Dec 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies (23) looks on at the face-off circle against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesMatthew Knies owes people within the Toronto Maple Leafs some money.
Less than 12 hours removed from Canada's 3-2 overtime win over the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Knies stood inside Toronto's dressing room and discussed his home country's loss.
"It was an exciting game to watch," the 22-year-old said Friday.
"I'm upset, obviously. I had a few friendly bets in this locker room, so you don't want to see it happen. But it's how the game goes and at the Olympics, I'm going to be excited to watch those guys go at it again."
What was on the line for Knies as Canada sealed the win in overtime?
"Just a few hundred bucks," Knies laughed. "We don't have to worry about that too much. We'll run those back."
Knies said all the Canadians in the Maple Leafs' dressing room will be on the winning side of the wagers. John Tavares, however, who's won gold with Canada at the Olympics, the World Cup, and the World Juniors, didn't get involved in the friendly wagering.
"I think it was pretty obvious who I'd be pulling for. I was just excited to watch a great hockey game," Tavares smiled.
Although he's a decorated player, Toronto's assistant captain opted for rest instead of staying up to see if Canada could win the tournament.
"I went to bed after the third period. I turned it on this morning. My kids get up at the same time," Tavares said. "You never know how long the game was going to go with how well both teams were playing, how tight the game was."
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube correctly predicted the score between Canada and the United States on Thursday, a couple of hours before the game: "That's luck. I thought it'd be a tight game, I really did."
And because of that correct prediction, he earned some extra cash.
"I got some money from Kniesy," Berube chuckled. "He hasn't paid me yet, so I said, 'It'll be more tomorrow.'"
The Maple Leafs play back-to-back games this weekend, and while most of Toronto's players are well-rested, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews will get just one day of rest, which likely includes travel too.
But the NHL grind stops for no one.
"They (Matthews and Marner) played the games but they had time off there too from a physical standpoint. But there's a lot put into that game, obviously, by both teams and players. I think, emotionally, it'll be interesting to see," Berube said.
"That's a mental grind to be in that environment shift after shift. But it's tough for me to say what they're feeling and how they feel and all that."
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