Matthews was the Leafs’ representative at the 2024 NHL North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas.
Matthews was the Leafs’ representative at the 2024 NHL North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs gear up for another highly anticipated season, newly appointed captain Auston Matthews was at the center of attention during the 2024 NHL North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas.
Discussing various topics ahead of the new year, Matthews didn't shy away from sharing his thoughts on various topics, including the living arrangement of San Jose Sharks number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini and former Leaf Joe Thornton.
“I’m kind of jealous,” Matthews said in an interview with Nicholas Cotsonika of NHL.com. His envy might stem from his own experience during Thornton’s lone season with the Leafs in the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season.
Due to travel restrictions, Matthews, Thornton, William Nylander, and current Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin found a house to share with an outdoor rink. Thornton one-upped his stay with one teammate, Matthews, as the two number-one overall picks resided in his apartment until Thornton’s family arrived in Toronto.
“‘Jumbo’ got the master,” Matthews said. “We all had our own rooms. I was down in the basement. The rink was just, like, a two-second walk. It had a gymnastics area, a basketball court. We would play a basketball game, 2-on-2, to warm up, and then we’d get on the ice.
“Yeah, it was two weeks of just hanging out. Jumbo just made it, like, so fun because of who he is. It was our first interaction with him. Yeah, we had an unbelievable time. Those two weeks flew by.”
Matthews recalls that the spontaneous activities, including rollerblading and all things hockey, made the experience memorable.
“It was awesome. It was so fun. We’d just watch sports, hang out. But like, he always had to be doing something, so if we were on the couch for a little bit, he’s like, ‘All right, let’s go for a Rollerblade.’ We’d strap on our Rollerblades and go wheel around.”
“He’s definitely a lot of fun to hang out with. I remember I went to my room, and I had to make a phone call. I came back, and he had his hockey skates on in the house, and he had them all taped up. He was just, like, breaking them in. He was walking around the house in hockey skates. No shirt,” Matthews explained.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgNw9WLA9Q8[/embed]
For Celebrini, it’s an opportunity to soak up wisdom from a future Hall of Famer of nearly 1700 points and almost 2,000 NHL games played.
“As far as what he can expect, it’s going to be so much fun. He wakes up every day – no coffee, so much energy. There’s no bad days in his life. He brings it every day, and it’s just so fun to be around,” Matthews said.
“I think he’s going to really enjoy it. Living with him, I’m sure he’s going to learn a lot. Jumbo’s great as far as just, like, supporting people and keeping things light. He’s going to really enjoy it.”
Auston Matthews Has a New Tennis Playing Partner, Steve Nash
It’s not a secret that Matthews is a fan of other sports outside of his craft, including tennis. The forward has formerly been photographed playing the sport alongside Mitch Marner and former Leaf Michael Bunting in the offseason.
Now, as the centerman tells Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, and as written by Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, he has a new tennis partner – Canadian NBA legend and two-time MVP Steve Nash.
“I played with Steve Nash a couple times this summer,” Matthews told Friedman and Bukauskas.
Matthews revealed the connection stemmed from former Leafs assistant coach and current Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra, who is married to Steve’s sister, Joann. Both spending considerable time in Arizona, Matthews and Nash have linked up as playing partners.
"Not too many guys in Arizona are playing tennis in the middle of the day," Matthews said. "He hits like a one-hand backhand kinda like Federer. He's pretty smooth. He loves it, too. He's much better than me, but he's a lot fun to play with."
New Images of Auston Matthews Repping the ‘C’ at the NHL’s Player Media Tour Photoshoot
Matthews took over the top leadership role from teammate John Tavares on Aug. 14, becoming the club’s 26th captain in franchise history and first American-born captain. On Tuesday, the Leafs posted some images of Matthews donning the ‘C’ at the NHL’s Player Media Tour.
Captioned, “You love to C it” and “Media Touring,” the images showcase Matthews participating in both on-ice and off-ice photoshoots, and include various interview challenge teases that can be expected to be released throughout the season.
As the Leafs look ahead to the upcoming 2024-25 season, Matthews’ role as captain signals a new era in leadership for the team.
The forward is coming off a career-high 69-goal season, winning his third Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, before adding 38 assists, totaling 107 points in the regular season. Matthews is set to enter the first year of a four-year, $53 million contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $13.25 million per season.
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