A day after Mitch Marner's highly anticipated return to Toronto, the Maple Leafs captain shared his thoughts on the ordeal.
"I thought it was fun," Auston Matthews told reporters Saturday, after Toronto's 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.
Both Matthews and his old pal Marner were held off the scoresheet.
Marner's return came with a variety of reactions from the Toronto crowd, which booed when he touched the puck, but was mostly cheerful during the first period tribute.
“It was nice that there were some cheers for him during the video tribute," said Matthews. "I think it was kinda done the right way.
"There’s gonna be the boos when he’s on the ice and has the puck and all that stuff, I think it’s pretty expected … I thought it was a good atmosphere."
The Leaf captain did not speak to the media ahead of Friday's game or immediately after, to the chagrin of some Toronto observers.
Matthews and the Maple Leafs will look to end their three-game skid Sunday afternoon against the league-best Colorado Avalanche. Joseph Woll is set to start for Toronto, per coach Craig Berube.
