This is what it's all about. On Sunday morning, the United States and Canada will be facing off against one another for Olympic gold. The two powerhouses are colliding at the top of the mountain to determine which nation can truly claim dominance of the hockey world. And there's of course, a Toronto Maple Leafs angle to it.
United States captain Auston Matthews will be going head-to-head against his former Leafs teammate Mitch Marner and the rest of the Canadian team. But, of course there is a slight wrinkle to his feeling about the game overall.
Matthews has only ever played in Toronto, and therefore Canada, during his NHL career. All he has known in professional hockey -- other than playing in Switzerland during his draft year -- is calling a whole bunch of Canadians his fans. So, is there any conflicting feeling that the people that have supported him the most will be cheering for him to lose?
For him, he understands the query but it really feels like a bigger game than his career so far.
Auston Matthews excited to face Canada for Olympic gold
Auston Matthews has spent his NHL career playing in Canada. How he feels about facing Canada in Sunday’s gold-medal hockey game. pic.twitter.com/WZpjCcBVHE
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) February 20, 2026
"Yeah, I definitely see both sides of it, playing in Canada and representing the U.S, I mean, two nations, very passionate about hockey, an it's gonna be a great game, I think," Matthews said. "Last year, you kind of saw with the two games we played, how tight it was, and how fast and competitive both teams are, very evenly matched. it's gonna be an amazing test for us, all of us are up to the challenge."
Of course, he's referencing the tightly checked final of the 4 Nations Face-Off that took place a year ago and how in both the round robin and final game of that mid-season tournament it was maybe the most competitive best-on-best hockey game we've seen from this group of men.
It was a spectacle and Sunday morning should be no different. It was almost guaranteed to be these two countries facing off -- although the semifinal got a little dicey there for Canada -- so it feels like a true clash of hockey behemoths.
Maybe it isn't so bad that Matthews is captaining the United States -- at least we can be happy for him and how this will instantly cause his doubters to really stop overly critcizing the most talented player to put on the Blue and White.