The Toronto Maple Leafs had a lot to explain to their fan base on Tuesday. Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons went viral for his direct questions to Keith Pelley that left the Maple Leafs President and CEO struggling to find the right words while sitting next to his newly hired general manager John Chayka. “We talked about the due diligence that you did on John prior to hiring him, and now hiring him,” Simmons said. “In the past, say three to four days, I’ve been in contact with about 20 people who work in the National Hockey League, many of whom are prominent names that we all know. Of the 20 people I spoke to, one was supportive of John’s hiring. The other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest. Words were used like ‘con artist, liar, salesman.’ How did you come to a different conclusion than I was able to come to in a very short time?” “Must have talked to different people,” Pelley replied. “That’s it?” the reporter fired back. “The hockey world today is astounded by this announcement.…