It happened. On night No. 1.
Auston Matthews didn’t take long to get Leafs Nation pumped up for his presence and he created a little NHL history at the same time.
Matthews became just the 12th ever first overall pick to score in his first NHL game.
But, oh, this night became about so much more than just that first goal.
About six minutes after Goal 1, Matthews sent another wave of excitement through Toronto fans with Goal 2, which was even better than his first. This time, he got through a couple Senators, then stripped Erik Karlsson of the puck and made his way to the net to beat Craig Anderson.
If you wondered what Matthews would be able to do against NHL competition, have a look at this work of art and a hard-working goal.
Matthews became just the second player picked first overall to score two goals in his first-ever NHL game. The other player?
Alex Ovechkin.
And buckle up Leafs fans…there’s still more to come.
Very early in the second period, Matthews scored again to complete the hat trick less than halfway through his first NHL game. He became the only first overall pick to ever achieve the feat, and the fifth ever player to score a hat trick in his first career NHL game. (check out how the other four did in their careers.)
Now…it’s been a long time since Maple Leafs fans had something to get really excited about, right? There was the one playoff appearance against Boston in which they had an epic collapse. But before that, was it the Doug Gilmour-led Leafs that were the last bastion of true excitement for the present and future?
The future is here again in Toronto because Auston Matthews set an NHL record by becoming the first player to ever score four goals in his first NHL game. Wow.
