Mike Modano thinks Olympic gold could be a turning point for Matthews: Leafs Morning Take

What a game. Someone had to win, someone had to lose.

To kick off Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning – as we return to our full-time schedule – we tackled everything surrounding Sunday’s OT thriller. From Nathan MacKinnon’s disdain for that stuffed animal to Hughes going five holes into OT on Jordan Binnington to capture gold for Team USA, we covered it all. First of all, congratulations to Auston Matthews, who had a very strong performance in Italy. As expected, it was an exciting match. That said, there is no doubt that Canada was the better team. Although that is sometimes the case. Connor Hellebuyck was great. That was without a doubt the big story. Canada had its chances. That’s life. There’s no need to make excuses. Win with grace, lose with grace. Simple and clear.

Anyway, we dove into Matthews’ storyline. As usual, he had several teammates defend him after the game. For the first time in his career, the Leafs captain won the big one, so naturally we discussed what Olympic gold means for his legacy. Matthews, who was a helper in Sunday’s final, finished the tournament with three goals and seven points in six games. He certainly hasn’t hurt his shares, that’s for sure. As mentioned, both Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes were quoted after the win. They wanted the hockey world to know that Matthews is now officially a winner. They wanted this to be celebrated in Toronto. To be honest, we spent a lot of the show discussing that. He did. He also had a major role in GOLD, which was great to see. It’s one thing to be captain of the Maple Leafs, but it’s another thing to lead an entire nation.

The Matthews theme continued in our interview with Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano, one of the best American players to ever do it. Unsurprisingly, he was very complimentary of Matthews. Modano has clarified some comments he made on radio/TV in Toronto a few weeks ago about the market and that he did not wish anyone to criticize. Furthermore, the 55-year-old believes there is no doubt that Matthews has silenced some of his doubters. He thinks he can also translate this victory into future success. Modano also went out of his way to suggest he thinks Matthews needs more around him in Toronto. He was very honest with his assessment and praise.

Finally, we quickly touched on the Leafs, who are gearing up for Wednesday’s game in Tampa and then Thursday night in Sunrise. At this time, Matthews’ availability for that game is unknown. The American team was diverted to Miami due to the weather. Moreover, they are expected to be at the White House on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Dakota Joshua appears ready to return to the lineup.

Either way, Zack Phillips will replace Jay Rosehill on Tuesday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. Continuing with the American theme, Hockey Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick stops by the show. We’ll also look ahead to Wednesday’s return from the Olympics for the Leafs as they visit Jon Cooper’s Bolts.