Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Team USA and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews showed some new fire that fans aren’t used to, and it could be a great sign going forward.
Matthews’ anger boils over in rare display of emotion
But it’s what happened during their game against Denmark that is starting to get some attention considering it’s something we have really never seen from Matthews — fighting spirit.
During the game, things got a little testy with Matthews camping in front of the Danish net, with him getting into a scuffle that saw him wildly throwing shoves and taking on several players at once:
He had some parting words as well before cooler heads prevailed, and there must have been some hidden grievances that boiled over because we never see Matthews get this frustrated.
Fans are split on Matthews’ new aggressive side
It’s something that fans pointed out as well on social media, though not without taking a couple shots of their own towards the American captain:
However there are several that pointed out that if Matthews ended up getting more involved in the NHL, it wouldn’t end well for him thanks to some potential bias:
Though it’s something we haven’t seen a lot of from Matthews, who prefers to let his scoring and offense speak for itself; we have seen this from him before:
It’s not like Matthews is someone who is bereft of emotion, as he has no issues playing to the crowd, getting a bit mouthy at times, and clearly when pushed too far he pushes back.
He can certainly show more emotion in the NHL, but there’s a careful line he has to toe between showing aggression and being undisciplined so for those hoping he starts fighting consistently are going to be a bit disappointed.
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Auston Matthews showed a side Leafs fans rarely see, and it got everyone’s attention
Does Auston Matthews need to fight more?