PUBLICATION
Sam Walker
February 17, 2026 (10:08)
Photo credit: Screenshot X
Auston Matthews, Team USA, and Olympics hockey fans are catching flak after a cold-looking exit that hit social media fast.
Two short clips made the rounds out of Milan, and the contrast is the whole story.
One video shows Team Canada lingering, tapping gloves, signing, and giving the crowd something back.
The other shows Team USA stepping off with way less engagement after the Denmark game, and people noticed.
It’s not a crisis, but it’s the kind of thing that sticks when ticket prices are brutal and fans travel across the world.
Here’s Canada’s interaction with their fans:
The timing is rough because the Americans are winning, and winning teams get held to a higher standard.
Team USA beat Denmark 6-3 on Saturday, and they had to work for it after a messy start.
Jack Eichel drove the push with 1-1-2, and the U.S. got goals from Brady Tkachuk, Matt Boldy, Noah Hanifin, Jake Guentzel, and Jack Hughes.
That win put the Americans at 2-0-0-0 in the group, exactly where they want to be.
Auston Matthews and Team USA feel the spotlight
Honestly, fans can handle a bad shift, but they hate a vibe that feels dismissive.
Matthews wears the “C” for a reason, and Mike Sullivan is the adult in the room, so the spotlight lands on them first.
Even if the players were gassed, distracted, or just missed the moment, optics matter at the Olympics.
Here’s how USA greeted their fans after a loss:
Canada’s clips created a simple expectation, and the U.S. clip looked like the opposite.
This is the easy fix, though.
Next game, you take ten extra seconds, you make eye contact, you toss a puck, and the whole thing disappears.
If Team USA keeps stacking wins, this becomes a footnote, but the crowd will remember who treated them like they mattered.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
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