And there was a sense of symmetry to the first North America goal of the World Cup of Hockey: Eichel from Matthews and Connor McDavid. And this isn’t pre-season NHL hockey played against defenceman who will be out of work in October. An NHL scout watched the first period and compared his young talent to the Leafs’ young talent. He said the maturity, the strength, the moxie, the vision, the puck-movement displayed by young Matthews is proof that the Leafs are finally doing things the right way. He’s large, he’s strong, he’s wide, he’s skilled, he’s relentless, and he’s seemingly ready to do what no Leaf player has done, maybe ever.

Source: National Post September 19, 2016 14:03 UTC