Olympic Gold doesn’t change the truth about Auston Matthews

Auston Matthews may have captained Team USA to an Olympic gold but the narrative about him being a winner shouldn't change.

Matthews finished with seven points in six games with Team USA and looked great. He didn't have dominanting flashes of brilliance like Connor McDavid but defensively he was sound and he scored some timely goals in the round robin. However, winning gold shouldn't change how he's viewed in Toronto.

This quote is hilarious as the perception about the Toronto media has gone too far. After winning an Olympic gold, why are his teammates talking about how the media should be portraying him? Why does it always come back to Toronto when that should be the last thing talked about right now?

Quinn Hughes is completely right that Matthews guided them to a championship. He had the "C" on his chest and was a big reason why they made it to the gold medal game, but for the first time in Matthews' career, he was on the right side of goaltending.

For his entire career with the Leafs, his team has been on the wrong side of a hot goaltender and thanks to Connor Hellebuyck, he now knows what it means to be a winner.

If you're keeping track at home, Matthews once again didn't score in the biggest moment or have a game defining play in a do-or-die game. He had an assist on the opening goal but he didn't do anything to register the point. Matt Boldy made an unbelievable play, split Canada's defense and scored on Jordan Binnington.

Matthews is finally on the right side of goaltending

Nobody in Toronto has ever said that Matthews is a terrible player, but instead we've all written about the facts. In six Game 7's with the Leafs, the former Hart Trophy winner has zero goals. The 28 year old unfortunately hasn't delivered in the biggest moments and the same thing happened against Team Canada, but he'll forever be a champion because his team rallied around him.

The Leafs have needed a goaltender to step up in those Game 7's but they've always been on the wrong side of it and as a result, Matthews has never been able to be bailed out like he did during the gold medal game.

Do I want Matthews on my team? Every day of the week.

However, the facts continue to state that he doesn't deliver in the biggest games and Leafs fans can continue to chirp him for that. Until he scores a game-winning goal to lead the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Finals, there should be criticism about him and that's OK.

Sports are supposed to come with criticism and if you can't handle it, we'll happily let him walk in two years, just like we did wtih Mitch Marner. Congratulations to Team USA, but people need to stop bringing up the Toronto media as the analysis of Matthews has been fair his entire career.