Auston Matthews reacts to young fan's Halloween costume as Maple Leafs star's hockey card

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Oct 28, 2024 07:11 GMT

A young Toronto Maple Leafs fan, Grayson, went viral for his unique Halloween costume, as he dressed up as his favorite hockey player, Auston Matthews. His costume was extra special, as he wore a full Maple Leafs uniform inside a large frame.

The frame made him look like a real-life Upper Deck hockey card. Grant Joseph, Grayson’s dad and a country music singer, shared a video of the costume on Instagram. He wrote:

“POV: My son asks to be an Auston Matthews hockey card.”

Joseph also asked fans to help Grayson meet Auston Matthews in person.

“Let’s help Grayson meet @austonmatthews and show off his 1 of 1 hockey card costume!” Joseph wrote in his caption.

In the video, Grayson said:

“And I hope I can show Auston Matthews.”

His dad reassured him that Matthews would likely see it online, but Grayson added:

“But I wanna show him in person.”

The official NHL Instagram account noticed the post and shared it, writing,

“Now THIS is a costume! #HockeyHalloween.”

The post got a lot of positive comments from hockey fans. They admired the details and effort behind the costume. Many praised Grayson’s creativity and love for his hockey hero. Matthews also reshared the video in his Instagram story with a fire emoji.

Auston Matthews (via Instagram/austonmatthews)

Grayson’s dad, Grant Joseph, is also following his dream. He’s a new country music artist from a small town near Toronto.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he used social media to reach new fans when live shows were on hold. Joseph’s big single, “12-Pack (Dad Bods),” was released in July 2024. Grayson’s Halloween costume shows how much young fans admire Matthews.

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Auston Matthews is improving after a slow start to the 2024-25 season

Matthews scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. He tied the game with 17 seconds left in the third period, redirecting a pass from Mitch Marner to score, but a turnover by Matthews in overtime led to Boston's game-winning goal.

Matthews started the season slowly but has picked up his play with seven points in his last six games, including four goals. His shooting percentage is 9.5, which is below his career average of 16.1. It's also almost half of last season's 18.7 percent. With 42 shots on the net, he leads the league.

The Maple Leafs are 4-4-1 in nine games. They are third in the Atlantic Division. Their next game is against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday at 7:30 p.m. EDT.