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Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews Wears Marleau Jersey

By David Scala

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs competes in the Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay during 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs competes in the Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay during 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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In spectacular fashion, Toronto Maple Leafs representative Auston Matthews brought the fans in SJ to their feet during the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.

Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs shocked the San Jose crowd when he revealed a Patrick Marleau jersey underneath his own, just before he was about to start the Accuracy Shooting Challenge.

For Maple Leafs fans, it is no surprise to see Matthews give Patrick Marleau some positive spotlight as their close family-like relationship has been well documented.

Like Father, Like Son

Since Patrick Marleau arrived in Toronto, he has had a positive influence on many of the young players on the Maple Leafs roster. Patrick Marleau the player is widely known for his consistency and longevity, but Patrick Marleau the person is known for his calm and humble personality.

It is no surprise to see how well Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have developed on and off the ice in just their third year in the NHL, and that can be largely due to spending time with Patrick Marleau on the road.

This past year Matthews spent Christmas with the Marleau’s, and Mitch decided it was time to sing some karaoke with Marleau and his kids in the car on an off day. 

Don’t You, Forget About Pat

Patrick Marleau has had a rough stretch of hockey, with only a goal and an assist in his last 13 games. Despite his recent struggles to find the back of the net, Marleau is still around his usual scoring pace. Marleau has 11 goals, 11 assists for 22 points in 49 games played this season. In 49 games played last season, Marleau had 16 goals, 9 assists for 25 points.

The goals have been hard to come by for Marleau, but that could also be due to the fact that he has 30 fewer shots on goal at this point than his previous season.

Patrick Marleau 49-Game Comparison:

2017/2018: 16G-9A-25PTS, 8PIMS, 5GWG, 121SOG, 13.2SH%, 842:57 TOI, 17:12 ATOI

2018/2019: 11G-11A-22PTS, 16PIM, 3GWG, 91SOG, 12.1SH%, 825:24 TOI, 16:51 ATOI

At the end of the day, we are talking about one of the most consistent players in NHL history. I think it’s safe to say there are no worries for Patrick Marleau, he is going to bounce back.

Auston Powers

The Accuracy Shooting Challenge was not too kind to Matthews, but he still has a chance to wow the SJ crowd Saturday night during the NHL All-Star Game. Matthews will play for Team Atlantic, having the opportunity to play with some of the NHL’s leading scorers in Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, David Pastrnak, and his teammate John Tavares.

The biggest question is, will Matthews wear that Marleau jersey during the game? Now that would be something special.

Next. Top Ten Prospects Part Two. dark

Statistics provided by hockey reference

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