Captain Auston Matthews Reveals Why He Selected Joe Thornton For Leafs' Mentors Trip
Auston Matthews opens up about the reasoning behind choosing former teammate Joe Thornton as his mentor, on the Leafs' mentors trip.
After a standout performance in a 3-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, where he tallied two points, Auston Matthews seems to be fully recovered from the injury that had been troubling him earlier in the season.
Not only is Matthews putting up points, but his overall game appears to be back on track, as highlighted by head coach Craig Berube.
Recently, the Maple Leafs embarked on a mentors trip, where each player selected a mentor to join them on the road. Matthews chose former teammate Joe Thornton.
Matthews spoke on why he chose Joe Thornton to be his mentor, as per The Athletic's article entitled "Why Auston Matthews invited Joe Thornton on the Maple Leafs' mentors trip". Matthews' response perfectly captured what a gem Thornton is as a human being.
(Thornton) isn't just my mentor, I feel like he's everybody's mentor here. With the relationships he has with a lot of guys on the team, staff members, it's been a treat to have him here so far."
Thornton played with Matthews for one season during the 2020-21 campaign, but the impact he left on Matthews, and many of his teammates, has endured well beyond that year. Thornton has been a very lovable character since he came into the league with the Boston Bruins in 1997-98.
As Matthews continues his recovery, he is expected to play for Team USA in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Before that, however, the Maple Leafs are in Raleigh, NC, and will take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, looking to extend their lead in the Atlantic Division and their impressive win streak to 6 games.
