At this stage of our existence, it&#8217;s rare to see something unprecedented, but Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews entered a truly bizarre interaction during Wednesday&#8217;s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Matthews and Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins both lost their sticks during a frantic exchange. Merzlikins took Matthews&#8217; stick, and Matthews responded by taking Merzlikins&#8217; stick in return. Both players received two-minute minors for the infraction, as you cannot play with an opponent&#8217;s stick in any capacity, although you can take your own teammate&#8217;s stick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Auston Matthews and Elvis Merzlikens both lost their sticks, Elvis took AM34&#39;s so Auston picked up the goalie stick 😭
Both got two minutes for swapping sticks <a href="https://t.co/s7pN1ac1YG">pic.twitter.com/s7pN1ac1YG</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1882234329725649047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;He took my stick out of my hand. So I just saw his stick and decided to play with his for a second,” Matthews said post-game. “I gotta read the rulebook, I guess.&#8221;
It was a strange game overall, as the Maple Leafs were largely the better team in a 5-1 loss, but were ultimately let down by poor goaltending and a few mishaps off the rush.
The image of Matthews holding a goalie stick was certainly strange, but he dropped the stick after two seconds, the play was whistled for the mutual penalties, and Matthews appeared to protest the decision.
&#8220;That was a weird exchange, I’ll tell you that. He had the goalie’s stick for about two seconds. Don’t think I’ve seen that,&#8221; Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said post-game.
Matthews scored Toronto&#8217;s lone goal of the game, working his way to the net, while William Nylander waited out the Blue Jackets&#8217; defence and fired a well-timed pass to the front of the net. Nylander and Matthews were the Maple Leafs&#8217; best players by some distance, and this game ultimately may be remembered for this bizarre exchange, along with Ryan Reaves getting into his first fight of the year.
Matthews appeared to be disappointed with the home crowd&#8217;s response.
&#8220;You love to see that. I would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that. I thought it was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it.&#8221;
Toronto resumes its schedule Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
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At this stage of our existence, it's rare to see something unprecedented, but Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews entered a truly bizarre interaction during Wednesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Matthews and Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins both lost their sticks during a frantic exchange. Merzlikins took Matthews' stick, and Matthews responded by taking Merzlikins' stick in return. Both players received two-minute minors for the infraction, as you cannot play with an opponent's stick in any capacity, although you can take your own teammate's stick.

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1882234329725649047

"He took my stick out of my hand. So I just saw his stick and decided to play with his for a second,” Matthews said post-game. “I gotta read the rulebook, I guess."

It was a strange game overall, as the Maple Leafs were largely the better team in a 5-1 loss, but were ultimately let down by poor goaltending and a few mishaps off the rush.

The image of Matthews holding a goalie stick was certainly strange, but he dropped the stick after two seconds, the play was whistled for the mutual penalties, and Matthews appeared to protest the decision.

"That was a weird exchange, I’ll tell you that. He had the goalie’s stick for about two seconds. Don’t think I’ve seen that," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said post-game.

Matthews scored Toronto's lone goal of the game, working his way to the net, while William Nylander waited out the Blue Jackets' defence and fired a well-timed pass to the front of the net. Nylander and Matthews were the Maple Leafs' best players by some distance, and this game ultimately may be remembered for this bizarre exchange, along with Ryan Reaves getting into his first fight of the year.

Matthews appeared to be disappointed with the home crowd's response.

"You love to see that. I would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that. I thought it was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it."

Toronto resumes its schedule Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

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