Toronto columnist blasts Auston Matthews for White House visit

The fallout from the USA men’s hockey team visit to the White House and State of the Union is continuing, especially north of the border in Toronto with Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

The winners of the USA’s first gold medal since 1980 returned to their NHL teams as play in the league continued on Wednesday. And in some cities they were treated as heroes. Jack Hughes took the mic in New Jersey to a raucous ovation and even brought out Team USA teammate Tage Thompson of the Sabres for a moment of appreciation from the crowd.

Jack Hughes brought out Tage Thompson and spoke to the New Jersey crowd in his return to the NHL after they brought home the gold medal 👏 pic.twitter.com/4p1bBMKRns

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 26, 2026

But nobody has a more awkward predicament than Matthews, who openly welcomed the embrace of Donald Trump as the face of arguably Canada’s most famous sports franchise. In case you’ve been blissfully unaware of the political relationship between the United States and Canada, they are at an all-time low thanks to the president’s constant belittling of our neighbors to the north and talk that they should be adopted as the 51st state.

Just how bad is the perception north of the border? 64% of Canadians now have an unfavorable view of the United States and 77% say they have no confidence in Trump doing the right thing.

Matthews played in Tampa last night with the Leafs visiting the Lightning, so we won’t know how he will be received by his home crowd in Toronto until Saturday when they host the Senators. But if the blistering column from longtime Toronto Star sportswriter Damien Cox is any indication, Auston Matthews might be in for a rude awakening.

The column slams Matthews for his participation in the political events alongside Trump, saying “he failed in every respect as captain of the Leafs. Miserably.” First, Cox argued that Matthews should have skipped the celebrations in Washington DC like other athletes before him because of his ties to Canada as the Maple Leafs captain and responsibilities with the franchise.

Matthews, apparently, is blissfully unaware many athletes and teams have declined invitations from the Trump administration. The entire U.S. women’s hockey team, possibly insulted by the fact Trump seemed to think putting their gold medal on the same level as the men’s was a joke, said thanks but no thanks.

More to the point for Leafs fans and Canadians, Matthews displayed a complete lack of understanding for the responsibilities — hockey and non-hockey — he accepted as the captain of English Canada’s most famous NHL franchise.

Cox also made note of Matthews’ struggles with the Maple Leafs to win the big game, which might make seeing his success with the USA team at the expense of Canada sting just that little bit more. He also referenced his Mexican heritage and the activities of ICE to drive the political point home even further.

In the end, Cox says that the trip to the White House could mark the unofficial end in the Auston Matthews era in Toronto with the Maple Leafs.

Matthews was already widely perceived as a player who wouldn’t go through the wall for the team that helped make him a superstar. Now being captain of the team comes second to smiling for the cameras with a U.S. president who has successfully taken steps to injure the very same Canadian economy where Matthews earns his massive salary.

Of course Matthews is free to be a proud American. His mother, a Mexican immigrant, once found a new life in America. She didn’t even have to dodge ICE bullets to stay.

But it’s also not too much to expect him to proudly represent the Leafs and be supportive of Canada. It’s just not that hard. Mats Sundin always did it, even when playing for his native Sweden.

But No. 34 made his choice. We may well one day look back at this as the day when the Matthews era unofficially ended in Toronto.

This commentary is as forceful as it gets. But it shows just how fraught the situation is when sports and politics intertwine so closely together given the international relations between the USA and Canada are at an all-time low.

The USA team should be celebrated for what they achieved in Italy and it was an incredible moment for the country. But their insistence that their activities with Trump were not political, also while seen wearing his merchandise, is a naive approach in an era where unfortunately everything is political. Matthews has every right to celebrate his gold medal, be proud to win that victory for America, and be celebrated for what was one of the most memorable victories in USA hockey history. But Canadians upset with everything that happened afterwards will feel well within their rights to be aggrieved as well.

All eyes will be on how Auston Matthews will be received by Maple Leafs fans this weekend. And if this column from Damien Cox is any indication, it may not be a warm welcome.