Fresh off the first major win of his professional career that saw him shed some labels and earn praise from his teammates, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews believes a lot has transpired in the three days since he captained Team USA to a gold medal win at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Matthews and the Americans partied it up both in Milan and Miami in celebration of achieving the country’s first gold in the men’s competition since 1980. They were then invited to the White House on Tuesday for a tour, luncheon, and to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking with reporters after the morning skate on Wednesday, Matthews said it hasn’t fully sunk in yet what he and the U.S. team achieved in Milan on Sunday.

“ It’s been a pretty whirlwind 72 hours, to be honest.  But yeah, it was incredible,” Matthews said. “ It was an incredible experience from start to finish. Just being able to go over there and be an Olympian, represent and be in that atmosphere from the village to the games and just all the amazing things that happened over the last couple weeks. I feel very grateful to have been a part of that.  Then to win a gold medal is truly very special.”

While it was a celebratory few days for Matthews and the team, some controversies arose in the wake of the United States’ victory in the men’s competition. Their visit to the White House drew criticism because of Trump’s past comments about Canada and the fact that Matthews is the captain of the country’s biggest NHL team.

Matthews didn’t want to get into the political commentary, but made it clear that he and his American teammates didn’t consider not going.

“The team that wins the Stanley Cup every year accepts the White House invitation to go,” he said. “I just think it’s something that you do because we are proud Americans. Whatever your political beliefs may be, hopefully, something like this will bring more unity to the country. For us, we believe it’s a great honour no matter who’s in office”.

The men’s team also faced heavy backlash from a viral clip of them taking a call from Trump that included remarks about the U.S. women’s team that were deemed sexist and dismissive. Matthews addressed the fallout from the phone call and expressed regret for what transpired in the locker room.

“Yeah, it was unfortunate. We love the women’s team; we support them. The night we won the gold medal, we were hanging out in the dining hall until like three or four in the morning,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that kind of occurred. We have nothing but love and respect for the women’s team and what they were able to accomplish. It’s amazing that the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams are both bringing home gold medals for the United States of America. I think that should be talked about more than the other. But we’re extremely proud of them and happy for them. We support them 100%.”

While Matthews had the option to attend the State of the Union that occurred on Tuesday night, he chose instead to rejoin the Leafs in Tampa Bay ahead of a crucial divisional clash against the Lightning. Given the adjustments back to being in North America and how important these next set of games are, Matthews knew it was best to be ready as soon as possible for the stretch drive.

When asked where he is keeping his gold medal as he has yet to return to Toronto since the Olympics concluded, Matthews said it is secure in his backpack at the team hotel.

“ I think more physical than anything. Just the jet lag, the time change, obviously the last 48 hours has been pretty crazy,” he said when asked about the quick transition. “I just try to go out there and do my best. A lot of it’s probably mental, too. But I’ll go out there. I got a good night’s rest, I’ll get a good meal in today, and just go out there and be a professional.”