What Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews Had to Say on the Pat McAfee Show
Auston Matthews believes that the sport of hockey is growing.
The 26-year-old NHL superstar joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday to discuss his early hockey days, hanging out with Justin Bieber, and how hockey needs to grow.
Matthews was also asked about his goalscoring with McAfee asking: "You just score goals all the time, pal? Is that what your life is?"
"I try to," Matthews said with a smile. "I'm lucky, I play with some good players so they tend to get me the puck and yeah, I just try to put it in the net."
On Tuesday night, the NHL and ESPN unveiled their first Frozen Frenzy of the season, which saw all 32 teams in action with each game's start time 15 minutes after the next. It was something new that some fans really liked while some didn't.
But Matthews says he feels that hockey's popularity is growing and that Frozen Frenzy is yet another way for the NHL to grow the game.
"I think year after year it's grown, it's been showcased, I think a little bit more," the 26-year-old said. "I think having ESPN broadcasting the games now and nights like last night where you got every single team playing and lots of action, I think it's great for the game, great to showcase some of the great players we have."
Matthews is arguably the best USA-born player in the NHL right now. With that being the case, McAfee wanted to know how USA Hockey can create more star players. And along with that question, the 26-year-old was asked what it was like to play in Switzerland before being drafted.
"They're coming. I mean, we've got lots of great young guys. You look at Jack Hughes who's come up. I went over to Switzerland to play in my draft year, so I was lucky to go over there, play against some pros, ex-NHL players, and just gain some experience. And I loved it over there. If I had to do it all over again, I absolutely would.
"But, I think USA Hockey's come a long way and there's a lot of young talent, a lot of guys coming through the ranks that are a lot of fun to watch, that are extremely talented, that are just kind of taking the league by storm."
There's a lot that comes with being drafted first overall, let alone being the next generational talent to throw on a Maple Leafs jersey. What was that like for Matthews? Did he know what to expect before coming to Toronto?
"I mean, I had an idea," he told McAfee. "I think a lot of people just kind of let me know how it was going to be. But, it's hard to really realize until you experience it. It definitely comes with a lot but I've loved my time in Toronto.
"I love the fans, the city's great. I've been fortunate to play and have great teammates along the way. It's been a really special ride and I've enjoyed every minute of it."
Playing in Toronto can come with some benefits, too. One being, having a friend like Justin Bieber, who's a huge fan of the Maple Leafs. With hockey still needing to grow, does Matthews mind that the singer and songwriter gets all the attention?
"If you're out with a guy like [Justin Bieber], and his caliber and I guess his status, there's not too many people that are going to be on that kind of level, right? I don't mind. It's fine," Matthews said.
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"I think hockey's getting there, it's getting bigger. There's been a lot more recognition now, and that's fine. I mean, all I want to do is just play hockey, so at the end of the day, if that extra stuff comes with it, it's fine. And if it doesn't, that's all good."
One of my favourite questions that McAfee asked was about NHL players being too guarded. To grow the sport, you need players to be willing to show their personality. And while some do, there isn't enough. But why does Matthews think that's the case?
"I don't know. It could be a lot of different things," he told McAfee. "I mean, I think hockey guys are pretty simple guys, pretty down to earth. So, I don't know. But, like I said, the sport's growing. I think with us being on ESPN now, and just kind of getting more recognition and more people watching it'll help grow that. But, at the same time, I don't mind it being a little lowkey when you're walking around and stuff."
Matthews played a lot of baseball growing up before taking on hockey full-time. According to some, he was very good at it too. But did Matthews ever think he could pursue baseball like he could hockey?
"I mean, I played baseball up until probably 12 years old, like right after Little League. And I don't know, I think he (Matthews' dad) hypes it up a lot because he played baseball and like it was cool for us to have that experience where he was kind of teaching me the ropes and everything that I needed to know. And I really enjoyed it. I mean, pretty much just hitting. I wasn't very good at everything else.
"But, I think they (his parents) knew it was just a matter of time before I was going to just hang up the bat and the cleats and be full-time in hockey because that was always what I wanted to do, always what I wanted to watch and play. I really enjoyed baseball but I think they knew hockey was my number one passion, and it was only a matter of time. So when I was about 12, I gave it up and just focused on hockey."
And finally, after speaking about how Matthews thinks hockey can grow, hanging out with Bieber, and a number of other topics, the 26-year-old was asked what his welcome to the NHL moment was.
"It's tough. I mean, (in) my first game I scored four goals, so that was a pretty good welcome to the league moment. That was pretty special. That was my first game so it was awesome. I had my parents there and my mom was like crying in the stands and (it was) a super emotional game for, I guess, everybody. But, I'd have to pick that one because it was a pretty fun night."
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