Photo credit: TSN Sports
Teammates are now ‘frenemies’ as Auston Matthews and William Nylander are set to do battle in the quarterfinals of the men’s hockey portion of the 2026 Olympics and they had some words ahead of their matchup.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, when they are hot it’s definitely due to Auston Matthews and William Nylander lighting it up. While friends the majority of the season, they have become rivals at least for a couple weeks as the 2026 Olympics are taking place.
Nylander and Matthews comment ahead of quarterfinal clash
But they are still friends at the end of the day, and ahead of their clash on Wednesday, both men decided to give some insight into how they feel heading into the game.
Nylander was honest and mentioned how much fun it’s going to be and how far both men have come from starting as rookies to NHL superstars:
It’ll be a lot of fun. I think 12 years ago, I probably didn’t even know that we were going to be teammates. So now after playing, I don’t know, 10 years together, it’s going to be very special and a lot of fun.
The last time these two faced off, it was a much different look from both men as Nylander looks about 14, and Matthews about the same and their beardless looks are a far cry from what we see now:
I’m sure it’ll be interesting, he’s a great friend and a teammate of mine for ten years. We’ll see how things go but yeah he’s a special player, a great guy, a great friend.
While Matthews is a little quieter than Nylander in front of the camera, you can tell that both men are geared up for what’s ahead though clearly have a bit of excitement at getting the chance to play each other.
No matter what, both men need to be proud of their Olympic performances
This tournament has been a bit of a showcase for both players, as Matthews has five points in three games (3 goals, 2 assists) meanwhile Nylander has four points in four games (2 goals, 2 assists) which is a great sign for the Maple Leafs coming out of the break.
Regardless of what happens though, you have to commend both Matthews and Nylander for having solid Olympics especially the former — who garnered a lot of criticism for being appointed captain.
A lot is on the line in both men’s quarterfinals clash and all eyes will be on the Maple Leafs superstars as they try to stake their claim as the best country in the world on the ice.
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Matthews and Nylander open up about facing each other in the Olympic quarterfinal
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