The Toronto Maple Leafs were at home on Saturday for the first time since the 2026 Winter Olympics, and so it was time to recognize the team’s Olympians.
The Maple Leafs had three — two from Team Sweden (William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson) and one from the victorious Team USA.
The American was Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who also happened to be the captain of the U.S. team that won the country’s first men’s hockey Olympic gold medal since 1980 — in the championship game against Canada, no less.
So what kind of reaction would Matthews get in the Canadian city? Would country or NHL team be the determining factor?
When the words ‘gold medalist’ were said, there seemed to be a mixed reaction, but when Matthews’ Leafs position and name were mentioned, the cheers reigned and people stood and clapped.
Watch the video below:
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
