from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,

The hockey world, it seems, just wants Auston Matthews to react.

React to those who seek to knock him off his game. React emotionally to stressful hockey situations like painful playoff losses. React to his coach criticizing the team’s stars. React to widespread speculation over his uncertain future as one of the finest athletes ever to play for the Maple Leafs.

To all of this, Matthews has chosen to keep his own counsel. And smile.

And that is driving people a little crazy.

Long-time NHLer Mike Rupp, now a broadcaster with the NHL Network, spoke for many hockey traditionalists last week when he berated Matthews for his response to being challenged by Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers. Konecny desperately tried to goad Matthews into a fight in the dying moments of a game already won easily by the Leafs. Matthews seemed to stand back and smirk at Konecny while his teammates jumped in and pummelled the Flyers pest.

“You can’t just stand there and be OK with your teammates coming to your defence, and you just laugh about it,” fumed Rupp. “We’ve seen this movie. I’ve seen this time and time again with Auston. Playing the cool card doesn’t work, it doesn’t float. It may look cool on social media, but in that locker room at some point it will wear thin.”

If Matthews was bothered by Rupp’s criticism, or snippy references to a similar incident in a playoff series against Montreal two years ago, or the social media hollering the incident incited, he didn’t show it.

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