MILAN — Auston Matthews will wear the 'C' for the U.S. men's hockey team at the2026 Winter Olympics.
Matthews, a captain with theToronto Maple Leafs, captained the USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where the Americans placed second, behind Canada.
It is a safe choice that reflects Matthews' status as the best American player in hockey. But it is also one that will raise questions if the U.S. team -loaded with elite players at every position- comes away from these Winter Games with anything short of gold.
The team plays its first game on Feb. 12 against Latvia, faces Denmark on Feb. 14 and Germany on Feb. 15.
NHL player Auston Matthews heads to the Winter Games looking for gold
Red-eyed, white and blue :Exclusive: US men's hockey GM Bill Guerin talks 2026 Olympics roster
Bill Guerin, the USA men's team general manager, had a number of choices.
There are several players on the roster who serve as captains of their respective NHL clubs, including Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), J.T. Miller (New York Rangers), Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth) and Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings).
There's also Quinn Hughes (Minnesota Wild), who was captain of his former club, theVancouver Canucks.
Matthew Tkachuk does not captain the Florida Panthers, but he had led them to two consecutive Stanley Cup titles.
Matthews, 28, is an enormously skilled player. He twice has reached 60 goals in a season and fell one goal shy of 70 in 2023-24.
What he does not have is a record of leadership in the playoffs when games are on the line. In career Game 7s - and once out of the preliminary group stage, every Olympic game is an elimination game - Matthews has not scored a goal in six showdowns, producing just three assists and a minus-4 rating.
Boston Bruinsdefenseman Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk were named alternate captains.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Auston Matthews named Team USA captain for 2026 Olympics
