The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action Wednesday night and while his presence was in question, captain Auston Matthews will be in the lineup after celebrating his gold medal win for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Part of that celebration was a brief visit to the White House on Tuesday, as the team was invited by president Donald Trump to attend the State of the Union address. Matthews was not present at the State of the Union, as he left to return to Tampa to re-join his Leafs teammates before Wednesday's game, but he did get the official tour around and was able to meet with the president and enjoy some burgers.
Auston Matthews talks about his White House visit with Team USA
On his arrival to the Leafs, and after morning skate, Matthews spoke with the media about winning the gold medal and visiting the White House.
“We’re proud Americans, and doing something like that, winning a gold medal and representing your country, it felt like a special honour to be invited. I mean, it’s an honour. So it was pretty neat to go there, see everything, and just kind of share that experience with everybody," Matthews said.
The Leafs captain was then asked if he weighed in the fact that he plays in Canada and how the president has said some distasteful things about Canada, when he accepted the invitation.
"I don’t like to get political or get into that kind of stuff," he said. "Like I said, we’re proud Americans, and winning a gold medal, especially since it’s been 46 years since the men’s ice hockey team has done that, means a lot. The team that wins the Stanley Cup every year gets a White House invitation. I just think it’s something you do because we are proud Americans, whatever your political beliefs may be.
"Hopefully something like this can bring more unity to the country and things like that. But for us, we believe it’s a great honour no matter who’s in office."
Matthews will lace up for the Leafs once again as the team attempts to rescue their season against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.