The highly-touted Maple Leafs rookie, Arizona-born Auston Matthews made his regular season debut in Ottawa, Ontario Wednesday evening against the Senators.
He did... alright:
No player in modern history has ever scored four goals in his NHL debut until Matthews torched Craig Anderson Wednesday night. And those goals came several ways.
His first official NHL marker came in the slot, where Matthews took a hit in the back to get a shot on goal, beat a diving Anderson.
The kid's second goal was a fine display of stickhandling, taking the puck out to center to play keep-away from two Senators at the blue line face-off dot. Once his teammates cleared the zone, Matthews turned on a dime, burst into the Ottawa zone, poked the puck past Senators captain Erik Karlsson, and then pumped a wrister through a terribly small gap underneath Anderson.
His hat-trick came on a feed from Morgan Reilly behind the end line; Matthews was left all alone in the slot and could scarcely have missed.
The fourth goal came on a 2-on-1 with another impressive Maple Leafs star-in-waiting, second-generation NHL'er William Nylander.
The Maple Leafs got to overtime, but the Senators' game-winner was set up by Karlsson, with the touch-pass to Kyle Turris by Mark Stone. Matthews got fooled on the way into the zone.
In the post-game press scrum, Matthews blamed himself for the team losing the game:
Nevertheless, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was plenty impressed with the young man:
Make no mistake, the Maple Leafs still have a considerable amount of work to do and some further roster spots to improve. Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen did not play especially well, coughing up five goals on 30 shots.
But Matthews' impressive official NHL debut Wednesday serves as evidence that the Brendan Shanahan-directed reboot of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization that began in the summer of 2014. Following the disastrous 2014-15 season, Shanahan completely cleaned house, firing not only the coaching staff but also virtually all of the scouts and even the video coordinator. The Leafs finished last season with the proverbial wooden spoon, but won the draft lottery. That Shanahan, general manager Lou Lamoriello, and head coach Mike Babcock agreed on Matthews as the first overall selection was no mystery.
Babcock and Lamoriello are beginning their second year with the organization—and while the Leafs have a long way to go toward becoming playoff contenders, their partly-successful 2016-17 season debut in Ottawa should be deeply encouraging to long-suffering Leafs fans. Particularly the ones who had to live through the Harold Ballard era.
Through the leadership of owner Rocky Wirtz, head coach Joel Quenneville, and captain Jonathan Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks have come back from the dead to be three-time Stanley Cup Champions in 2010, 2013, and 2015. So, it is not impossible for Shanahan, Lamoriello, and Babcock to engineer a return to glory for this venerable sports franchise.
Back to Matthews, kudos for his arrival on the NHL scene must also go indirectly to Wayne Gretzky, because prior to his trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988, the Kings were the only NHL franchise below the 38th Parallel North. Since Gretzky's arrival in Los Angeles and also the Kings' run to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, the NHL has gained a presence in the following cities below the 38th Parallel, mostly with success:
Anaheim Ducks (1993 expansion), 2007 Stanley Cup Championship, plus 2003 Stanley Cup Final appearance
Arizona Coyotes (1996, from Winnipeg): 2012 Western Conference Final appearance
Carolina Hurricanes (1997, from Hartford): 2006 Stanley Cup Championship, plus 2002 Final appearance
Dallas Stars (1993, from Minnesota): 1999 Stanley Cup Championship, plus Finals appearances in 1981, 1991, and 2000.
Florida Panthers (1993 expansion): 1996 Stanley Cup Final appearance
Nashville Predators (1998 expansion): Three second-round appearances
Tampa Bay Lightning (1992 expansion): 2004 Stanley Cup Championship, plus 2015 Stanley Cup Final appearance
Without the first iteration of the Winnipeg Jets moving to Phoenix in 1996, it is possible that Auston Matthews might not have taken up ice hockey and become the phenom that he obviously is.
@DannyBriere48 he's come a long way hasn't he Danny??? pic.twitter.com/RQPSveTeRw— Alex Blaksley (@alex_blaksley) October 13, 2016
Congratulations, Auston—you are off to a good start. And thanks again, Wayne Gretzky. :)
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