Toronto Maple Leafs fans defend team after Twitter jab from Ottawa Public Health

There may be no NHL games happening yet due to the pandemic — but it appears the gloves came off Monday morning.

But this time it’s not on the ice — and the first punch — not from who you’d might expect.

Ottawa Public Health took a swing at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Twitter when it was encouraging followers to remain optimistic while the city faced some snowfall.

It wrote, “Between that & the pandemic, we know it’s been hard lately. But if Leafs fans can still be optimistic when going into Game 7 of a playoff series against Boston, surely the rest of us can find ways to keep the faith & stay the course.”

It’s no secret the two teams are rivals.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have defeated the Ottawa Senators each time they’ve met in the playoffs — last time in 2004. But hockey fans against the Leafs will point out Toronto faced the Bruins in 2013, 2018, and 2019, and have lost to them in Game seven all three times.

The public health unit’s tweet gained some buzz online — with Twitter users coming to the Leafs’ defense, cheering on the Sens, and some just enjoying a morning laugh.

As of Monday morning, no reaction from the two teams, or Toronto Public Health.

https://twitter.com/Sens_Hour/status/1320707494679891969