Ice Hockey
Auston Matthews Becomes Fastest Maple Leafs’ Player to Score 500 Points
by privatebet.com - 2023/01/04
Auston Matthews became one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ key players since joining them over five years ago, and he’s still on top of his game. Matthews scored his 500th point with the Leafs on Tuesday, becoming the fastest player in the team's history to do so. The 25-year-old played his 445th game with the club on Tuesday, but his amazing performance wasn’t enough to stop the Leafs from narrowly losing to the St. Louis Blues. It was still a night to remember for Matthews, who scored one goal and assisted on William Nylander’s goal for the 500th and 501st points of his career. Matthews joined Toronto in 2016, after being selected first overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first American player to be picked with the top selection in almost a decade. He’s now the fastest player in Maple Leafs' history to reach the 500-point milestone, breaking the record held by Mats Sundin and Rick Vaive, who both did it in 495 games. “I think there’s definitely some special meaning behind it, just with the history of this organization, the players that have come and worn this jersey before us. I’ve been fortunate every year to play with some great players, have a great team around us, so it definitely means a lot,” said Matthews post-game.