Arriving on a wave of expectations as the No. 1 overall pick, Matthews had climbed to the top of the draft board on the power of his elite offensive skillset and a knack for goal-scoring that separated him from his peers. As his rookie season approached, his new teammates knew there was something different about the new kid.

ZACH HYMAN, teammate 2016-2021: Going into that camp, I think there was a lot of excitement about the young core, kind of a turning of the page from the year past, where obviously the team finished in last and got the first-overall pick, and now there’s all this excitement — and Auston was at the front of all of that.

JIM HILLER, Maple Leafs assistant coach 2015-2019: It was a really exciting time for the franchise — for everybody, not just Auston. Mitch [Marner] was in there, and Willy was in there, and Hyman, and all these fresh faces. So, I just think there was a lot of energy for us.

CONNOR BROWN, teammate 2016-2019: There was a lot of excitement overall …  I think we had nine rookies that year. … The energy was very high, everyone was so excited to not only be starting the season but to be in the NHL. It was a great time.

MATT MARTIN, teammate 2016-2018: He was pro-ready from the get-go. … He was every bit as advertised, from the first day I met him, and just mature beyond his years. You could tell he had all the qualities of being a leader of the hockey team, the captain of the team, even as a young kid.

HYMAN: With the first-overall pick comes a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations, and I think right from the start, you knew that there was something different and special about Auston — the way he moved, the way he shot the puck.

D.J. SMITH, Maple Leafs assistant coach 2015-2019: Just him coming in, his demeanour, he was a quiet kid. He didn’t come in with this, you know, ‘I’ve arrived’ kind of [attitude]. He kind of let his game do the talking.

As Matthews and the Maple Leafs hit the ice in Ottawa to open the season, all eyes were on No. 34 in blue and white. That the Battle of Ontario was the very first game on the NHL calendar to open up the 2016-17 campaign made the moment even bigger.

AUSTON MATTHEWS: There was excitement, there was nervousness, butterflies, all that. I think for myself, I was just trying to be in the moment and be excited. I think every kid who plays hockey, the dream and the goal is to make it to the NHL. That was the start of my journey, and it was really exciting. I think you feel a lot of different emotions, especially playing your first game, but I just tried to be as level-headed as possible and go out there and remember it’s a game I’ve been playing my whole life and just go have fun.

CRAIG ANDERSON, Ottawa Senators goalie 2011-2020: We had [Marc] Crawford as our [associate]coach, and he had Auston in Europe [with the ZSC Lions in 2015-16]. So, we were warned. We were pre-warned… and it didn’t matter. [Laughs.]

It took Matthews less than half a period to make his mark, scoring the first goal of his career — and the first goal of the 2016-17 NHL season — less than nine minutes into the first period. Skating down the middle of the Senators’ zone towards the net, Matthews received a pass from William Nylander, but a backchecking Derick Brassard lifted his stick to foil his shot attempt. Undeterred, Matthews instead swiped a pass to a net-front Nylander, whose one-timer went wide and hit the side of the net. Hyman swooped in, scooped it up, and looped behind the net before sending a backhander towards the net-front fray, where Matthews pounced. This time, he didn’t miss.

HYMAN: We were in the o-zone for a little bit. Willy cycled it to me, I was kind of behind the net and threw a puck out on my backhand. Auston’s really good at finding the puck in that space — and he found it.

MATTHEWS: It was really chaotic. I had a chance right before, and [Brassard’s] stick lifted me from behind. And then Hyman made a really nice play, recovered the puck, and then I was just in front, tried to get it off as quickly as possible.

HYMAN: I remember just being super excited for him. We all kind of jumped on him in the corner. It was fun. It was cool to be a part of his first goal.

WILLIAM NYLANDER, teammate 2016-present: It was just awesome. I mean, first game, first period, scoring — pretty awesome.

MATTHEWS: I think it’s just, like, an overwhelming feeling of joy, just happiness. Because you want to be in the NHL, you want to score. It’s almost like, a little bit of a monkey off your back as well, just because you almost just get it out of the way and you score it and that’s obviously an awesome moment, but then it’s like you don’t really have to think about it anymore.

Two minutes after Matthews got on the board, the Senators responded with a pair of goals, as Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlsson put the home team on top. That’s when the magic really started. After declaring his arrival with his first NHL goal, Matthews’ second made a serious statement.

