Sidney Crosby Offers Critical Piece of Advice to Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews Ahead of Saturday's Game

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Chris Gerics
October 12, 2024 (4:40 PM)

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One of the greatest to ever play the game, Sidney Crosby offered some veteran advice to Auston Matthews ahead of their game, and it's short but gets his point across.

Since Sidney Crosby came into the league in 2005-2006 he has been everything as advertised and then more. Gifted with generational talent, Crosby has excited fans all across the world and is one of the greatest to ever play the sport. A two-time Hart Trophy winner, two-time Art Ross trophy winner as well as winning three Stanley Cups, Crosby has shown the world why there was so much hype around him since he was a young boy.

With all that experience comes a lot of added wisdom, and ahead of the Penguins' game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, Crosby offered another generational talent, Auston Matthews some practical advice:

«I think it's just important to be yourself." Crosby stated

Crosby had nothing but praise for the new Maple Leafs captain, understanding the pressures that come with that title and how he can get over any mental roadblocks:

«Here, everything is magnified that much more. There's always pressure being a captain, but here, I think you just got to be yourself. There's going to be lots of experiences to learn from.

«No matter how long you've done it or where you are, you're always learning. Don't put too much pressure on yourself.»

Will Auston Matthews Take Sidney Crosby's Advice?

It's something Crosby needed to learn early, being named captain of the Penguins in his third season and taking the role in stride, leading the Penguins to the first of three Stanley Cups under Crosby's leadership. The Maple Leafs will hope Matthews can do the same, and while the league's greatest goal-scorer has yet to find the back of the net this season, he's not worried about it and is focused on just playing each game the right way:

«I thought those two games were really good (from a team perspective),» Matthews said. «We checked well, we didn't give up much, and we're creating chances.

«Those chances will start to fall, start to go in, as we continue to build more chemistry, get more acclimated to the way we want to play and on a more consistent basis.

«I think we're happy with where we're at right now.»

It seems Matthews is taking it all in stride and understands the season is young with ample opportunities to score. Speaking of, Matthews is on the cusp of Maple Leafs history, being only 52 goals away from breaking Mats Sundin's franchise record for goals. It wasn't the back-to-back hat tricks he started the season with a year ago, but Matthews has looked sharp so far and been extremely close to potting a goal, hitting several posts in the first two games.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs will get a chance to get their Core Four (well, three for tonight) on the scoresheet and start a chain reaction leading to a huge increase in production as they take on Crosby and the Penguins at 7 PM ET as Toronto celebrates its home opener.