nsleaf
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2009
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Agreed, anyway, olympics are a year later, he'll get his shot at even better international competition.
Player Discussion Auston Matthews (Captain Edition)
- Thread starter Aashir Mallik
- Start date
Looks like right shoulder to me. When he celebrates a goal he now puts his knee down and swings his left arm
Larcos_Unal
Excuses are for losers
Sit him until mid-January. There's a long stretch of days without games coming up and the team's record without him is pretty incredible.
We don't need him at 70% now, we need him at 110% in the playoffs.
We don't need him at 70% now, we need him at 110% in the playoffs.
Jimmy Firecracker
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque.
Maybe he’ll regret signing only for 4 years instead of 8. Should’ve just done what every superstar franchise player does instead of trying to “maximize his earnings.”
thewave
Registered User
- Jun 17, 2011
- 42,753
- 13,158
I was always ok with him signing for 4. Don’t get me wrong if he was willing to sign for 8 I would have taken it.
But I think (pure speculation) he plays here’d for 3. Takes the all time goal record goes to the states and signs his retirement extension there.
Which may be an albatross. He might not last too long. His body is always banged up.
3 concussions
Wonky back
2 separated shoulders
Surgically repaired wrist.
I wish him the best and hope he breaks ovys record as a leaf but I think it’s unlikely.
This situation reminds me of the Kobe interview with Patrick Bet David, which was very enlightening about what it takes to be the best player in your sport.
Kobe said, that no matter what you cant please your friends and family and to be the best means sacrificing those relationships, those who love you, will be there for you, those who do not understand wont. You will never get the time back.
He said some of his teammates would take vacations together, and he never did that, because he did not want to look back on his career and say, I could of trained harder, I could of taken those two weeks to be better.
He also said that a lot of players were doing it for the money, not to be the best, once the money came, the intensity and commitment was never the same as when they were hungry. He would tell them, don’t pretend to be at my level, because you are not, your dedication is not the same as mine. Many teammates thought he was arrogant and crazy, but that did not phase him…. His legacy would have the last laugh.
Not saying this is true about AM, but I also don’t honestly know, since I don’t know the guy. He has to decide what he wants to give up to be the best, and if its worth it to him. Some people don’t mind being 85% and they feel that the extra 15% is not worth the sacrifices they make…. Others are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get as near as they can to 99.9%.... however to do that the sacrifice is huge amongst your family and friends, and vacation time.
However, a sporting career only lasts for a short time in comparison to the rest of your life, and those regrets may end up weighing on you when you look back at what you could of been.
Kobe said, that no matter what you cant please your friends and family and to be the best means sacrificing those relationships, those who love you, will be there for you, those who do not understand wont. You will never get the time back.
He said some of his teammates would take vacations together, and he never did that, because he did not want to look back on his career and say, I could of trained harder, I could of taken those two weeks to be better.
He also said that a lot of players were doing it for the money, not to be the best, once the money came, the intensity and commitment was never the same as when they were hungry. He would tell them, don’t pretend to be at my level, because you are not, your dedication is not the same as mine. Many teammates thought he was arrogant and crazy, but that did not phase him…. His legacy would have the last laugh.
Not saying this is true about AM, but I also don’t honestly know, since I don’t know the guy. He has to decide what he wants to give up to be the best, and if its worth it to him. Some people don’t mind being 85% and they feel that the extra 15% is not worth the sacrifices they make…. Others are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get as near as they can to 99.9%.... however to do that the sacrifice is huge amongst your family and friends, and vacation time.
However, a sporting career only lasts for a short time in comparison to the rest of your life, and those regrets may end up weighing on you when you look back at what you could of been.
Last edited:
Stephen
Moderator
- Feb 28, 2002
- 81,997
- 60,079
Matthews has the innate ability to be second best to McDavid in the game as was the hype when they came into the league one after another.
But as I’m cheering hard for him to hit these levels year after year, there’s something missing in the wiring where he’s lost positioning to guys like Mackinnon and Draisaitl and Kucherov. He’s having a great career as it is, but not quite hitting the level he’s capable of.
Also don’t know what the nature of his injury is, but could it have been handled differently in the offseason?
