Get to know a little more about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ renaissance man.
For all of the deeply deserved praise Auston Matthews gets for his incredible on-ice prowess with the Toronto Maple Leafs – having near single-handedly transformed the team into a perennial playoff contender thanks to his goal-scoring prowess – his off-ice goings-on have proven to be just as interesting – maybe more so.
Since being drafted into the NHL with the first overall pick in 2016, Matthews has established himself as a bit of an NHL renaissance man. He’s frequently cited as one of the league’s best-dressed players, an avid golfer, and even a #dogdad who he’s all too willing to share with his 693,000 followers on Instagram.
Not too bad for a kid from Los Angeles who grew up in Scottsdale before being drafted to the Mecca of Hockey at the tender age of 18 after a year playing for Zurich in Sweeden.
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While some may be turned off by Matthews’ flashy, decidedly non-hockey hockey stylings, dressing more like an NBA player with a closet filled with Gucci, Off-White, and limited edition Nike Collabs, the 23-year-old is clearly doing something right, as he’s rapidly become one of the league most popular players among Millennial and even Gen Z fans.
He’s also, for what it’s worth, been acknowledged for his unique stylings by none other than GQ, a former men’s magazine that has rapidly developed into a harbinger of all things cool in the new millennium, especially under new Editor-in-Cheif Will Welch, who took over the reins from Jim Nelson in 2019.
Since that fateful day in June of 2016, Matthews has been profiled by the publication once in 2018 and was called upon yet again for a pair of digital videos first to break down hockey scenes from movies, and again just after Christmas to discuss the ’10 things he can’t live without’ for GQ Sport.
What? You haven’t seen the second one yet? You, my friend, are in for a treat.
In the video, initially published on December 28th, Matthews breaks down, well, the 10 things he can’t live without – from limited edition Air Force 1s to his “Papi 34” hockey stick – which he apparently uses every day, even during the offseason – and even his preferred Dove deodorant spray, which is technically for women, but he likes the smell.
At one point, Matthews even shows off a single Nintendo Switch joy-con, which is particularly confusing when you consider the vast majority of the system’s games require both a left and a right joy-con to be played. Is Matthews a huge fan of Mario Kart, or using the system to sim old SNES games? Gosh, why didn’t someone follow up on that one?
Is this video essential viewing material for all fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, let alone the NHL as a whole? Goodness no. To some, it will surely only make their hatred of the mustachioed goal scorer grow even stronger. But with the 2020-21 NHL season officially back on the books for a mid-January return, why not get a little extra excited by seeing what kinds of things do the same for Auston Matthews? While I can’t personally afford to drop *gulp* $1,500 on a pair of size 11 off-white Air Force 1s – especially since I’m more of an Adidas man – I did pick up Matthews’ preferred deodorant of choice, and I can attest with complete journalistic transparency that it does, in fact, smell good – even if it’s primarily marketed for women.