Matthews has surprising comments for Flames’ Tkachuk

Man, this kid can REALLY get under the skin of his opponents…

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Matthews has surprising comments for Flames’ Tkachuk
Keystone Press

You would think that Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews wouldn’t have the time of day for Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and his shenanigans. After all, the Flames’ sophomore is known just as much for his dirty play as he is for his goal scoring prowess. As for Matthews, he’s a classical point producer. While he doesn’t shy away from the rough stuff, he’s not likely to receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL anytime soon.

Maybe that’s why it’s so surprising to learn that the two players are longtime friends, dating back to their teenage days with the United States National Team Development Program. Matthews opened up prior to last night’s game against the Tkachuk and the Flames, sharing his thoughts on the NHL’s biggest pest.

“He seems to be agitating more people this year," Matthews noted, "but that’s his game. He’s a guy that plays with a lot of passion and he doesn’t mind getting under your skin. Definitely a guy I’d love on my team and, as you can see from a lot of other guys in the league, not a guy you like to really play against.”

The praise didn’t end there. Tkachuk piled heaps of it on Matthews as well saying, "He’s, in my opinion, (one of the) top-five players in the NHL right now. He’s unbelievable. He thinks the game so well, his skill’s unbelievable. He skates really, really well now. Watching him play, it looks like his speed has gotten that much better and he’s beating guys with everything right now ... so, I guess, just try and be hard on him. There’s not a lot you can do to stop guys like that, you just have to contain him.”

Amen, Matthew. Amen.

Source: Mark Masters