Upon taming the puck at the Senators’ blue line, Matthews slipped it between Mark Stone’s feet, then did the same to Mike Hoffman before flipping the puck into the Senators’ zone. Before Karlsson could control it along the boards, Matthews picked the rearguard’s pocket and headed to the net, where he snapped it past Anderson, five-hole, to tie the game.

MATTHEWS: I think that goal, especially, maybe encapsulates the game I want to play. Obviously, I think everybody now has so much speed and so much skill and can do so many things, but I think at times, too, there’s not a lot of space out there, and making little plays, or lifting guys’ sticks and creating turnovers, and getting the puck, and trying to go back the other way, I feel like that’s a big part of my game and what gives me success. And I think that goal just encapsulates that — just staying on pucks, trying to win battles, and attack the net when you have the opportunity.

ANDERSON: I was kind of already anticipating having to push across the crease, and as soon as you put that left knee down, it opens that little triangle up — which the elite guys can hit their spot and read that. … The average player’s just not going to be able to hit that spot, at speed, with defenders. … it’s just another level of the elite skill, versus just really good skill.

MARTIN: Erik Karlsson, one hell of a hockey player. And obviously in the NHL, there’s a lot of unbelievable hockey players, and the way [Matthews] can make it look so easy at times — especially at that point, in your first game.

KYLE TURRIS, Ottawa Senators forward 2011-2017: I remember thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know how he scored from that angle.’ [Laughs.]

HILLER: At that time, a lot of people weren’t going strong-hand five-hole like he did. … That was the one that really sticks out to me.

BROWN: That was the goal where I was kind of like, ‘Wow, this guy is able to do things that I’ve never seen before.’ Not just how much skill, but the type of skill that he had.

FREDERIK ANDERSEN, teammate 2016-2021: I think he was one of the early [adopters]of the newer style shot, where you kind of use a little more of the lower flex of the stick. … I think he was definitely using that, and having a quicker release because of that.

BROWN: A lot of guys gotta get the puck, set the puck, shoot the puck — he’s able to do everything in one motion. He can shoot off his right foot, his left foot, he can pull it in, he can push it out — it’s all so fluid, and it makes the release so hard to pick up, I think, for the goalie. I think that’s what makes him such an effective shooter — that, with the shot velocity that he has.

By the end of the first period, the game was tied 2-2 and had all the makings of a barn-burner.

MATTHEWS: There was a lot of excitement, it was a very back-and-forth hockey game. I remember, going into the second period, I think it was [Leafs centre] Tyler Bozak, he said something funny, just along the lines of like, ‘Don’t stop now! Keep going!’

And he did. Just 85 seconds into the second period, Morgan Rielly carried the puck into Ottawa’s zone and found Matthews, with space, near the right face-off dot. As the defenceman skated towards the net, he teed up his teammate for a wrister to regain the lead.

MARTIN: I always say this about Auston — like, he smells blood and if he gets one, he’s coming for two, he’s coming for three. Like, he just has this lion-like personality to him.

TURRIS: I remember looking up at the scoreboard after the goal, because I was on the bench, and thinking to myself, like, ‘Was this that kid again?’ … This is kind of like a movie.

ANDERSON: I think there was frustration in the moment — because he’s a rookie, because the hype’s there, and then he goes and does that. And all you can do, at the end of the day, is laugh about it because you weren’t really expecting — a rookie’s not supposed to do that, you know? [Laughs.]

Matthews’ hat-trick goal made him just the fourth player in NHL history to register a hat trick in his debut. For Matthews, the celebration was as memorable as the goal itself.

MATTHEWS: Yeah, I remember [Rielly] yelling at me and I was yelling right back at him, in his face. [Laughs.]

MORGAN RIELLY, teammate 2016-present: I do remember that, yeah. … Because, it was a close game, too, and the first game of the year, so emotions are high to begin with. I might not have even known it was a hat-trick goal in that exact moment, but it’s just like, an exciting night — first game, in Ottawa. It was just a lot of fun.

