MILAN — When the cameras are rolling, Auston Matthews seldom addresses reporters by name.
But when he does make the exception, it’s often memorable — if not downright viral.
In the fall of 2022, Toronto Sun beat writer Terry Koshan showed up at Toronto Maple Leafs training camp resembling a younger, sexier Burt Reynolds.
“Terry, nice moustache. Jeez!” Matthews exclaimed.
You can find it on TikTok.
On a recent live broadcast from Las Vegas, the venerable Mark Masters dared ask the captain something about playing against Mitch Marner for the first time right before playing against Mitch Marner for the first time:
“I think I’ve had enough of the Mitch questions for today, Mark.”
X spread it.
And then there was that all-timer about a year ago, during Matthews’ first scrum upon returning from Team USA’s devasting 3-2 overtime loss to Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star wondered if Matthews had been “haunted” by nearly getting his stick on Marner’s OT corner feed to Connor McDavid, who one-timed a laser that ended the Americans’ pitch for gold.
“Sure, Kevin,” replied Matthews, biting his lip.
The ghosts, they’ve been dancing in formation around No. 34 for more than a decade.
As a teenager, the next great U.S.-born superstar and active captain of Team USA — the young man seemingly destined to break Patrick Kane’s newly acquired national record — only knew winning teams. Repping the flag at the U17 Hockey Challenge and the U18s twice over: gold.
Since then, however, all of Matthews’ greatest accolades have been individual.
He gathered an armful of solo trophies in the Swiss League as a young pro before the Leafs bestowed him with first-overall draft choice honours. He’s since captured the Calder, Hart, Ted Lindsay, three Rockets, an All-Star Game MVP, and two EA Sports video game covers as an NHLer.
Be it world juniors (bronze), world championships (fourth), World Cup (fifth), 4 Nations (second), or the Stanley Cup tournament (peaking in Round 2 twice over nine attempts), team success in the ultimate team sport keeps dodging Matthews.
So, sure, Kevin. He’s probably feeling a smidge haunted.
“I think that’s part of life. It’s not always going to work out in your favour,” Matthews said that day, still riding the pain.
“For me, it sucks. But there’s nothing I can do to fix that now.”
Flash forward one year later and six time zones east. Matthews has been gifted a window for remedy.
To exorcize the demons, and to compete for a championship in a season where, for once, his Maple Leafs are at grave risk of not even qualifying for the playoffs.
To come through in the big moment — for a player whose growing reputation is something less than clutch, and for a country that hasn’t won Olympic men’s ice hockey gold since the miracle of 1980. (The U.S. settled for bitter silver against Canada in 2002 and 2010.)
“That moment changed a lot for USA Hockey and jumpstarted belief that the U.S. could generate great players and compete on stages like the Olympics,” said Matthews, who dined with Lake Placid hero Mike Eruzione at 4 Nations.
“I’m still very fond of that movie. I remember watching it for the first time growing up. And even today, it still gives you chills.”
Bill Guerin, the general manager of Team USA, has proclaimed that no shade short of gold will do in Milano.
Be it in a lighthearted NBC promo spot featuring Jon Hamm or in frank conversation with reporters, Matthews echoes the sentiment.
“It’s just about the belief and the confidence that he has in you and the group of Americans that we have going and representing the country. And I think all of us feel the same way,” Matthews said, prior to his European vocation.
“We should be competing for gold. It’s obviously the first Olympics in a while since (NHLers) have been able to play, but you want to consistently be up there, and you want to be obviously the best country in the world. And this is a great opportunity for us.”
Despite being hampered by a back injury last season (and getting dashed up for the final goal), Matthews was excellent at 4 Nations. And with 12 goals and 25 points in 20 games since Christmas, he’ll be coming in hot Feb. 12, when the U.S. opens against Latvia (3:10 p.m. ET).
Matthews put up three assists but, despite some dangerous looks, failed to score at 4 Nations. His offence will be critical to a U.S. roster built to triumph in low-scoring affairs and does not include three of the eight most productive American forwards this season (Jason Robertson, Alex DeBrincat, Cole Caufield).
Much like rival Canada’s composition, there is a strong belief that familiarity from 2025’s best-on-best teaser tournament can carry over.
Only three Americans who weren’t invited to 4 Nations — forwards Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller plus defenceman Jackson LaCombe (a replacement for the injured Seth Jones) — are joining the room.
“I’m excited that there’s a lot of guys that are coming back from 4 Nations,” Matthews said.
“It was a quick tournament, but we bonded really quickly. We came together as a team very quickly. And a lot of us have played with each other, have known each other, kind of coming up through juniors, world championships, world junior, stuff like that. So, it’s important to have that chemistry, that bond.”
Also important: leadership.
And while the scrappy and vocal Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady, were the ones setting the emotional tone for Team USA last time ’round, it is Matthews who wears the C — and bears its weight.
“He’s a fierce competitor. He’s a quiet leader. He leads by example in a lot of ways. But I think his influence is significant on his teammates, because of his ability to influence the game,” U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan said.
“If you look at the details of how all those (4 Nations) games were played, Auston had a pretty strong tournament. He hit a lot of posts. You can’t always control whether it goes in, but what you can control is the opportunity to get the looks both offensively and then a diligence to play on the defensive side of the puck.”
Based on how tightly the 4 Nations was contested, Team USA prioritized an investment in the game’s defensive side.
“Auston was part of that,” Sullivan said. “He defended extremely hard. When you look at those types of players, the obvious thing that jumps out at you is their offensive capability. But what impressed me the most was just how committed all the teams were to playing away from the puck. And that just speaks to their want to win. Because it’s hard to score your way to championships, whether it’s a Stanley Cup or a 4 Nations or an Olympic gold.”
As the face of the Maple Leafs for the past decade, perhaps no one knows or feels that hard truth more than Matthews, who has been yearning for this tournament so bad, he couldn’t care less about the small rink or shortened neutral zone.
“In the end, it can be a 100-by-100-foot sheet. You just want to go out there and play and have that opportunity,” he said. “We missed two Olympics already.
“And it’s been something a lot of us have been yearning for, for a long time — to have the opportunity to play in the Olympics.
“You never know how many chances you get at representing your county.”
Here it is. Another shot at team glory for the seizing.
If Matthews can lead the Americans to their first Olympic gold in 46 years, they’ll write books and make movies and toast champagne.
If not? Well, pull up Matthews’ résumé and file another line item about a talented-on-paper team that came up short.
This will be a legacy-defining month for many athletes.
Imagine.
The one crouched over centre ice for Team USA might just fly home with a little less baggage than he brought with him.
Dare we say, Auston Matthews could leave Italy unhaunted.
