Before the Olympics began, one American reporter said that Matthews lacks the “big game gene.” After two games, another wrote it is “painfully obvious” that the Maple Leafs captain is not captain material.
MILAN - Auston Matthews travelled more than 6,600 km from Toronto to Milan to represent his country at the Olympics. But one week into the tournament, he might as well still be wearing Maple Leaf underneath his Team USA jersey.
That's how harsh — and unfair — the criticism has been for arguably the best hockey player that the U.S. has ever produced.
Before the tournament began, one American reporter said that Matthews lacks the "big game gene." After a somewhat shaky 5-1 win against Latvia, another from Boston wrote it is "painfully obvious" that Matthews is not captain material.
And when the U.S. had to claw back in a 6-3 win against Denmark, a writer from Chicago went as far to say that Brady Tkachuk should be wearing the 'C', because he is Americans' clear on-ice leader.
So when Matthews scored twice and added an assist in a 5-1 win against Germany on Sunday, the hometown haters finally had nothing to say — at least for the moment. But give it time. Unless Matthews does what he has been unable to do in a decade with the Leafs and leads the U.S. to glory, no one will be blamed more than him.
"You guys put a lot of heat on him for no reason," said Team USA winger Jake Guentzel.
The heat is there, because Matthews is arguably the best player that the U.S. has ever had. That honor, however, comes with sky-high expectations.
In order for the U.S. to win gold, Matthews probably has to be America's best player, in nearly every facet of the game. He needs to score. He needs to defend. And he needs to be a game-changer.
It's a lot to ask. But after going 3-0 in the round robin portion of the tournament, Matthews is leading all American scorers with three goals and five points.
In other words, despite all the criticism, he is doing a pretty good job of showing why he is wearing the 'C'.
"He's one of the best for a reason," center Jack Eichel said after the win against Germany on Sunday. "It was awesome to see him play tonight. He stepped up huge for us. He checked when he needed to, made a lot of plays offensively, created a lot of offense, won big draws. It was great to see him have a huge night… he's one of the best in the world."
"He was awesome, he's our captain, we're following his lead," said left winger Matthew Tkachuk.
The truth is that Matthews is never going to play with the edge or hostility of one of Tkachuk brothers. He's not a heart-and-soul leader like Miracle on Ice captain Mike Eruzione was back in 1980.
Instead, he's a bigger version of Patrick Kane.
Matthews needs to lead with his offense. Even then, that probably doesn't tell the entire story of what makes him so effective.
Against Germany, Matthews didn't just record three points — he also helped lead Leon Draisaitl to zero points. And yet, most of the online credit went to Matthew Tkachuk for getting in the head of Draisaitl for a well-timed chirp where he called the two-time Stanley Cup finalist "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."
"People don't realize how much he sacrifices offense to be in a good defensive position," said center Dylan Larkin. "That's winning hockey. He plays winning hockey. He plays like a leader should play. He blocks shots, good on faceoffs. Tonight, he was used as a matchup guy, and he still produced. That's one of the hardest jobs in hockey when you've got to shut someone down and try to score. He did that tonight. And that's world class."
Added Tage Thompson: "He's awesome. He's a great guy, just the ultimate competitor. He wants to win, and you can see it in how he's taking games over."
This hasn't been an easy season for Matthews. For the first time since he entered the NHL, it appears that the Maple Leafs will probably miss the playoffs. At times, he hasn't looked as dangerous as the player who scored 69 goals in 2023-24.
In some ways, the Olympic break has been just that — a break.
And yet, one week into the tournament he cannot escape his past, which not only includes playoff failures in Toronto but also coming up short against Canada at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off. However, if Matthews is feeling the weight of a nation, he isn't showing it.
Quite the opposite, actually.
"Each game, I've felt better and better," he said. "I think the confidence just continues to grow within our group. I think just the chemistry, being comfortable with one another, playing with new guys maybe you're not used to playing with, each game we've taken steps in the right direction with where we want to grow our game and going into the quarterfinals, it's good to see."
When asked how he is enjoying his first Olympic experience, Matthews took a deep breath and smiled.
"Finally being on this stage and playing, it's a lot of fun," he said, sounding like he actually meant it. "It's obviously a big honor to wear this jersey and represent your country. To see all the support, all the USA flags and chants and having to have my family here as well, it's all in all a special experience."
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