Auston Matthews' condition is in the hands of doctors. Radko Gudas' status is in the hands of the NHL's Player Safety Department after a nasty knee strike on the Toronto Maple Leafs captain. But what's not in the air is the reaction – or rather, the complete lack of it – that Matthews' teammates had to seeing their best player lying on the ice in pain.
On a night when we saw Connor McDavid drop the gloves after seeing a questionable throw on his teammate, none of the Leafs on the ice at the time of their captain's brutal Gudas take-down did anything. And the reaction from the hockey world is one of disbelief.
It was shocking to see...it was impossible not to pay attention. There were players on the ice who saw the hit and did nothing about it. It certainly seems that this year has broken the morale of that hockey team. ——Elliot Friedman, 32 thoughts
Disappointing for the group. This will be disappointing for many players. 'What if it were me?... Who would step up for me?' ——Former NHLer Cameron Guence, TSN analyst
You see your captain getting demolished on home ground by one of the most notorious players in Radko Gudas, and you do nothing... It says a lot about that team in that moment. There is no greater indictment than his behavior in not defending his captain on the ice. This said a lot about the sad state of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lack of care, lack of competition… ——Frank Seravalli, Frankly Hockey
Whether it's pee-wee hockey or, in this case, the best players on the planet, the undercurrent of accountability and doing what's right is always present. It is part of your DNA. it is comfortable. And I think that was the most disturbing thing about it. Whether you witnessed the incident or not... you can see your captain clutching his knees and writhing in pain. That, in itself, should have been an immediate reaction. And not just from one guy, but from all four guys on the ice. ——Darren Dreger, TSN First Up
A quick look at the QEW highway will give Leafs players an idea of how it's done. Just a few days ago the first place Buffalo Sabers showed what a real 'team' does when they see their captain go down by a terrible blow.
After the game, head coach Craig Berube, in a subdued manner, certainly seemed disappointed that his team did not make a move for Matthews.
"We should have had four guys over there do something about it," Berube said. "It didn't happen then, but I thought they answered in the third."
And granted, the Leafs came back from being down 3-2 at that point, scoring two goals on a five-minute power play and then played a courageous third period. Even fresh-faced 20-year-old rookie Easton Cowan hung up the gloves after making a big hit on Nick Robertson and going after the Ducks' Jackson LaCombe. Too little, too late, most would say.
Sure enough, they got a 6-4 win to snap an eight-game losing streak. But the damage was already done. You can't ignore what we all saw after that disgusting hit from Gudas on Matthews.
The ugly result of the Gudas/Matthews hit is a microcosm of what's wrong with this Leafs team
For now, we'll leave the final words to absolutely furious Leafs Morning Take co-host—and former Leafs player—Jay Rosehill (who was known for dropping the gloves on more than one occasion during his career):
If you want a nitty-gritty explanation of what's wrong with this team and why they've been lagging for a decade, it's right here. Zero reaction... To be successful in hockey, you must have a team-first mentality... This should be the foundation of your team.
This team watches their captain writhe in pain on the ice, and no one knows enough to do anything about it, doesn't care enough, doesn't have enough heart, isn't proud enough. Oh, 'I didn't see it.' Who gives a fuck! Your captain is on the ice holding his knee, and the dirtiest player in the league is recovering from a collision... This is the default: you go flying there and ask questions later!
No doubt, there will be a lot of questions asked about this team after that—existential questions.
