Auston Matthews returned to practice and nearly took part in a full session. The question is how much longer? Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid are posting cryptic messages to each other on X. It began on Thursday when McDavid mentioned Matthews in a post on X, saying, "crossbar and in, let's see it." Matthews' X account responded not even 24 hours later, saying to McDavid, "bet you can't hit a billboard from 50 feet." Currently, it's unknown what both NHL superstars are discussing through their posts on X. However, if we had to guess, it could involve an ad campaign for a certain company. McDonald's Canada posted to X a couple of hours before McDavid's initial post, saying, "something's about to change the game forever." The two posts from McDavid and Matthews may be the start of an ad campaign with McDonald's. In 1997, Mats Sundin and New York Rangers forward Wayne Gretzky collaborated in a McDonald's ad, firing pucks into an empty net. "First one to miss buys lunch at McDonald's," Gretzky told Sundin in the commercial. Sundin responded, saying, "Good, you can buy me a Big Mac." The pair did trick shots throughout the rink, even going up to the catwalk in the arena. "Aren't you getting hungry yet?" The two players asked each other as they walked up to the top of the rink. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY4k82fOXcU[/embed] "Off the rafter, over the organ, and hit the crossbar," Sundin told Gretzky while looking at the net with binoculars. "Want that backhanded?" Gretzky asked before the commercial came to an end. It's possible this could be what McDavid and Matthews are posting to X about. With McDonald's also saying something similar, it appears more likely than not that it's an ad campaign. Matthews hasn't played since Dec. 20 due to an upper-body injury he suffered against the Buffalo Sabres. He has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 24 games with the Maple Leafs this season. McDavid has 15 goals and 39 assists for 54 points in 34 games with Edmonton. He's tied for fourth in the NHL for points, behind Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Mikko Rantanen, and Nikita Kucherov. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
