Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews isn’t exactly happy with what he’s hearing — or rather, not hearing — from the fans at Scotiabank Arena these days.
The star centre met the media on Wednesday night after a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he was asked his thoughts on a first-period fight between Leafs teammate Ryan Reaves and Mathieu Olivier, taking place just 91 seconds after the opening faceoff.
“Yeah, it was great. I mean, that’s still a big part of the game, and he’s a big part of this team. And you love to see that,” Matthews said.
But Matthews admitted that he thought the sold-out crowd in attendance wasn’t exactly bringing their “A” game when it came to getting fired up by the play, feeding into a decades-long stereotype of Leafs games being “too corporate,” particularly in the expensive lower-bowl seats.
“Would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that. I thought it was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it,” Matthews said.
The fight was Reaves’ first of the year.
“It was a great moment for him. Thought it gave us some energy on the bench. And obviously, he’s been looking for one for a while. So, you’ve got to give kudos to the guy on the other side as well,” Matthews added.
But if the crowd was saving their energy for later, the Leafs fans in attendance didn’t quite have much to cheer for throughout the rest of the contest.
Adam Fantilli scored the first hat trick of his NHL career, while former Toronto forward James van Riemsdyk also added a goal on the evening. Matthews scored Toronto’s lone goal in the game.
It will be a bit of time before Leafs fans get a chance to show Matthews their volume levels — on home ice, at least. Toronto heads to Ottawa this weekend to take on the Senators, and their next home contest is next Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild.
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