Suntouchable13
Registered User
Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Sidney Crosby, LeBron, Wayne Gretzky. They are just wired different.
Stephen
Moderator
- Feb 28, 2002
- 81,997
- 60,079
Matthews isn’t that level of competitor. No shame in that.
Evilhomer
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2019
- 5,692
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I think he, and generations of his family, are going to be just fine regardless of the extra 4 years.
I don't think anyone in any sport has ever combined talent with tenacity like Jordan.
BallardEra
Leafs&Caps Since 1982™
I guess we will see how serious the injury is if he doesn’t play right after the Xmas break.
robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
- 25,154
- 17,373
This seems like one of those issues that likely needs surgery but the surgery likely won't happen to the off season....
Sucks if thats the case.
Sucks if thats the case.
trellaine201
Registered User
Matthews4Calder
Registered User
That's why he's not a leader in my opinion. He also needs to toughen up. I know he's not 100% but even if he was he wouldn't have stuck up for himself against Thompson. Reilly jumping in there lol.
I think its all mental with Matthews. His first game he is loose, no expectations, scores 4 goals. Then the fan base expects him to be the NEXT ONE, he goes into a scoring slump.
69 goals, and that next goal again becomes so hard and elusive. I feel the weight of expectations are like a burden for AM, like he is dragging a 45lb plate out there whenever all eyes and expectations are on him.
I know he wants it, he knows we want it, but the energy drawn from that at the back of your mind takes away from him naturally being who he is.
I AM 100% convinced he would be a different, BETTER, version of himself if there were no stats. If somehow he could just forget the points, the goals and just be someone no one expects anything from. Meditation? Yoga? Phil Jackson as an advisor? Sports therapy?
I am no pro athlete, best I did was 1st team at the university level. Wasn't hockey. I remember my best games where when I thought I was garbage, I was crap. All I could think about was previous coaches telling me you have to be in spot A when B happens, and you better bust ass to be there or else you are useless. All I wanted was to impress my teammates, because I wanted to show I belonged. When I thought like that, I had impressive games. Guys would come up to me after at the bar and say "Remember when you did this?" and describe plays I did, and I had no god damn recollection of what they were talking about. I was in some primal state, where my mind was not writing memories, I was just reacting, trying hard as hell not to be garbage. I would nod, pretending I remembered, but I had no clue what they were talking about. It's like every ounce of energy I had was in the moment and none was spared to admire or remember any of it. Those were my best games and those games made me one of the leaders of the team.... but then I started to think of myself as good and as a leader, and my performance wasn't as good. I needed to think I was garbage, I needed to think that I could be cut at any moment. I needed to tap into that primal fear of failure to play at the highest level.
69 goals, and that next goal again becomes so hard and elusive. I feel the weight of expectations are like a burden for AM, like he is dragging a 45lb plate out there whenever all eyes and expectations are on him.
I know he wants it, he knows we want it, but the energy drawn from that at the back of your mind takes away from him naturally being who he is.
I AM 100% convinced he would be a different, BETTER, version of himself if there were no stats. If somehow he could just forget the points, the goals and just be someone no one expects anything from. Meditation? Yoga? Phil Jackson as an advisor? Sports therapy?
I am no pro athlete, best I did was 1st team at the university level. Wasn't hockey. I remember my best games where when I thought I was garbage, I was crap. All I could think about was previous coaches telling me you have to be in spot A when B happens, and you better bust ass to be there or else you are useless. All I wanted was to impress my teammates, because I wanted to show I belonged. When I thought like that, I had impressive games. Guys would come up to me after at the bar and say "Remember when you did this?" and describe plays I did, and I had no god damn recollection of what they were talking about. I was in some primal state, where my mind was not writing memories, I was just reacting, trying hard as hell not to be garbage. I would nod, pretending I remembered, but I had no clue what they were talking about. It's like every ounce of energy I had was in the moment and none was spared to admire or remember any of it. Those were my best games and those games made me one of the leaders of the team.... but then I started to think of myself as good and as a leader, and my performance wasn't as good. I needed to think I was garbage, I needed to think that I could be cut at any moment. I needed to tap into that primal fear of failure to play at the highest level.
ORRFForever
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2018
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