Sens’ Anderson has a Matthews memory for a lifetime

Craig Anderson has a keepsake of his own from Auston Matthews’ first NHL game.

In the basement of his off-season home in Coral Springs, Fla., the Ottawa Senators’ No. 1 goaltender has the stick he used Oct. 12, 2016, against the Toronto Maple Leafs when the rookie centre scored four goals in the Sens’ 5-4 victory in the teams’ season opener at the Canadian Tire Centre.

While Anderson, 36, isn’t the type to collect mementos, he figured a couple of days after the game against the Leafs he’d get one of the staff to have Matthews sign the stick. The kid didn’t miss a beat.

“Thanks ‘Four’ making my first game memorable,” Matthews wrote to Anderson.

Anderson took the dig from Matthews with a sense of humour.

“Yeah, it’s funny. It’ll be up on my wall and it’ll be a good story for the grandkids one day,” Anderson said Friday. “It was creative. I guess it’s kind of expected of a guy that’s that creative on the ice, to be that creative intelligently.”

Anderson may have had a different feeling about the whole night if the Senators had lost, but the reality is they were the ones who went home with the two points after Kyle Turris scored the winner in OT.

“I just asked one of the guys (to get it autographed). I had the stick lying around and I thought, ‘Maybe I should get it signed’ and the next time (the Leafs) were in town, he signed it for me,” Anderson said.