Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Auston Matthews was named captain of Team USA for the 2026 Olympics and the Maple Leafs captain has a chance to do something not seen in over 40 years.
For Team USA, they are going to have one of the top lineups at the 2026 Olympic Games and have as good a chance as any to end up making it to the Finals and come away with gold.
They are being led by Auston Matthews, who was named captain on Sunday and he’ll be tasked with leading stars like the Tkachuk Brothers, Zach Werenski, Connor Hellebuyck, and Jake Guentzel to glory, and if there’s anyone who can do it — it’s Toronto’s captain.
Auston Matthews’ leadership will be tested during 2026 Olympics
However, Matthews has often garnered a lot of criticism for not being able to get things done when it matters most, and while he has had several chances in the postseason to make his mark, he’s yet to really explode.
That’s why it’s a perfect chance for Matthews to start proving all his doubters wrong.
The US Olympic Ice Hockey team has not won a gold medal since their 1980 miracle at Lake Placid. Since then, their best finish was a silver medal in 2010 in Vancouver — with one of the most known goals in hockey history to boot.
Since then, their best finish has been a third place finish in Sochi 2014, then when it came to Pyeongchang 2018 and 2022 Beijing they fell in the quarterfinals and finished 7th and 5th respectively.
Interestingly enough, while Team Canada is going to be the toughest task for the Americans so too are Team Czechia. Lifetime, the USA holds a 10-11-0 record against them; only Canada has beaten the US more in Olympic history.
It’s time for Matthews to lead the charge for Team USA…and then again for Toronto
But this is a team that has an extraordinarily powerful lineup. Matthews is seemingly back to his old self which adds a new level of danger.
Then you have Quinn Hughes who could be even better with more space, the Tkachuk’s are no slouches, and we haven’t even touched names like Brock Nelson, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor and Dylan Larkin.
Backed by arguably the best goaltending trio in the entire Olympics, this is the year that Team USA can legitimately make a run for gold.
If he can start rallying the group and finish the prelims strong, there’s a serious chance for a Team Canada/USA final which fans are almost always waiting for.
Coming away with gold would solidify Matthews as someone who can lead a team to success, and if he can be a huge factor in that win it’s just the icing on the cake and proves he can do it when it matters.
It all starts with being a leader on the ice, and showing the world exactly why he was trusted with this role; then it has to extend past the Olympics when Toronto heads back to business.
If Auston Matthews can find his old self, he could do something historic for the Americans, and could end up changing his entire perception and legacy with the Maple Leafs.
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