Steven Stamkos Finally Breaks His Silence And Explains Why He Fought Auston Matthews

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S. Harper
June 6, 2023 (8:56)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally overcome their longstanding struggles, progressing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This achievement came after they ousted the Tampa Bay Lightning in a six-game series.

With the series concluded and both teams on hiatus until next season, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos appeared on the "Clearing The Crease Podcast."

On the podcast, Stamkos discussed the infamous Auston Matthews incident with hosts James Cybulski, Andrew Raycroft, and Mike Commodore, shedding light on what sparked his need to drop the gloves with "Papi."

Stamkos Tells All

Stamkos revealed,

"We saw Brayden Point go head-first into the board. He was moaning and screaming, it seemed like a dangerous hit. A response was necessary. Kuch (Nikita Kucherov) and I got in there. At that point, I considered it a dirty play. I hadn't had a chance to watch the replay and understand that it was just a tough-luck situation."

"It looked like he was probably done. Then, a little skirmish broke out, and I thought 'enough of this, I'm just going to grab Matthews and see what happens.' I mean, he's their best player, and one of our top players had just been slammed into the boards. Let's just start throwing rabbit punches and see what happens.

It wasn't anything personal against Auston Matthews, other than that he was right there and he's their top player. It just sort of happened," he added.

Papi Can Fight!

I believe many would agree that we never anticipated a face-off between Stamkos and Matthews. However, we're thrilled it happened because it turned out to be quite epic.

Credit Maple Leafs Daily:
Steven Stamkos finally breaks his silence and explains why he jumped Auston Matthews in Game 3