Shane Doan remembers him as the kid who, two years ago, came out to a scrimmage with high-end players in Arizona and scored all the goals for his team, besting pros and college players alike as a 17-year-old wunderkind.



“He was dominating,” Doan said.



Auston Matthews remembers Doan as the player on a tattered poster on his bedroom wall, next to Danny Briere and Curtis Joseph – an idol from the Phoenix Coyotes and someone to aspire to be.



On Thursday, they were together on NHL ice, the Leafs rookie and the 40-year-old Coyotes captain, the second-oldest player in the NHL. It was another moment in an unbelievable, unprecedented rise for the kid from Scottsdale, who has quickly become the face of one of the most famous franchises on earth in his rookie season.



Matthews had a goal in his first ever game against the team he grew up rooting for, a big long whip shot from the top of the circle on the power play that...