Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been lost for the season due to a hit by Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks. Analysts, agents, other players, and Matthew's teammates have all given their commentary on the Matthews-Gudas controversy.
Now, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are weighing in, giving their thoughts on the situation while speaking on their podcast, Wingmen.
“Anytime something happens to your best player or captain, there has to be some sort of response. You shouldn’t have to fight for every clean hit, but if something dirty happens or a guy gets hurt, you deal with it right away,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “At that point, it’s not even about the points in the standings. Sticking up for your teammate matters more in a game like that.”
The Leafs are well outside of a playoff spot, and it would take a herculean effort to get back in. Regardless of the standings, Tkachuk believes players need to stick up for their teammates.
“I don’t know, I think Brady and I are pretty old school in the way we think, but if we were on the Leafs, we probably wouldn’t have lasted that game without being in a scrum after every whistle,” Tkachuk added. “Nobody’s coming out of that game without at least a hit or a little jab. There would’ve been a scrum after every whistle.”
Matthew Tkachuk has been known to drop the gloves when needed. He has done so against the Tampa Bay Lightning and in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. The fighting may run in the family, though. Matthew and Brady's father, Keith, was also known for fighting when needed. He notoriously broke the nose of Claude Lemieux in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in support of his teammates.
Regardless, the Tkachuk brothers have made clear where they stand. If you mess with one of their teammates, you are going to feel it from them.
