Toronto Maple Leafs fans received tough news as Auston Matthews is sidelined for the season after a controversial hit by Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks. The incident has sparked a flurry of reactions from analysts, agents, players, and Matthews' teammates. Now, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are adding their voices to the conversation on their podcast, "Wingmen with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk."
Matthew Tkachuk didn't mince words about the importance of standing up for teammates. “When your captain or best player goes down, there needs to be a response.
Sure, not every clean hit requires a fight, but if something dirty happens or a player gets injured, you have to address it immediately,” he shared. “In those moments, it's about more than just points in the standings.
Protecting your teammate takes precedence.”
Despite the Leafs' distant playoff hopes, Tkachuk emphasized the need for solidarity on the ice. “Brady and I might be a bit old school, but if we were on the Leafs, we wouldn't have left that game without getting into scrums after every whistle,” Tkachuk added.
“Everyone would leave with at least a hit or a jab. There would’ve been a scrum after every whistle.”
Matthew's willingness to drop the gloves is well-documented, having faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning and during the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. It seems fighting spirit runs in the Tkachuk family. Their father, Keith, was known for stepping up when necessary, famously breaking Claude Lemieux's nose in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey to defend a teammate.
The Tkachuk brothers have made their stance clear: mess with one of their own, and you'll have to answer to them.