Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has nearly seen it all during his decade in the National Hockey League, but will be presented with a truly unique opportunity in February. Matthews is participating in the Olympics for the first time, as the NHL returns to the competition for the first time since 2014.
The 28-year-old outlined his ambitions for the upcoming tournament, following Maple Leafs practice at the Ford Performance Centre on Monday.
“It’s obviously a huge honour and privilege to be able to represent your country and go and compete in it,” Matthews said. “There are a lot of things you’re excited about. I’m looking forward to, first and foremost, the hockey and being able to compete like that. I think everything that else that goes into it, it’s definitely a really special experience.”
Matthews captained the United States men’s national hockey team during last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where they lost in overtime to Canada during the gold medal game. Now, he’s presented with an opportunity to exact some vengeance, while aiming to steer the United States to its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.
“I think we feel like we’re up there,” Matthews said of Team USA’s chances to win it all. “We should be competing for gold. It’s first Olympics in a while since we’ve been able to consistently be up there. You want to be the best country in the world, and this is a great opportunity.”
Matthews is rounding into form, leading all NHL players with eight goals at 5-on-5 during January. This has also coincided with an erratic month from the Maple Leafs overall, where it has lost four consecutive games on home ice, and will look to correct course against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, sitting five points out of a playoff spot prior to Monday’s action.
It’s clear that Matthews is also thrilled for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander, both of whom will represent Sweden at the Olympics.
“We’re all so excited for him,” Matthews said of Ekman-Larsson. “He’s a true professional. He’s been around for a long time. He does a lot for us on our team, plays a lot of heavy minutes in all situations. I think it’s extremely well-deserved that he was selected to play. He’s having an incredible year. He brings a lot more than just what you see out there, on the ice, off the ice, he does a lot of different things for your team.”
PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER
Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.