Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews discusses ’72 hours of whirlwind’ since winning gold at the Olympics

Speaking to reporters after the morning skate on Wednesday, Matthews said it hasn’t fully sunk in yet what he and the U.S. team accomplished in Milan on Sunday.

“It’s been a pretty whirlwind 72 hours, to be honest. But yeah, it’s been incredible,” said Matthews. “It was an incredible experience from start to finish. Just going there and being an Olympian, representing and being in that atmosphere, from the village to the games and all the great things that have happened over the last few weeks. I’m very grateful to have been a part of that. Then to win a gold medal is really special.”

While it was a celebratory few days for Matthews and the team, some controversies arose in the wake of the United States’ victory in the men’s competition. Their visit to the White House was criticized for Trump’s previous comments about Canada and the fact that Matthews is the captain of the country’s largest NHL team.

Matthews would not comment on the political commentary, but made it clear that he and his American teammates were not considering opting out.

“The team that wins the Stanley Cup every year accepts the White House invitation to go,” he said. “I just think it’s something you do because we’re proud Americans. Whatever your political beliefs, hopefully something like this will bring more unity to the country. For us, we believe it’s a great honor no matter who’s in office.”

“Yes, it was a shame. We love the women’s team; we support them. The night we won the gold medal, we hung out in the dining room until three or four in the morning,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this has happened. We have nothing but love and respect for the women’s team and what they have been able to achieve. It’s amazing that the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams are both bringing home gold medals for the United States of America. I think that should be talked about more than the other. But we are extremely proud of them and happy for them. We support them 100%.”

When asked where he keeps his gold medal, as he has yet to return to Toronto since the Olympics ended, Matthews said it is safely in his backpack at the team hotel.

“I think it’s more physical than anything. Just the jet lag, the time change, the last 48 hours have obviously been pretty crazy,” he said when asked about the quick transition. “I’m just trying to go out there and do my best. A lot of it is probably mental too. But I’m going out there. I got a good night’s sleep, I’m going to get a good meal today and just go out there and be a professional.”

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL