Young guns square off in Toronto
Matthews and McDavid make for hot ticket
The hype of Tuesday’s game at t he Air Canada Centre, which can be branded “Lookin’ Out For No. 1,” has been building for the past year.
First came Auston Matthews’ accidental birth date, placing him in a different draft class than Connor McDavid.
Then McDavid went to the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 lottery, not his childhood Toronto Maple Leafs, a team left holding runner-up numbers on either side of the winning combination. McDavid broke his collarbone and was heartbroken to have missed his triumphant return to the Greater Toronto Area last Nov. 15.
Matthews, meanwhile, l anded in Leaf Nation through the 2016 lottery and Toronto’s 30th- place finish. He was on the same North American team of young guns with McDavid at the World Cup at the ACC, and their chemistry was the talk of the tournament.
Now, the two No. 1 draft picks finally face each other when the Leafs and Oilers clash.
“Connor vs. Auston? I’d buy a ticket for that game,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan, who was in the enviable position among peers to send both over the boards of the North American bench in September.
“If I’m a fan I want to see this one. It’s the future of the league playing there. We have the luxury of seeing Connor every night, myself and ( assistant) Jay Woodcroft. And the coaching staff at the World Cup saw them on the same team and the same line and that was a pretty fun week. I don’t think we’ll see that again because of their nationalities.”
Matthews, born in San Francisco on Sept. 17, 1997, missed 2015 draft eligibility by two days. He deserved to be in the same conversation as McDavid and No. 2 Jack Eichel, according to many hockey people. But Matthews put the extra year of development to good use, playing against men in the competitive Swiss League.
Heading into this game, the two are among those fighting for the NHL scoring lead. Matthews had a huge head start when he debuted with a four-goal game, while McDavid is determined to show what he can do in a full season.
“They’re different players, but both very effective,” McLellan said as the Oilers prepared to fly east.
“Connor’s maybe t he fastest player in the world and Auston has Connor’s instincts and sense and is maybe a bit bigger right now. They’re different players who end up with similar results.”
Both players can’t wait for this game, Matthews cited their time together at the World Cup for sustaining his fast start.
McDavid was an unhappy observer on the sidelines at the Air Canada Centre last November, a 3- 0 Edmonton loss with Garret Sparks in the Toronto goal.
“The World Cup was special and rocking every night, but I’ ve never played the Leafs there ( at the ACC),” McDavid said. “That’s the team I grew up watching. I’m hopeful it will be the same way ( a loud crowd on Tuesday).
With the possible exception of Alexander Ovechkin and P. K. Subban coming to Toronto later this month, McDavid’s tete- a- tete with Matthews should be the season’s hottest ticket other than the New Year’s Day outdoor game.