Keefe reveals his message to Matthews during heartfelt bench moment
Toronto Maple Leafs' head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed his message to Auston Matthews during last night's heartfelt bench moment.
With 34 seconds left in the Leafs' game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Matthews returned to the bench, still with 69 goals, even after firing 12 shots on the Bolts' goal.
Coach Keefe came up to him and they spoke for a few seconds in what seemed like an emotional conversation at the time.
Take a look in the video below:
In his press conference following the 6-4 loss, Keefe revealed what he said to his star player at the bench.
Per Mark Masters:
"34 seconds on the clock. Tells me there's more great things to come for Auston & our team""
Matthews was clearly disappointed after failing to reach that impressive mark. Keefe showed a lot of leadership by talking to him immediately after his return to the bench.
Keefe's message shows that the coach believes in his player, and it was the right thing to do for his confidence, especially with the playoffs around the corner.
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![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531249.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531292.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
