Auston Matthews shares how Team USA GM Bill Guerin hilariously kicked him off 4 Nations roster over a birthday cake

Team USA captain Auston Matthews jokingly shared how he was almost sent home by general manager Bill Guerin on Tuesday. Matthews recounted the whole tale to The Athletic on the sidelines of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The incident started with Matthews unveiling a surprise birthday cake for USA assistant coach John Hynes on Monday. When asked about the event the next day in an interview, Matthews told The Athletic:

“We wanted to give him a little surprise and just try to keep that birthday cake as far away from Billy Guerin as possible.”

Apparently, Guerin did not appreciate the joke or at least he reacted in such a way to have some fun. Matthews got a text from the USA team’s boss demanding he call immediately. When Matthews did so, Guerin kicked him "off the team."

“He yelled at me for like two minutes,” Matthews said via The Athletic on Wednesday. “It was pretty funny. He has a great sense of humor. He’s a lot of fun to be around, so we had a good laugh about it this morning.”

Guerin, who has good humor, later set the record straight about how he really felt about Matthews's quip.

“Honestly, I loved the shot. It was right up my alley,” Guerin said via The Athletic.

Team USA will open their campaign in the 4 Nations Face-Off against Finland on Thursday.

Auston Matthews and William Nylander booed by Montreal crowd during 4 Nations Face-Off opening ceremony

Toronto Maple Leafs players Auston Matthews and William Nylander drew loud boos from the Canadian crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Wednesday night.

Jeers erupted from the crowd when Matthews joined the other three team captains on the ice for the ceremonial puck drop. The Toronto Maple Leafs captain didn’t seem too put out, later commenting:

"Honestly, I kind of find it like a tone of respect, I guess, especially in a building like this and a big time hockey city and fan base. So, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all."

Nylander, playing for Sweden in the tournament’s opening game against Canada, waved and smiled as Habs fans booed him before adopting a serious expression once his reaction was shown on the jumbotron.

Canada began the round-robin tournament with a narrow 4-3 win over Sweden on Wednesday night and will next face Team USA led by Matthews on Saturday.