Matthews was named captain of the American squad in the lead up to the tournament.
Matthews was named captain of the American squad in the lead up to the tournament.
Auston Matthews has played in a best-on-best tournament before. But that was when he had not played an NHL game yet, as part of a gimmick team of under-23 year-olds from the United States and Canada as 'Team North America' at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
On Thursday, Matthews will captain the American squad when they take on Finland in both countries' first game at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal.
One day before suiting up, Matthews spoke about the opportunity presented to him. As captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he feels that helped prepare him for the pressure and responsibility that lies ahead. Team chemistry, relishing the big moments, respecing Aleksander Barkov and Finns, were also discussed.
USA squares off against Finland at Bell Centre in Montreal at 8 p.m. ET
Q: Having played in Toronto for so long with the pressure and the expectations, do you think it has prepared you well to be the captain of this team right now where the expectations are pretty high?
"I think you learn a lot through, you know, years in this league and obviously playing in Toronto, I love my time there. It comes with a lot of stuff like this and a lot of responsibility. But I love it. And being able to play in a tournament like this, a situation like this with the great players and representing your country, it means a lot. So I think the pressure and stuff is kind of just what comes with it. I think it's just a lot of excitement, a lot of pride and honor that goes into, you know, being able to represent your country and have the opportunity to play in tournaments like this."
Q: The NHL season moves so quick and there's just so many games, but what's it been like the last three days to kind of settle in with the group, have some time to get together, especially off the ice?
Yeah, it's been good. I mean, I think that's a really important part of this kind of process is getting together with one another, getting to know guys that maybe you didn't know in the past, obviously reuniting with a lot of guys. So just building that chemistry on the ice and off the ice and becoming a team. I mean, it happens quick. You know, these last few days have been great. Great practice days, great dinners, stuff like that. So I think everybody's excited to just kind of get the first game underway and get this tournament started.
Q: What do you love about it? You're saying, you know, the pressure and all that and everything that comes with it. What do you love about kind of these big moments?
"I think these are the moments that you kind of dream of and think about when you're a young kid playing hockey. So just embracing that, embracing everything that comes with it and enjoying it, making the most of it because you never know how many opportunities like this you're going to get."
Q: How does your respect Barkov's two-way game? What do you expect him from him?
"Yeah, he's one of the best. I mean, he's probably been the best two-way guy in the league for the last couple of years. Not really an underrated guy anymore. He's very well known. You've got to watch out for him out there. He's just so solid on both ends of the puck. He's big, he's strong, he's got a long reach, long stick. You know, great in the face-off circle. He anticipates to play well. And obviously, offensively, he's got a ton of skill as well. So he's always a challenge to go up against. And I know a guy that, you know, will be keying in on."
Q: Finland, have the ability to defend very well. What's the approach to play against this type of team especially?
"I think patience. You know, they play a very patient game, a very structured game. I think just not beating yourself is really important. And I think the tendency sometimes when, you know, you have a lot of skill, a lot of guys that, you know, can make plays with the puck is, you know, maybe overpassing it or maybe doing too much. I think, you know, especially against teams like Finland, like Sweden, who in my experience play with excellent structure. You know, the simple sometimes is the better. So I think just for us tomorrow, making sure that, you know, we're not trying to overpass or overdo stuff with and without the puck and just kind of simplifying our game and just trying to be on the attack at all times."
Q: Just talked with Brady (Tkachuk) about the fact that you have a lot of captains in this locker room. And you know, you have learned a lot of things as a young captain. What did you learn at this moment being with all these guys, captains in this team?
"I think you can take bits and pieces from different guys. Like you said, I mean, we've got a lot of guys in here that are captains, assistant captains, leaders on their team that play big roles. And so, you know, I think everybody's a leader in their own regard and their own respect. So collectively, I think that's kind of the approach. When you go into a tournament like this, when you're on a team with amazing players, amazing leaders, it's not all based off of one or two guys. It's kind of collective group effort in that regard."
Q: What was your initial reaction when you found out you would be the captain? Like, did you sense it could be something in the equation or did it hit you by surprise? How would you describe your emotions in that moment?
"I wasn't thinking about it too much. I knew Billy wanted to meet with me. And, you know, at some point when they were in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. And so, yeah, I thought maybe it could be a possibility. I thought maybe, I don't know, Billy just wanted to talk for 10 or 15 minutes and chop it up or whatever. But, yeah, obviously it's such a huge honour. And like I said all week, I think there's so much pride that goes into representing your country, wearing that jersey, you know, thinking and appreciating the guys that have come before you that have also worn it. So, you know, when he told me that he was going to make me captain, obviously I was extremely excited and honored.
Q: Have you had a chance to see the trick commercial that you were in with the league? The players are reacting to the different trick shots. The commercial came out today. I'm just wondering how important you think that is from the league to showcase the player personalities and ads like that.
Yeah, I think it's important. I think you look at other sports leagues. Obviously, they, you know, they do a lot of stuff like that. I think you get a sense of, you know, different athletes' personalities, what they're like outside of, you know, their sports. So I think that's a step that hockey has been taken in the right direction. And, you know, I'll just continue to grow in that regard. You know, for myself, like as a kid, I loved watching the behind-the-scenes stuff. I loved watching hockey in general. But I think just kind of what goes on outside the rink, too, you're always kind of interested in. So I think it's been a lot of good steps in the right direction with the NHL and what they've been doing.
Q: What's your sense of the Tkachuks and how pumped they are to play together here? You guys, teammates kind of feeding off the energy they're bringing.
"They're great. They're hilarious. You know, when they're both in the room, it's constant laughs, constant jokes. It's always a good time. So, you know, last night we went for dinner and just kind of, you know, you reminisce and you think about old stories, times, whether it's, you know, in juniors, world juniors. You know, I spent, like, Thanksgiving with them at one point at the program and I think even in Easter in St. Louis. So I definitely spent a lot of time with them and it's been a while since we've all been together. So just enjoying that time with everybody. It's always fun. And like I said, a lot of laughs."
Q: Is there maybe a different connection on the Team USA because of the development team, because of all the connections and routes that all these guys seem to have played with each other at some point or another?
"Maybe. I think a lot of us have passed each other. A lot of us have played with each other in the development program. I think you look at other countries, other teams. I mean, it's not too far off. You're kind of playing with one another at World Juniors, overseas tournaments, 4 Nations, stuff like that. You know, under-17, under-18 growing up. So I think there's kind of maybe an advantage just because we played with each other for, you know, two years straight, a lot of us. And, you know, I've gone through similar things going through the development program. But I think in the end, a lot of, you know, players on their respective countries have kind of spent a lot of time with each other, too."
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