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Toronto Maple Leafs superfan Grayson Haire went viral on social media earlier this week for his stellar Auston Matthews costume. Dressed up like a 3D version of his favorite Maple Leafs player's hockey card, the Trenton, Ontario second-grader's family shared his costume in a TikTok video that has already surpassed 1.4 million videos.
Haire's family hoped that the video would eventually gain enough attention to help him meet Matthews. On Halloween, Haire got his wish. The Maple Leafs invited Haire and his family to join their practice ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Seattle Kraken.
The seven-year-old was finally able to meet his hockey hero and the experience was shared across Toronto's social media pages . "You look like me," Haire jokingly said after giving Matthews a handshake. "Yeah, I do look at you," the two-time NHL All-Star replied.
"Your mustache is better, though." “You look like me” - Grayson 👨🥹 pic.twitter.
com/T4rlceUQWJ Haire is then shown watching practice from the stands alongside Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan. But as exciting as it is to watch NHL players up close, the Matthews superfan couldn't help but FaceTime his grandma to tell her all about the experience. "Nana, I met Auston Matthews," Haire said as he walked around Scotiabank Arena in his full Maple Leafs gear.
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images As excited as he was to meet the two-time 60-goal scorer, Matthews wasn't the only player that the young Toronto fan interacted with. "Let's drop the gloves," Haire said to veteran NHL enforcer Ryan Reaves without fear. "Drop the gloves? Okay," Reaves replied to the challenge.
"You gotta drop them first. I don't drop first." Haire wasn't giving in to Reaves, though, telling the Maple Leafs winger that he had to lose his gloves first.
After some discussion, both combatants eventually dropped the gloves before playfully grabbing each other's jerseys and throwing out punches much softer than what Reaves is used to. After the quick scuffle, Reaves added to Haire's experience by purposefully mistaking him for the Maple Leafs captain. "Go get a nap in, okay?" Reaves told the Matthews impersonator.
"We need you out there. See you later, Auston." Time will tell if Haire's presence is enough to motivate the Maple Leafs to defeat the Kraken on Thursday.
However, whether they win or lose, one thing is clear: Haire likely won't ever forget about his interactions with Matthews and Reaves. Related: NHL Legend Jeremy Roenick Reveals Maple Leafs' Most Glaring Issue.
