When it comes to picking pregame outfits, Auston Matthews is no ordinary Joe.

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward rocked a No. 97 Joe Thornton jersey to the Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, honoring one of the newest inductees.

Matthews didn’t just wear any Thornton jersey; he chose a rare Thornton Maple Leafs jersey. Thornton played one season with Toronto in 2020, spending the year as Matthews’s teammate.

The two got close that year, and Matthews invited Thornton to be his guest during the Maple Leafs Mentor’s Trip in January.

“I thought, he's not just my mentor. I feel like he's almost everybody's mentor here,” Matthews said at the time. “We're close. We talk all the time. And I thought it was just a cool opportunity to bring him along.”

Thornton, a four-ti

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