There were still plenty of unhappy Canadians in the crowd.
PublishedFebruary 28, 2026 8:30 PM EST•UpdatedFebruary 28, 2026 8:30 PM EST
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One of the biggest post-Olympic questions was how members of the gold medal-winning Team USA who play for Canadian NHL teams would be received by their home crowds.
One of those is Team USA captain Auston Matthews, who also happens to be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His welcome was about as mixed as it could be.
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There have been some completely unhinged takes coming out of the Great White North in the days after the Americans defeated Canada for their first men’s hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
I’m talking wiiiiiiiild.
Like, “making up standing armies of tanks and guns at the border” wild… and other meltdowns.
And while that’s an ultra-small minority of Canadian hockey fans (who are also clout-chasing media members), it was still interesting to see how Matthews would be received.
Would they cheer for the Maple Leafs captain? Or would they boo him after helping to snatch gold away from them?
Well, the answer is both.
Matthews was honored along with fellow Leafs and Team Sweden players William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and when his name was announced, it sounded close to 50/50.
Alright, maybe 60/40 in favor of boos.
Sure, I hate to see America getting booed, but most fans put their country ahead of their favorite club team.
I mean, I’m a Flyers guy, and I didn’t care at all that Travis Sanheim and Rick Tocchet went home bummed.
So, while I’m not a fan of Matthews getting booed, I’m not sure that I can say I wouldn’t have done the same thing in the Leafs fans’ position.
But now it’s in the past, and the focus is back on the Leafs.
Unfortunately, that just means attention will turn to how the Leafs are dead last in the Atlantic Division and how the team might need to be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.
But, that’s life as a Leafs fan for you…
