Mike Babcock Grooming Auston Matthews To Play Like Zetterberg
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
The NHL is bursting with young talent at the moment. Teenagers Connor McDavid, Patrick Laine and Auston Matthews look destined for superstardom for years to come.
For Matthews, the 19-year-old center of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the pathway to greatness follows that of two players he likely grew up watching, including the current Red Wings' captain.
Per ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has been showing Matthews film of Henrik Zetterberg and Sidney Crosby to help the rookie improve his on-ice positioning.
Babcock coached Zetterberg for 10 years with the Red Wings and has coached Crosby numerous times for Team Canada. He wants his brightest young player in Toronto to take his positioning cues from two of the best puck hounds in the game.
Zetterberg has long been known as a strong two-way player. He finished in the top-ten in Selke Trophy voting for five straight seasons from 2005-06 to 2009-10.
In the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, he memorably matched up with Crosby and helped limit the Penguins' star to six points in seven games. Zetterberg was named the Conn Smythe winner after Detroit's Game 7 win.
He and the Wings will get their first look at Matthews when they take on the Maple Leafs in the Centennial Classic on New Years' Day.
