Todd: Auston Matthews-Jean Béliveau comparison a bridge (way) too far

Montreal Gazette

26-05-2025

Montreal Canadiens
Anyone who talks for a living — a TV sports host, say — is going to say foolish things from time to time.
Anyone who writes for a living — a newspaper sports columnist, say — is going to write foolish things from time to time. The best you can do is to keep the imbecilic comments to a minimum.
Unless, that is, you're Ron MacLean. By now, we're accustomed to MacLean's Postcards from the Land of the Gormless. Most vanish into the ether like an inert gas, unnoticed and unseen.
But when Auston Matthews actually scored a goal in Game 6 of the Leafs-Panthers series (wow!) MacLean reached deep into that vat of tapioca pudding that passes for a brain ... And compared Captain Peaheart with Jean Béliveau.
Yes, that Jean Béliveau. The man who won 10 Stanley Cups as a player and seven as an executive. Who won 24 playoff series in an era when teams played at most two or three series a year. Whose goals-per-game production actually went up in the playoffs, where the Leafs captain's goal production falls off a cliff this time of year.
Béliveau was a prince among men. A man who lived most of his adult life in the same modest home in Longueuil, who answered every fan letter he ever received and signed every autograph he was asked to sign.
Béliveau was, and is, the most respected individual in the history of the game. As an alleged student of hockey, MacLean ought to know that much.
Matthews? He's an outstanding regular-season goal-scorer. That's it, that's all. When his team fell apart in Game 7 against Florida, Matthews demonstrated his 'leadership' by throwing his teammates into the bus. 'We had too many passengers,' Matthews told the world. Yes, Auston, you did. Starting with the captain, No. 34.
Imagine Le Gros Bill pulling a stunt like that? You can't, because it wouldn't happen.
Look, MacLean babbles. He can't help himself. His prattle — by turns vapid, disconnected, nonsensical, spineless, harebrained and often downright daft — is the broadcasting equivalent of tinnitus. After a while, you get used to that empty ringing in your ears.
This time, he managed to insult the game, the Canadiens and the province of Quebec with one featherbrained comment.
Here, for Ron's sake, are the Matthews numbers that matter:
Nine seasons. Two series wins. Zero Stanley Cups. Zero Stanley Cup finals. Zero conference finals.
Zero, period.
Whoa, un 'ti-minute! To all those who were ready to trade Samuel Montembeault and hand his job to Jacob Fowler right out of Boston College, you might want to hold your horses.
Fowler struggled in the series against the Rochester Americans, giving up four goals on 14 shots in Game 4 before he was replaced by Cayden Primeau.
On Sunday evening, Primeau closed out the series in style with a 5-0 victory, an exclamation point on a stint in Laval that has reset his career. Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent was lavish with the praise he heaped on his goalie, with reason.
Fowler will be fine. Unless your name is Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy, it's unlikely you're going to star in your first playoff appearance in the pros. It takes time.
Primeau, meanwhile, is an interesting case. He posted a 1.96 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 26 games with Laval after being sent down, and his playoff numbers are almost identical: a 2.03 GAA, a .924 save percentage.
Primeau is eligible to become a restricted free agent. He turns 26 in August. Some NHL team will have a place for him and the percentage move is to let him go. But to Primeau's credit, he has turned a slam-dunk move into a tough decision.
And thanks in part to Primeau, the Rocket will be playing into June.
Lies, rumours &&&& vicious innuendo: I would have paid to be on the plane with the Canadian and Danish hockey teams after Denmark eliminated Canada from the worlds. Had to be some world-class chirping going on. That's a Hunter S. Thompson piece, writing itself. …
Did Matthew Tkachuk absolutely have to assault Sebastian Aho with the Panthers grinding the Canes to dust in the conference final? Does this garbage have to be part of every NHL postseason? …
More than 50 games into the season and US$500 million for the Blue Jays to sign him, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has numbers you'd expect of a utility infielder — a .276 batting average, seven home runs, 23 RBIs. …
They should play O Canada before every NBA playoff game. All-defence first-teamer Lu Dort of Montreal and Hamilton MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anchor Oklahoma City. SGA's cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is battling the Thunder for the Timberwolves, while Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin and Aurora, Ont., native Andrew Nembhard check in with the Pacers.
Heroes: Cayden Primeau, Pascal Vincent, David Reinbacher, Joshua Roy, Florian Xhekaj, Sidney Crosby, Marc-André Fleury, Rafa Nadal, Luguentz Dort, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard &&&& last but not least, Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA MVP.
Zeros: Ron MacLean, Auston Matthews, Brendan Shanahan, Kyle Dubas, Matt Tkachuk, Doug Cifu, Vincent Viola, Tom Dundon, Evangelos Marinakis, Wayne Gretzky, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and forever.