Yesterday my old man took me out for a round of golf, it was a beautiful day and my round wasn’t so bad either. As I approached the driving range, I got myself a pull cart to lug around my Maple Leafs golf bag and all the clubs and balls it held. Before I got to the range, one of the pros at the course chimed in with a comment about my Leafs golf bag, saying I was brave to carrying the bag around so proudly.

I simply turned to him, with a glimmer in my eye and a smirk on my face and said, “Sir, I am Leafs Nation.” Off I went, to the range, giggling to myself and not giving a rat’s ass what some random thought about my beloved Maple Leafs. If only I was sporting my Babsocks…he wouldn’t have known what to do with himself.

My Dad and I paired up with a couple random friends of his from the golf course and off we went. After a couple holes I started chatting with his friends and it just so happened they were Leafs fans as well. It’s amazing how much positivity is coming out of Leafs Nation these days, even the old timers who have endured countless years of disappointment feel like the franchise is not only changing and in the right direction. But that Matthews himself looks to be the prize we have been looking for; he will be the difference maker.

There were talks about how ecstatic they were when Toronto won the first overall pick, in Matthews. And that how Babcock and the Leafs managed the team throughout the season, ensuring the rookies got some playing time, and success to go with it, but not too much. Just enough to boost their confidence at the NHL level, before sending them down to finish the season on the AHL Toronto Marlies.

Every Leafs fan seems to remember where they were and how they felt when Toronto won the lottery.

It’s also nice to know I wasn’t the only one who shed a tear of joy.

It’s amazing as the 2016 Draft approached and there was any debate what so ever about Matthews being the player the Leafs should take with their number one pick overall. Laine? Are you kidding me? Matthews you can see by watching him in the World Cup is not only better than Laine, but miles ahead. Auston Matthews looks like a NHL professional playing with the best players in the league, before actually playing one NHL game himself. That’s impressive. It’s even more impressive he’s not only skating alongside McDavid, but that they look to be on the same wave length in terms of raw ability and overall skill.

I’m not saying Matthews is as good as McDavid, that’s too much, and too quick.

But what I am saying is Matthews is right with McDavid. They are both elite players, and both players who I can see having a magnitude of success in the NHL for years to come.

With the amount of hype built up for Matthews, so far, so good, he’s living up to the expectations and seems to be the type of person/player who will thrive off the energy that Toronto brings to the table. Perhaps not the energy in the ACC with all the suits, but in the overall picture, Matthews skates with such solid, crips strides which extrude confidence in how he presents himself. He is such a big body for his age and seems to have no problems winning battles in the corners, or solidifying himself infront of the oppositions net.

Part of Matthews’s game reminds me of the BIG E (Eric Lindros).

It really excites me to think that Matthews can be this effective and stand out this much to not only the North American skaters on his team, but the coaching staff and all the fans watching his every move. Is anyone else surprised with how quickly Matthews moved up in the depth chart, or how quickly he’s shown that he is the real deal?

When North America faced off against the Russians, not only did Matthews score on a dandy feed from McDavid, but he stood out to me big time, he looked like the best player on the ice for North America. Taking nothing away from McDavid or the rest of their team, Matthews was on his game, he was really feeling the flow.

Looking at all of the talent on that team, and all of the first overall picks or close to, Matthews is off to a great start, phenomenal even.

Eichel whose 6’2” 200 pounds looks like a runt compared to our boy Matthews. They will have many battles versus each other over the years, and there will be many debates about who is better between Eichel and Matthews as the battle of the QEW will heat up as both teams continue to improve.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your hump day!

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