
SAN JOSE -- Auston Matthews didn’t win 2019 NHL All-Star MVP honors, but he won over Sharks fans simply by wearing a jersey.
Those same fans will like what the Toronto Maple Leafs star plans to do with the Patrick Marleau No. 12 sweater that he donned during Friday’s NHL All-Star Skills Competition at SAP Center.
“I got the Sharks guys to sign it,” Matthews said Saturday at the NHL All-Star Game, “and I think we're going to auction it off for the Leafs Foundation and raise some money.”
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Those “Sharks guys” are Erik Karlsson, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns, who posed for a picture with Matthews on the ice while he wore the Marleau sweater. Marleau spent 19 years in San Jose and perhaps is the most beloved figure in franchise history, despite leaving for Toronto two years ago.
Matthews’ decision to recognize Marleau, who didn’t make the NHL All-Star roster, in such fitting fashion made memories for both the Leafs star and the fans in attendance.
“I was expecting some sort of reception, but nothing like that,” Matthews said of the roaring ovation the SAP crowd gave him after he pulled off his No. 34 jersey to reveal Marleau’s No. 12. “And like I said yesterday, it really struck me inside, and I got so nervous for the accuracy shooting that I just butchered the whole thing.
“I think that's also a testament to just Patty himself, and what the people and fans think of him here, and all that he brought for this organization and this city. … It was a pretty special moment to be a part of.”
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Maybe that autographed Marleau jersey will become a special memento for a lucky Sharks fan, too.