Auston Matthews Opens Up On Verbal Altercation With Coach Craig Berube

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Tom Banks
October 25, 2024 (4:39 PM)

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Auston Matthews is taking time to adjust to his new role as Maple Leafs captain, and now he's addressed the altercation he had with Head Coach Craig Berube that occurred after a lazy turnover leading to yet another goal.

On Thursday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were on the wrong end of a one-sided clash with the St. Louis Blues, with the team dropping their second straight game by a margin of four goals. During the game, one moment that stood out was Craig Berube berating Auston Matthews on the bench, but a day later, the Head Coach chalks it up to accountability.

When asked about the situation on Friday, first-time captain Matthews had similar thoughts on the situation, preaching how much respect he and the entire team have for Berube and the way he coaches.

"It's hockey, you get yelled at sometimes ... There's obviously an impact. We obviously all respect him & his presence & everything on the bench. It's not anything you take personal"

For the second straight night, Matthews was a -3 and has just three goals through eight games on the season, and given that his captain is struggling, many looked at this moment from Berube as a way to give tough love and motivate No. 34. From the outside looking in, there's certainly going to be plenty of speculation about what's going on in the locker room, but in his comments, Matthews was nothing but positive about Berube.

With such a talented group, there's confidence that the Maple Leafs can turn around their recent string of form, with Matthews still clearly adjusting to his new role as captain, and when that happens, the optimism is there for a deep Stanley Cup Playoffs run from this team.