{"id":467943,"date":"2026-02-23T09:29:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/467943\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T09:29:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:29:34","slug":"even-when-auston-matthews-wins-shots-are-taken-at-the-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/467943\/","title":{"rendered":"Even When Auston Matthews Wins, Shots Are Taken at the Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Auston Matthews captained a team to victory. Toronto Maple Leafs fans love the sound of that sentence \u2014 except under these circumstances, as their superstar center and Team USA broke Team Canada\u2019s hearts with a 2\u20131 overtime win in the Gold Medal game at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Matthews, who has taken his fair share of heat for the Maple Leafs\u2019 playoff shortcomings over the last decade \u2014 some of it rightfully deserved \u2014 finally found himself on the winning side of a big game. And his fellow American teammates weren\u2019t about to let that go unnoticed in Toronto.<\/p>\n

Jack Hughes, the golden goal scorer<\/a>, interrupted a question directed at Matthews during a postgame interview to make sure everyone heard it loud and clear.<\/p>\n

Hughes said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it doesn\u2019t matter what anyone says now \u2014 Auston Matthews is a winner. Auston Matthews is an Olympic gold medalist. He\u2019s a winner,\u201d<\/p>\n

Then it was brother Quinn Hughes\u2019 turn:<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s what the media in Toronto should be talking about. Auston Matthews led us to a championship,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While relatively quiet offensively in Sunday\u2019s Gold Medal game, the 28-year-old Matthews played a strong two-way game to cap off a productive tournament in which he tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) across six games.<\/p>\n

First, it was former Maple Leaf Mitch Marner scoring a beautiful overtime winner in the quarterfinal against Czechia, prompting Brandon Hagel and Mark Stone to jab at the Toronto market and media<\/a>. Now, it\u2019s the Hughes brothers doing the same after Matthews helped deliver Olympic gold.<\/p>\n

\"MatthewsMatthews Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs and their fans have to be wondering: why couldn\u2019t they do that for us?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fair question. A nine-year sample size was more than enough \u2014 if not too much \u2014 opportunity to prove they\u2019re winners, yet we know it never came to fruition.<\/p>\n

Playing in Toronto comes with immense pressure, no doubt. But so does representing your country on the biggest stage. Perhaps Matthews shedding the narrative that he can\u2019t win will free him up and translate back to the NHL \u2014 because the Maple Leafs are relying on him now more than ever before.<\/p>\n

Next: Tkachuk-McDavid Photo Sums Up 3 Years of Elation and Heartbreak<\/a><\/p>\n

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