NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called out the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans when he was talking about the league's playoff format.

At press availability for the NHL's Heritage Classic he said, smirking:

"We think the format we have works extremely well ... unless you're a Leafs fan."

Boom. Roasted.

This is something you might expect to hear from a Boston Bruins fan, or other fans around the league, but definitely not the NHL commissioner.

The current playoff format has been in place since the 2013-2014 season. The goal of the format, that includes a wild-card round and keeps the first round between divisions, was to strengthen rivalries.

The same teams keep meeting each other in the postseason and it creates a fiery competition between familiar foes and their fans. The Leafs specifically have not fared well when it comes to this design.

It's a long running joke for Bruins fans, and a long running annoyance for Leafs fans, because Game 7s tend to lean toward Boston. In the past two seasons the Bruins beat the Leafs in the final game of the series to advance.

Bettman is well aware of the ongoing joke and decided to have a little fun with it during his latest press conference.