MATTHEWS: I remember that moment with Mo, because, I mean, he’s always been my guy, but especially my first year, my first couple years, we spent so much time together and I feel like he just kind of took me under his wing, he took such good care of me, especially in my first couple years, just trying to find your footing and just get acquainted with life in the NHL as a teenager and as a kid. So, that was a really special moment, too, just because he’s one of my closest friends today but I knew back then how close we already were, so [to have]that moment, it was obviously really special.

The mood around the arena matched that outburst of emotion as disbelief rippled around the rink.

MARTIN: Obviously, Ottawa fans and Leafs fans don’t get along too well, but I think there was also just like, a little bit of shock and awe, and a little bit of appreciation for what everyone was seeing.

SMITH: At that point, it was heavy Leafs, probably 60-40 Leafs fans. But even an Ottawa fan, to watch a kid in his first-ever game do something like that, you’re just a sports fan, you’re a hockey fan. And you know you’re watching something special.

MARTIN: It’s hard not to root for a teenager coming into the league and dominating — and that’s what Matty did.

HILLER: It was just excitement. It was in Ottawa, so we had a lot of Leafs fans there. I remember Auston’s mom and dad there. Like it was, just, everybody was kind of pulled out of their seat.

MARTIN: It becomes a little joyful, right? Those are the types of moments in sports, I think, [where]you’re hoping to capture something special and amazing, right? And that was. So, the people that were in the building that night, you know, that’s a memory. That’s something you never forget. It’s something I’ll never forget. … regardless of who’s putting on the performance, it’s obviously special to be there for.

ANDERSON: As a player, you relish those moments, playing that game with the banter in the stands and the fanfare. It brings a great energy.

NYLANDER: I just remember it being a lot of fun.

MATTHEWS: I remember seeing pictures, going through the line [of teammates on the bench], just how excited and joyful and how happy that they were for me.

ANDERSEN: Everyone probably would have been happy with just one [goal], but obviously you get the second one, and then a hat trick to make it a crazy debut. And then, of course — I think that was the feeling I had, was like, ‘Oh, of course he’s going to get one more now.’

And, of course, he did. As the second period wound down following Brassard’s marker to tie the game 3-3, Matthews struck again with a mere three seconds remaining in the frame.

ANDERSON: Everybody gets super hyper-focused on the guy then, and sometimes that makes it worse. It’s hard to explain, like, sometimes when you’re like, ‘Don’t score! Don’t score! Don’t score!’ And then what happens, is, the guy scores.

Matthews’ fourth goal of the night saw him stride into Ottawa’s zone with Nylander to his right and make history.

MATTHEWS: Willy and I went on a 2-on-1, and he made a perfect pass to me.

HILLER: The two-on-one, Willy’s pass, got him on the back post. There’s two guys who’ve had a lot of success.

ANDERSON: I even felt like I cheated towards the pass and got there — I just didn’t stop it. And that’s just one of those things where, it was meant to be for him. It was just kind of meant to happen the way it was supposed to happen, and all you can do is kind of smile and chuckle that you were a part of it.

Matthews’ fourth goal of the game made him the first rookie in the modern NHL to score four goals in his league debut.

MARTIN: Like, the rest of us, we score one goal, guys like myself, I’m pretty happy. [Laughs.]

NYLANDER: It was all just kind of, I don’t know, in shock, maybe. Nobody ever expects anybody to go out and score four goals — let alone, to do it in the first game of their career, is just wild.

MARTIN: To put up four goals in your first game, and just kind of say, ‘I’m here, I’ve arrived, and I am who everyone said I was,’ it’s pretty incredible. And just his demeanor and the way he even went about it — like, no crazy celebration, nothing like that. It’s like he just expects to score goals. And he knew, from the beginning, like, ‘This is what I’m here for and this is what I do best.’

ANDERSON: And that’s what’s awesome about when you play those types of players — they can just elevate the skill level, and obviously the finish. When you haven’t seen a guy, you don’t get to learn tendencies, there’s no book on him yet. And I think for him, with me, I don’t think there ever really was [a book]— I was never able really to figure him out. He seemed to always find a way to get a goal, every game that we played against him.

Even with a decade to digest it, there remains a sense of surreality about that night — an evening that suspended belief of what a rookie can do.

MARTIN: Ten years ago, and a lot transpired since then, but that’s obviously a game that you never forget. … it gives me the tingles, a little bit, just thinking about it.

