Ducks' Gudas: 'I feel terrible' about injuring Matthews
Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas is remorseful for the knee-on-knee hit that ended Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews' season.
"I really hate the way it ended up, the point of contact," Gudas said Tuesday ahead of his return from his five-game suspension, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "I'm not a fan of that. I never want to injure anybody out there. It's a hard-fought game."
Gudas added, "I feel terrible about the outcome. I just committed to the play, and unfortunately, that was the point of contact."
Matthews required surgery after sustaining a Grade 3 MCL tear on the play in the 6-4 victory versus the Ducks on March 12.
Radko Gudas goes knee-on-knee with Auston Matthews. Gudas received a minute major pending review. Auston Matthews was down for a while but has gotten back to his feet. pic.twitter.com/Rxf6xIe1GH
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 13, 2026
Gudas said he texted Matthews after the game, and the two spoke days after the hit.
"Just wanted to make sure that (he knew) it was not my intention to hurt anybody," Gudas explained.
It was the fifth suspension of Gudas' 881-game career, but his first since 2019.
"I've tried to stay on the good side," Gudas said. "I stayed for a long time, over seven years since my last incident. So I'm doing everything in my power to stay away (from suspensions), to stay on the right side, to play hard but be on the good side of it."
Gudas returns to an Anaheim team that is first in the Pacific Division. The 35-year-old defenseman has 13 points and 45 penalty minutes in 52 games this season.