Amazon’s new series, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs features an in-depth behind the scenes look at the Leafs throughout their last season
When I first heard the Leafs were going to be featured in an Amazon documentary, I was ecstatic. As a fan of similarly styled programs with the Dallas Cowboys, I was eagerly anticipating seeing some behind the scenes footage that the regular hockey viewer simply would not see during the course of a game. Sure, we hear the occasional profanity slip through the referees’ microphone during a game, but what you see in All or Nothing is something entirely different. However, after what happened to the Leafs in the first round of the playoffs (yet again), shall we say I was a bit less excited to relive the experience through the documentary. But like a true-blue Leafs fan entering another season, I knew there was no doubt about it; I was ready to get hurt again.
The series is narrated by Toronto native turned Hollywood bigshot Will Arnett. Arnett has always been a massive Leafs fan so I was excited when I first heard his voice as the show began. While I should not be surprised, the documentary offers a no-holds-barred look at the team. Profanities, stupid jokes, inter-team drama, and this was just within the first ten games of the season when they sat at 7-2-1. I do not want this piece to act like a total spoiler to keep you from watching this series. On the contrary, this is something I would recommend to Leafs fans and haters alike. It offers such a unique perspective that really cannot be topped. With that said, I want to touch on a few aspects of the 5 episodes that I absolutely loved.
The most important point I want to make is my newly found admiration for head coach Sheldon Keefe. Sure, I had seen a lot of pre- and post-game press conferences with him but those types of interviews are pretty boilerplate with standard hockey talk about getting the puck deep, playing a full sixty minutes, et cetera. This documentary showed me that he is entirely dialed into the main goal of this team. He is not afraid to talk with any of his players one-on-one about their performance and will even go speak to them about how they are portraying themselves and the team in the media. A great example of this is when Auston Matthews spoke to the media after a loss to the Oilers and proclaimed that it was frustrating because he thought the Leafs were playing too safe. Keefe was not fond of this mentality as, in his eyes, the Oilers were the safe ones keeping five bodies in front of the Leafs whenever they touched the puck. As such, he spoke with Matthews immediately to ensure they were on the same page and the message was unified. Keefe knows the true goal of the team and it was impressive to see his vision.
Aside from the content, you can expect quality cinematography that is standard fare in most documentaries nowadays. Lots of cool drone shots, excellent graphics, and of course Toronto-based music overlaying all the highlights. Overall, an incredibly interesting documentary that, while I wish had a happier ending, is still definitely worth a watch for all hockey fans. Hey, maybe this year will be different..?