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Former Leafs Forward Claims the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews Are Deceiving Fans
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kris Versteeg is questioning the exact nature of Auston Matthews' injury status, and what exactly is going on with the captain.
Versteeg, an 11-year NHL veteran and former Maple Leaf, spoke on Matthews during a segment on the JD Bunkis podcast about the reported reaggravation of a previous injury that kept Matthews sidelined earlier in the season, and has him out yet again.
During the podcast, Versteeg wondered if Matthews really did re-injure himself from his prior injury, or if something else is going on keeping him out.
"You're saying that he reaggravated his injury, I disagree. I don't think he reaggravated.
I think 100% it's something new, yeah. So that Dennis Gilbert crosscheck is an art, there's something called the "Iliac Crest" on the side of your body, and if players do not protect that area with padding, back in the day guys thought it all the time.
But guys used to stitch padding below their shoulder pad and around the bottom part of their wrists.
When you crosscheck a guy there, it is like someone is stabbing you in the side, so it's almost like the top of your hip bone and that's exactly, exactly where he got crosschecked and he went down wincing.
So to me, that injury is a new injury. The way he was crosschecked, where he was crosschecked....To me, where he got crosschecked is right on the lower back, kind of lower "Iliac Crest" area, and to me, that's a new injury."
I think 100% it's something new, yeah. So that Dennis Gilbert crosscheck is an art, there's something called the "Iliac Crest" on the side of your body, and if players do not protect that area with padding, back in the day guys thought it all the time.
But guys used to stitch padding below their shoulder pad and around the bottom part of their wrists.
When you crosscheck a guy there, it is like someone is stabbing you in the side, so it's almost like the top of your hip bone and that's exactly, exactly where he got crosschecked and he went down wincing.
So to me, that injury is a new injury. The way he was crosschecked, where he was crosschecked....To me, where he got crosschecked is right on the lower back, kind of lower "Iliac Crest" area, and to me, that's a new injury."
The Iliac Crest is a part of the pelvic bone up towards the hip, the bone felt when holding on to the hip area. Matthews did grab his hip after the injury against Buffalo.
Matthews has 11 goals, 12 assists, & 23 points in 24 games played this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Is Auston Matthews Injury Status A Lie?
Are Toronto Maple Leafs in one big lie about what's really going with with Auston Matthews and his injury? Probably not.
As much as teams may only give crumbs of information about players and their injury status rather than giving opponents a potential five-course meal of knowledge, teams avoid risking getting in trouble for outright being deceptive regarding injury concerns.
JD Bunkis in response did nail what seemed to be the most reasonable consensus anyone should have to concerns about a possible injury deception.
"It's tough to know if it is a new injury because we don't what the original injury was."
Versteeg may be talking more from experience as he suffered from the same injury he describes during his playing days.
No one knows what is going on with Auston Matthews and for all intents and purposes, the Toronto Maple Leafs plan to keep it that way.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 25 | 1406 ANSWERS Former Leafs Forward Claims the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews Are Deceiving Fans Is Auston Matthews injury more or less severe than what is being reported? | ||
| Less | 119 | 8.5 % |
| More | 985 | 70.1 % |
| Accurate | 115 | 8.2 % |
| Don't care, just want him back healthy whenever! | 187 | 13.3 % |
| List of polls | ||