Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was able to achieve the first major win of his professional career by capturing gold for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

Facing a lot of criticism from fans because of his being named captain of the team and the fact that he didn’t dominate on the scoreboard, Matthews was able to put together an impressive all-around performance that earned him praise from his American and Leafs teammates. It ultimately led to shedding the label of him not being a winner, because he will forever be known as an Olympic champion.

Former NHL player and fellow American Jeremy Roenick made an appearance on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Zack Phillips on Tuesday, where he stated that the win was a much-needed one for Matthews.

“He’s been one of the best goal scorers in the National Hockey League for the last seven, eight years. He’s taken a lot of heat up there in Toronto because they just can’t seem to get over that first-round blues, and one of the best players in the league and one of the stars in the league,” he said. “That’s a lot of pressure to have to take on, and he does it with grace. He does it with a lot of thick skin. But he wants to win. He wants to win for Toronto. He wants to get over that hump, and I think this confidence builder could go a long way for him.”

Of course, Matthews is still searching for playoff success in the NHL that has eluded him throughout his career so far, as the furthest he has gone was Game 7 of the second round. Roenick believes it will be up to Matthews whether he wishes to prove he can translate Olympic success into a Stanley Cup for the Leafs.

That means providing that scoring touch that has been his bread and butter while maintaining the elite defensive play that was put on full display in Milan.

“ He was a difference maker, and I will say he had a lot of roles, and I think he really embraced those roles,” Roenick said. “His defensive play was stellar. His ability to win face-offs and his ability to play 200 feet play both ways was incredible. As a captain, everybody looks up to him. I think he relished that opportunity to be that captain on that team. And it wasn’t all just about scoring goals for Auston Matthews; he has grown a lot as a player. I think he’s grown a lot as a man.”

Once the celebrations end for Team USA, Matthews and the Leafs will have a lot on their plate regarding making a playoff push down the stretch. They are currently six points back of the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot in the East, and the next few games could dictate whether or not they are sellers at the trade deadline.

Roenick feels that the Leafs have the pieces in place to go on a run and qualify for the postseason for a 10th straight season.

“You mentally get into the game. You make a decision on how you need to play the game. You need to play the game correctly with grit. You need to play it for your teammates, and you have to play it hard with tenacity and be a hard team to play against,” he said. “That’s what Toronto has to do. They have to decide, do they wanna play with finesse and play offensive and play a run and gun game, or do they wanna get down dirty in the trenches and be a hard team to play against and play a strong two-way hockey game and make a push.  It’s all mental, it’s all preparation. So, of course they can do it. They have the guns to do it.”

You can watch the full interview down below: