Even When Auston Matthews Wins, Shots Are Taken at the Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews captained a team to victory. Toronto Maple Leafs fans love the sound of that sentence — except under these circumstances, as their superstar center and Team USA broke Team Canada’s hearts with a 2–1 overtime win in the Gold Medal game at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Matthews, who has taken his fair share of heat for the Maple Leafs’ playoff shortcomings over the last decade — some of it rightfully deserved — finally found himself on the winning side of a big game. And his fellow American teammates weren’t about to let that go unnoticed in Toronto.

Jack Hughes, the golden goal scorer, interrupted a question directed at Matthews during a postgame interview to make sure everyone heard it loud and clear.

Hughes said:

“I think it doesn’t matter what anyone says now — Auston Matthews is a winner. Auston Matthews is an Olympic gold medalist. He’s a winner,”

Then it was brother Quinn Hughes’ turn:

“Yeah, that’s what the media in Toronto should be talking about. Auston Matthews led us to a championship,” 

While relatively quiet offensively in Sunday’s Gold Medal game, the 28-year-old Matthews played a strong two-way game to cap off a productive tournament in which he tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) across six games.

First, it was former Maple Leaf Mitch Marner scoring a beautiful overtime winner in the quarterfinal against Czechia, prompting Brandon Hagel and Mark Stone to jab at the Toronto market and media. Now, it’s the Hughes brothers doing the same after Matthews helped deliver Olympic gold.

The Maple Leafs and their fans have to be wondering: why couldn’t they do that for us?

It’s a fair question. A nine-year sample size was more than enough — if not too much — opportunity to prove they’re winners, yet we know it never came to fruition.

Playing in Toronto comes with immense pressure, no doubt. But so does representing your country on the biggest stage. Perhaps Matthews shedding the narrative that he can’t win will free him up and translate back to the NHL — because the Maple Leafs are relying on him now more than ever before.

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