NYLANDER: It’s crazy, it feels like it was just a couple years ago that it happened.

HYMAN: It was kind of one of those, ‘Oh my god’ moments. You hope to score in your first game, if you can, but he ended up getting four. … Obviously, that’s not normal — you know, even for him, it’s not normal. … It was little bit surreal.

ANDERSEN: He comes in with all these expectations, obviously the huge market, first pick, all that, and then comes in and delivers that type of performance. That’s crazy, right?

ANDERSON: It’s one of those things, you just kind of look up and you go, ‘Hey, at the end of the day, we made history.’

It was a dream debut… save for the final score. Despite Matthews’ historic goal-scoring success, the young Maple Leafs couldn’t maintain the lead they carried into the third period. Nearly seven minutes into the third, Kyle Turris tied the game 4-4. Then, in overtime, Turris bagged another one to give the Sens a 5-4 victory that dampened what was an otherwise momentous night for the Maple Leafs.

TURRIS: Any time you score an overtime-winning goal, it’s very exciting. But to do it in a home-opener to kick off the year and to do it against the Maple Leafs — we had a very strong dislike for them, so, yeah, it was definitely a little added emotion there.

HYMAN: It was bittersweet that we lost — obviously, it would’ve been great if we were able to win that game — but, cool moment to be a part of, for sure.

ANDERSEN: I think the unfortunate part [was]that we didn’t win it — especially, personally, as a goalie, you get judged and stuff a lot on wins and losses. At the end of the day, I think people were a little bit disappointed in the way that ended, but of course I think we were all just really amazed about a performance like that.

MATTHEWS: After the game, we didn’t win, but just, there were so many encouraging moments with guys.

ANDERSON: It was awesome to be a part of, and at the end of the day, you can always say you won the game. [Laughs.]

Anderson walked away with the victory, and embraced his role in the rookie’s historic night with a signed stick — just for good measure. 

ANDERSON: I remember having a conversation, I think it was with my agent — we talked after the game — and he was like, ‘You should get a stick signed or something from that game — that was epic, that will never happen again. You were part of that. And the greatest thing about it, is you guys ended up winning anyway.’ So, the next day, I grabbed my goalie stick that I used for that game, I set it aside with the equipment guys and I said, ‘All right, next time he’s here, let’s get the stick signed.’

MATTHEWS: I think Bobby Hastings, our equipment manager, actually came up with [the message]. He wanted something funny or something, and I didn’t have much for him, and we [wrote]‘Thanks four making my first game really special,’ or something like that, and wrote ‘four’ out, like, F-O-U-R.

Matthews’ debut performance wrote his name into the history books, and it also authored the first of many chapters of his now decade-long career with the Maple Leafs — and forever changed the trajectory of the team.

BROWN: It just was obviously a game-changer for the organization and for the city. I mean, it was such a fun time to be [in Toronto]. That was one of my favourite years in the NHL, was my rookie season.

SMITH: For him to do what he did that night, I was like, ‘Wow.’ … I’m thinking to myself, ‘We’re probably gonna be a lot better than what we thought we’d be.’

RIELLY: He kind of established who he was, to a certain degree, so quickly. … We kind of treated him like a veteran, just the idea that you knew what to expect from him.

MARTIN: He’s definitely the most gifted goal-scorer I’ve ever played with. It really was a treat to watch and to get to know him … He’s every bit as advertised.

ANDERSON: The league’s got 700 unbelievable players, but there is the one per cent of the league that’s just on another level when there’s time and space.

ANDERSEN: Obviously, he’s lived up to all those expectations ever since. That’s just the type of player he is.

HYMAN: He’s turning into, arguably, the greatest Leaf of all-time, with his scoring, et cetera. I think he set the foundation and the belief, for the fans to believe in the team again, and he’s gone on to back up that four-goal game. It wasn’t just a one-off. He was able to continue on, but in the moment, it was fun to watch, fun to be a part of.

NYLANDER: I think for sure when we’re all done playing, [that game]will be something we’ll talk about.

HILLER: He came in the league with those abilities, but you know, first overall, you’re always talked about as a scorer, as an offensive producer. And I think what he’s done — and I think it’s been well-documented — is he’s just really rounded out his game. He’s a hard guy to play against — and he can still put the puck in the net.