bit more of what happened after the loss. There was no reflection or post mortem on the season at all.
I felt bad for Soupy at the time when they lost, and this documentary solidifies my feelings of fondness for him. I hope he finds a better team with a more inspiring head office and coaching staff.
Gloating aside, we call the Maple Leafs the Mople Leafs in this household, cause they always seem so sad and miserable. It was fascinating to watch Sheldon Keefe coaching the team. They were mopey before he arrived, but man, if someone talked to me that way I wouldn't feel like doing my best either.
Anyway, this wasn't the most interesting documentary, and it ends kind of abruptly. It would have benefited from another episode that explored a bit more of what happened after the loss. There was no reflection or post mortem on the season at all.
I felt bad for Soupy at the time when they lost, and this documentary solidifies my feelings of fondness for him. I hope he finds a better team with a more inspiring head office and coaching staff.
Cathartic for Maple Leaf fans... Interesting and revealing for hockey fans in general
Dispatches012 October 2021
As a long time hockey fan I like others have been fascinated with this current Maple Leafs team penchant for failure. If you follow what is going on in the NHL you know that this is a team that on paper and in the regular season is supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender in the playoffs, and yet they continue to fall short of that title year after year. Those like myself who are not Maple Leafs fans all enjoy to poke fun of the team and the fan base, but those who are respectable hockey fans know that at the end of the day this is a professional hockey club with a rich history that has players and staff that deserve to be respected. I expect that this series will earn this current team some sympathy and respect from both fans or foes alike. It does a great job of humanizing super star players on a level an average person can understand and relate with. This is a deep dive into the 2020-2021 Maple Leafs season and it does a really great job highlighting the highs and lows the individuals that make up this team go through. Whether you are a Maple Leafs fan or not you will find value in this series. I would recommend it to any hockey fan.
Go Leafs Go
c_cujo311 October 2021
It happened again
ihearthorror811 October 2021
It's a grind to the ultimate goal
the-254863 October 2021
31 teams all fighting to win one of the most coveted trophies in professional sports. The Stanley Cup. Leafs are right there and this doc shows the perspective from behind the scenes. So well documented and enjoyed every episode. So many questions answered of what really goes on in the daily business. The hunger is there, the team is there. Enjoy watching.
Missed opportunity for NHL
deriksmith-012075 October 2021
NHL had an opportunity to show a bit of personality here. Instead it's the same predictable recycled jargon NHL is known for. Netflix's F1 Drive to Survive, and even previous seasons of All or Nothing, are excellent references for a great sports docuseries. Those series are successful because of the unprecedented access, full transparency, and candid interviews. NHL is know for its shrouded secrecy and generic interview answers - that doesn't change with this documentary. Leafs come across like they're watching what they're saying on camera the entire time. There was lots of potential here to delve deeper, such as players being cut or sent to the minors, and the scrutiny the team received after its playoff loss. No one is vulnerable here which unfortunately doesn't make for compelling TV, instead the series resembles a Leafs promo developed by their PR team.
Not enough
ofckingb5 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was very disappointed by this as a documentary. I felt it was too complacent and not deep enough behind the scenes.
I mean, the whole story of the leafs season was that it was supposed to be their year. The year they finally got passed round 1. But only one episode talked aboit the playoffs and it ended so abruptly after the loss against Montreal...just "ah we're sad, there's always next year, the end." No look into the future, nothing. I wish they did more to emphasize the implications of that loss and what it means for the team. More behind the scenes stuff as well...lockerroom shots and speeches are good, so are the GMs talks but there has to be way more that we could've seen and that helps us understand how a hockey team is ran.
I mean, the whole story of the leafs season was that it was supposed to be their year. The year they finally got passed round 1. But only one episode talked aboit the playoffs and it ended so abruptly after the loss against Montreal...just "ah we're sad, there's always next year, the end." No look into the future, nothing. I wish they did more to emphasize the implications of that loss and what it means for the team. More behind the scenes stuff as well...lockerroom shots and speeches are good, so are the GMs talks but there has to be way more that we could've seen and that helps us understand how a hockey team is ran.
Spoiler: it ends up being Nothing
Positive_Bob993 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Here are the positives I could find:
1) if you're into aerial photography/drone footage, this is a must watch. Some beautiful scenes of the city
2) all of the good material from the season was left on the cutting room floor, so a company like hbo could actually make an interesting documentary on the season.
1) if you're into aerial photography/drone footage, this is a must watch. Some beautiful scenes of the city
2) all of the good material from the season was left on the cutting room floor, so a company like hbo could actually make an interesting documentary on the season.
Worst All or Nothing I've seen
johnowen2318 October 2021
I'm a big NHL fan as well as a fan of the All or Nothing series. As such, I was genuinely excited for this, but my goodness what a joke of a documentary. You could find more personality in an action figure store than the Leafs players showed. The flow of it was tepid and anticlimactic altogether, total waste.
Will, please stop saying "We", you don't play for the Leafs
bobradu31 March 2022
I'm a long time hockey fan and player, and while not so entertaining this was still enjoyable. It is interesting to see the behind the scenes stuff. However, I get that Will Arnett is a die-hard fan, but please for the love of god, stop saying "we" when talking about the team. I don't even do that for my team casually and I certainly wouldn't do it when I was professionally narrative a documentary. You aren't a player or a member of the coaching staff.
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