Auston Matthews is arguably the best player to wear the Toronto Maple Leafs crest from a talent standpoint, but he’s never received the full extent of the flowers he could get due to his lack of playoff success with Toronto. While that certainly doesn’t exclusively fall on Matthews, it’s a reasonable argument to make with only two round wins under his belt through nine years, and he’s going to be the first one under the microscope due to his captaincy, longevity, and talent.

While it wasn’t a Leafs Stanley Cup, Matthews can now say that he’s a champion. On Sunday, the United States men’s hockey team took home a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics with Matthews as captain, taking (and succeeding at) the task of shutting down Canada’s Connor McDavid. Matthews is expected to re-join the Maple Leafs this week, and when he does, his fellow Americans on the team will be thrilled to welcome him back and congratulate him on the victory.

“I’m going to give him a big hug and congratulate him,” frequent linemate and fellow Arizona native Matthew Knies said regarding Matthews’ return. “I don’t know if the Canadian guys will do the same, but we’re all so happy for him. It’s so cool, it was so fun to watch him.”

When asked if he’s reached out to Matthews yet, Knies said that he’s waiting for him to get back so he can do it in person.

“I don’t think a phone call or a text is going to be the same.”

Goaltender Anthony Stolarz, a New Jersey native, said that he was equally happy for Matthews as a friend as he was as a teammate and fellow countryman.

“He’s our leader, their leader as well, so, you know, for him, a lot of pressure and you couldn’t feel happier for him,” Stolarz told reporters at practice on Tuesday. “He’s a great human being, a great person, and, you know, just to see him be able to lead them to a gold medal, you know, all the credit to him to be able to do that.”

Joseph Woll, who hails from Missouri, caught wind of the support Matthews got from brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes on the podium following the win, in which they encouraged the Toronto media to recognize Matthews as both a leader and a champion, and admitted that it resonated with him.

“I really liked what the Hughes brothers said, actually,” Woll said. “He led Team USA to a gold medal, so, pretty awesome for him. I know it’s a big step for him as a leader, as well.”