Auston Matthews pokes fun at new linemate Tyler Bertuzzi over his unique equipment quirks
Two weeks ago, Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi became the talk of the town after fans and media began to notice some unique quirks involving his equipment - most notably that he does not use any tape on the knob of his sticks and that he wears his skates "tongues out".
Bertuzzi has become popular among his new teammates rather quickly and one of those teammates, Auston Matthews, joined the TSN OverDrive crew on Tuesday and touched on Bertuzzi's unique style. It's certainly clear that Bertuzzi's style isn't as popular among his teammates as he is as a member of the Leafs' locker room.
"Once you get to know him, you realize that's just him and it's not like a show... At first, when I was looking at his setup, I couldn't understand how he could function out there in any sort of capacity, but it works for him and he's been a lot of fun to be around and get to know and obviously play with. He's an incredible player... If I had to use his gear for like a practice or a game, I don't think I could function out there." - Matthews on Bertuzzi's unorthodox style
Obviously, with the skill that Matthews possesses, it's clear that he knows and understands what type of an advantage that certain gear can give a player. For him to acknowledge how difficult it must be for Bertuzzi to play with the setup that he does, it gives you a whole new appreciation for Bertuzzi as a player. It sort of does make you wonder, though... If Bertuzzi was to equip himself like many other NHL stars do, how much better would he actually play?
Bertuzzi met with the media during a pre-season intermission last week and revealed that it's a comfort thing for him and that it's never been brought into question before, which sort of goes to show you just what type of a microscope players are under in Toronto. Nobody had noticed these details during his previous 7 seasons in the league, but it was picked up on in Toronto before a single regular season game has even been played.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 11 | 71 ANSWERS Auston Matthews pokes fun at new linemate Tyler Bertuzzi over his unique equipment quirks What do you think of Bertuzzi's unique equipment quirks? | ||
| Love it! | 17 | 23.9 % |
| Hey man, it's his life and his career | 48 | 67.6 % |
| Don't like it | 2 | 2.8 % |
| I'm just surprised he can play like that | 4 | 5.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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