This wasn’t just a few fans.



There were loud boos from the crowd in the Maple Leafs defensive end as soon as Jake Gardiner touched the puck in the third period, boos that grew as more fans joined in with each successive play the defenceman made the rest of the game.



He had blown coverage on Colorado’s shorthanded goal late in the second then was benched the final five minutes of the frame by a clearly frustrated coach Mike Babcock.



Gardiner was dejected after the game, which turned into a 6-3 loss after a couple empty netters. It was one of Toronto’s worst performances of the year.



“I just tried to get body position,” Gardiner said of the 3-2 goal which led to the boos. “Then when I did that I whiffed on the puck so then he regained body positions and scored.”



On the boos…



“I mean … that hasn’t happened before, that’s for sure. Not something you want to hear.