Auston Matthews addresses the early boos and what sparked his celebration
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Auston Matthews tied the game and passionately celebrated, waving his hand to his ear, and explained afterwards exactly why he chose that particular celebration.
It was a rough game for 50 of the 60 minutes against the Blackhawks on Tuesday; a team that was missing two of its top stars too, but somehow, someway, the Maple Leafs came away with a 3-2 win.
A huge part of that was Auston Matthews, who came out sluggish to start but managed to put together a vintage performance late in the game, tying to game and getting the crowd riled up (in a good way this time).
Auston Matthews explains passionate goal celebration
His celebration afterwards had the fans on their feet, and Matthews showed exactly the type of emotion the team has been lacking this season.
After the game when Matthews was speaking to the media, he was asked about his particular choice of celebration.
He mentioned that it was in response to the crowd who had not only been booing them, but picked up once the team got one on the board.
Matthews said:
The boo birds were coming down, rightfully so. I think after that first goal, the crowd really got into it, which is great, and then after the second one, the place was rocking.
However the celebration wasn't exactly admired by all, as some fans were questioning if Matthews had some hidden meaning behind his mannerisms:
Sorry but I'm not a fan of this. It very much reads as a 'see you overreacted by booing us let's hear you now'
And uh .. you all very much deserved to hear those boos. Congrats. You played well for 5 mins in a 60 mins game.
And uh .. you all very much deserved to hear those boos. Congrats. You played well for 5 mins in a 60 mins game.
While the team did skate away with the win on Tuesday, the team needs to start showing this type of emotion a lot more going forward.
Why this emotional moment for Matthews matters for Toronto and their fans
For all the talk about how loud the Toronto media and the fans are at times, it's partially due to the fact that the Maple Leafs themselves are quiet and often don't show a lot of emotional fire on the ice.
We'll see the Maple Leafs celebrate after a win, and they'll do some cheering here and there, but there's a lack of getting the crowd involved at times.
The captain showing so much emotion be it truly a positive response to the crowd, or a symbolic gesture that says 'I hear you,' is huge. Leafs fans are passionate and love to voice that passion but when the team doesn't give you much to cheer for or give a reason to show emotion; why waste the energy?
Now we aren't saying everyone needs to do the Theo Fleury 'ride-the-stick' celebration after every goal, but getting the crowd more involved like Matthews (regardless of previous boos) is key to building off their momentum.
As much as you'd think it might not make a difference, the crowd plays a huge role in motivating the home team and frustrating the opponents.
If the Maple Leafs can start giving the team more reasons to cheer, that passion will grow even stronger and perhaps they won't need to wait until the end of the game to get Scotiabank Arena rocking once again.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 17 | 1714 ANSWERS Auston Matthews addresses the early boos and what sparked his celebration Do you think this win will motivate the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 471 | 27.5 % |
| No | 1243 | 72.5 % |
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