Maple Leafs C
Auston Matthews, the No. 1 overall pick in the '16 NHL Draft, "authored one of the greatest maiden games in the league's history" last night, scoring four goals in his "dream debut" against the Senators. Nobody else has "scored four goals in their inaugural NHL appearance" since 1917 (
TORONTO STAR, 10/13). NBC's "Today" teased a segment on Matthews' debut at the top of the show. Early in the program's second hour, anchor
Savannah Guthrie said, "Remember that name. He made history last night." She added, "He's from Arizona. We're not exactly known for our ice hockey" (
"Today," NBC, 10/13). While it is "important to temper expectations for a 19-year-old rookie," his four-goal performance was "a memorable way to start things off" (
SI.com, 10/13).
The NHL's official store "does not have any Matthews jerseys ready to go, so if fans want to purchase one, they have to customize it" (
ESPN.com, 10/12). Thousands of tickets "were available" for last night's game at Canadian Tire Centre as of yesterday afternoon, and there were "rows of empty seats in the upper deck" during the season opener (
OTTAWA SUN, 10/13).
The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan during the game tweeted, "Auston Matthews has a hat trick? Only comparison I can think of is Juan Marichal one-hitter in his debut." Coyotes President & CEO Anthony LeBlanc: "So happy for @AM34 & his family. Tonight's other winner...AZ hockey. Let's keep growing the game. Another rink (or 2) being announced soon!" Panthers G Roberto Luongo tweeted, "I've just decided that Reims will play ALL of the games versus the leafs this year...... #Matthews."
