The hockey world was left reeling after Auston Matthews sustained a season-ending knee injury from a brutal collision with Radko Gudas. The hit sidelined the Toronto Maple Leafs star and Team USA captain just months before the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, sparking fierce debate over intent, officiating, and player safety. In the aftermath, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk added fuel to the fire.

On their ‘Wingmen’ podcast, Matthew stressed the necessity to take immediate action when a star of the team is injured. “I think it’s important that any time something happens to your best player or captain… there has to be some sort of a response,” he said.

“I don’t think you should have to fight for a clean hit every single time, “he added, “But if you do something that’s probably dirty or injure them… that’s where guys on Toronto need to be like, this isn’t going to fly, and we’re not going to wait till next game.”

He went on to explain the “old-school” mindset he and his brother live by. “Like, screw the points. It’s more important in a game like that to stick up for a guy than to actually win. Especially when you’re that far out of playoffs… I think the code there is like nobody’s coming out of that game without getting a hit or at least like a little left jab to the face after that.

“There should be a scrum after every whistle… Brady and I are pretty old-school in the way we think…would not have lasted that game if we were on the Leafs.”

The brothers’ comments touch on a key unwritten code in hockey: star players and captains must be protected, and teammates are expected to stand up for one another immediately when dangerous plays occur. It’s a rule that isn’t written in black and white but is deeply respected in locker rooms across the league.

Not to mention, Tkachuk knows Auston Matthews beyond rivalry lines. The two shared ice and glory for Team USA at the Winter Games in Italy, skating home with gold not long ago. That history runs deep, and maybe that is why his reaction carried extra sting.

The Leafs have felt the heat ever since. Critics keep pointing to the lack of response, no pushback, no fire. In a league where emotion fuels momentum, that kind of silence speaks volumes.

The Tkachuk brothers do not just preach intensity. They live it. Both have built reputations as old-school enforcers, never hesitating to stand up for their teammates. A perfect example came at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off between Team USA and Team Canada, when three fights erupted in the first nine seconds.

At the opening faceoff, Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Brandon Hagel, and the two went at it fast and furious. Seconds later, Brady Tkachuk squared off with Sam Bennett, landing punches that sent Bennett’s helmet flying. Almost instantly, J. T. Miller and Colton Parayko tangled to complete the chaos, setting a bruising tone for the night.

Auston Matthew and Brady each drew majors for fighting, while Miller added a major and two more minutes for cross-checking after his scrap.

This episode showed precisely how the Tkachuk brothers act: they allow small flakes to pass by, but, in case a fellow player or one of the stars is in danger, they intervene immediately. And had the Leafs practiced this philosophy, their star player could have escaped a serious injury. But what exactly happened to Auston Matthews that made him stay out of the season?

Auston Matthews, hit by Radko Gudas, ends season

Auston Matthews was involved in a dangerous play during a regular-season NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks on March 12, 2026. During the second period, Matthews was in the offensive zone when he was hit by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas with a knee-on-knee strike on his left leg. The collision was so rough that Matthews collapsed on the ice and was unable to support himself on his left leg.

Gudas was also immediately given a major penalty and a game misconduct due to kneeing. At the time, Matthews had scored earlier in that same period before the collision. But this time,  after the hit, Matthews required help getting off the ice. And since then, he has not returned to the game.

After the game, the Leafs announced that Auston Matthews suffered a Grade 3 medial collateral ligament tear and a bruised quadriceps in his left leg effectively ruling him out for the rest of the 2025‑26 season. He is re-examined in the next few weeks, yet the injury is serious, and it is established that he will not be able to play on the ice till the end of the regular season.

Losing a star player like Auston Matthews, who was their top scorer with 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games, was a huge blow to the Maple Leafs’ playoff hopes. Subsequently, the Department of Player Safety in the NHL conducted a disciplinary meeting with Gudas after the incident. According to the existing league policies, the most severe penalty possible following a phone hearing was a five-game suspension.

But the incident also reignited debate over the league’s discipline and highlighted how the Tkachuks’ instinct to defend their teammates on the spot might have completely changed how it all unfolded.