Joe Thornton mentions Auston Matthews' girlfriend during a TSN segment
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Newly inducted Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Thornton mentioned Auston Matthews' girlfriend as a show of camaraderie that captures the two former teammates' relationship.
'Jumbo' Joe Thornton is one of the latest inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame, a well deserved end to an incredible career and during his speech, decided to poke fun a bit at former teammate Auston Matthews.
What Joe Thornton mentioned about Auston Matthews' personal life
Appearing as a guest briefly on TSN during the Hall of Fame Game between age Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs, Thornton decided to have some fun while on the air:
Thornton was reacting to Matthews wearing his jersey into the arena, and in commending him mentioned the Maple Leafs captain has a girlfriend in his thank yous.
It goes to show how close-knit their relationship is and how Thornton took Matthews under his wing when he was a member of the Maple Leafs, the two often sharing family meals and hanging out together.
Both men played together during the 2020-21 season, and while Thornton was not the offensive force as he was in his younger days, he still put up 20 points in 44 games (5 goals, 15 assists).
Matthews that season had 41 goals and kickstarted a stretch where he would score 60+ goals twice and cement himself as one of the top scorers today.
Even during the puck drop ceremony when Matthews and Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal were giving their handshakes, the two former Leafs decided to hug it out to a huge applause from the crowd:
Matthews couldn't help but sport a grin too when Thornton was finally introduced:
The wisdom and knowledge that Thornton no doubt passed onto Matthews has certainly shaped him into the player we see today. Breaking records left and right, he's been nearly unstoppable the past few seasons.
His 410 career goals leave him only 11 behind breaking Mats Sundin's all-time record, and he also will pass former teammate Mitch Marner for 5th in career points with his next goal or assist.
While 'Jumbo' Joe is enshrined into hockey's hallowed halls, he leaves us with a potential final look into who he is and how he impacted all around him, but not without having sharing some love on his way out.
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