A Life in Hockey is the perfect Christmas gift for any Leafs fan

Auston Matthews: A Life in Hockey is the perfect Christmas gift for any Leafs fan

Auston Matthews is subject to life under the microscope as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s as recognizable as any public figure within the City of Toronto. A new book from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star details Matthews’ life and ascension to hockey stardom, while coming from an unconventional market.

I caught up with McGran, a friend and colleague on the Leafs’ beat. McGran has covered the Maple Leafs for the entirety of Matthews’ career, and we caught up after Friday’s practice to discuss Auston Matthews: A Life in Hockey.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

There were many things that were great about it, including behind-the-scenes details with characters like Uncle Boris. How did you get to know the behind-the-scenes characters in Auston’s life?

Well, I certainly could not have written the book without Boris’ help because Boris is sort of the most instrumental figure outside of Auston’s family, to have gotten him where he is. And Boris is a character. I guess I knew him from Auston’s rookie year because I’ve covered Auston every year, of course. Back then, you’re looking for stories. Why did this happen or that happen? And you come across Boris, who actually also coached Matthew Knies.

And when I was approached by Simon & Schuster for the book, I had to make sure Boris would talk. And then I knew I had the book because Boris, you know, the Ukrainian, through Mexico to Scottsdale, with the unique coaching style, it’s just one of those sliding door moments that fit into the whole theme of how a kid from Scottsdale, Arizona becomes the captain of the Maple Leafs.

Was that always the entry point for the book, to start with Auston’s life in Arizona, and how’s the great export of hockey’s western expansion in the United States?

The remarkable thing is that it’s from the movie Sliding Doors. You go through a door, you miss a train, you don’t miss a train, and how different your life can be. And all these little moments that led to Auston becoming a hockey player are all there.

And so it’s like the Jets have to move to Arizona. The family has to move to Scottsdale. Mom has to meet Dad, they have to learn Spanish to talk to Boris, who doesn’t speak English. There’s so many little things that happen along the way. Shaun White’s got to be sent by the Kings, and he loves Scottsdale, so he settles there and opens a rink or helps open a rink. There’s so many of these, these little things that happen. And when you look at the greatest hockey players in history, certainly the greatest Leafs in history, you’re all from northern climates with a hockey culture, a hockey ecosystem for kids, hockey on television, hockey everywhere, That’s Ovechkin, that’s Gretzky, that’s Gordie Howe, that’s Dave Keon. That’s all of them. Auston’s got none of that. He doesn’t even play minor hockey as a young age. He’s gotten none of that and he still has a chance to be the greatest Maple Leaf of all time.

What did you find fascinating about the research process, about a guy who’s such a public figure in this city?

Well, I mean, it certainly does help that it’s the Internet age and you can find information. And lots of people have been writing about him for a good, long time. Sarah McLellan, who now covers the Minnesota Wild, she had written some really nice stories about a 14-year-old Auston Matthews. So it’s fun to come across those kind of things in archives, and point out, here’s the origin story.

You wrote about a lot about his debut, the four-goal game. When did you know you were going to write the book?

It was either when the Leafs drafted him or that moment, probably when the Leafs drafted him, I said this guy’s got a very unique story. Nobody’s come to hockey like this and dominated, and been this highly regarded. I tried to sell the book a couple of times, maybe back in 2019, I seem to remember having conversations. And when he signed his extension, that’s when people’s eyes perked up because they knew he’d be a Leaf, by the time the book came out. So that sort of helped with the selling of the book. But I’d wanted to write that book for a very good long time because I just think his origin story is so unique.

What have you learned about Auston, perhaps with an insight that maybe the rest of us don’t have on the beat?

Well, the one thing that I learned that, I mean, people see what he is on television. I don’t think he’s quite that. I think he’s funnier, he’s got a funny streak in him. But I think the one thing that, that struck me is he’s got a big heart and his love for doing things very quietly at like SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children).

That kind of stuff he doesn’t seek publicity for. And he does that kind of stuff all the time. You got to respect that. I struggled whether I should even write it, out of respect for him. But it was an element of his personality that people should know about.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask you, that you wanted to speak about?

Any spare moment, I was always thinking about the book. How can I do this, how can I do that? And what was sort of interesting is obviously you’re sort of hoping for a better playoff story to tell in those couple of years and that didn’t happen. But when he got the captaincy, I was like, okay, now that hadn’t been part of the plan for the book because it hadn’t happened. But when it did happen, you rewrite, you sort of have an ending, in terms of his commitment to the team. So that was interesting.

Given that he’s firmly in the middle of his career, would you consider writing a second edition, to maybe account for winning a Cup?

I think if I look at my contract, I might be contractually obliged to. If they do win the Cup, I can see changing the ending, shall we say! But yeah, he is mid-career. And you should know that his agent wasn’t really thrilled that I wrote this book. And I got a lot of push back from the Leafs and some others in Auston’s life that it’s too early for a book, but I didn’t mind writing it without their help because it was really more recounting the moments as they happened.

Anybody’s recollection about a four-point game now isn’t going to be as exciting as it was that night.

Since he’s taken the captaincy, have you noticed anything that has changed about Auston, for better or for worse?

Interesting, why do you say that?

I think he’s a little bit more forthright. A little bit more honest. A little bit more… critical is not the right word, but an understanding of what needs to be said, and what needs to be done. And I think he is a lead by example kind of guy. He might’ve learned too much about stoicism about John Tavares, but he’ll come into his own.

What would you say to Leafs fans, for those looking to buy this book for Christmas, or just a general readership?

Well, the book was written for largely Auston fans and Leaf fans, and I think Auston’s fans are probably young. And so I’ve woven in a lot of the Leaf history into it. So you will, by product, learn a little bit about Leaf history and some of the bigger names from decades ago, just to see where he fits in on the pantheon of Leaf greats. So there’s a little bit of history in there, but don’t worry, it’s not boring.

I think it’s an easy read and I think it’s for a young Leaf fan or somebody who’s got an Auston Matthews fan of their family. I think it’s a good Christmas gift, but I’m biased.

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