WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.080 Apple podcast title, Austin Matthews, from the 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:06.099 desert to Olympic gold, the deep dive. How did 00:00:06.099 --> 00:00:08.400 a kid from Arizona who grew up fascinated by 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:10.740 Zambonis become the defining hockey player of 00:00:10.740 --> 00:00:13.539 his generation? In this deep dive, we unpack 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:16.739 the unprecedented rise of Austin Matthews. From 00:00:16.739 --> 00:00:18.579 his unconventional path through the Swiss Pro 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:20.920 League to shattering Toronto Maple Leafs franchise 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:23.519 records and hitting a historic 69 -goal season, 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:26.879 we cover it all. We also explore his crowning 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:29.460 achievement. captaining Team USA to their first 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:32.840 Olympic gold since 1980 at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:36.140 Whether you are a diehard NHL fan or just love 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:38.880 a story of defying the odds, this deep dive explores 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:41.579 the making of a modern sports icon. Keywords, 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.119 Austin Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs, Team USA, 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:48.200 Olympic gold 2026, NHL history 69 goals, hockey, 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:50.689 heart trophy, USA hockey. Welcome back to the 00:00:50.689 --> 00:00:53.170 Deep Dive. Today we have a pretty specific mission. 00:00:53.329 --> 00:00:55.130 We do. We're taking you on a journey through 00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:58.250 the comprehensive 2026 Wikipedia biography of 00:00:58.250 --> 00:01:01.189 a true modern sports icon. Yeah, and it's a completely 00:01:01.189 --> 00:01:04.310 fascinating read. It really is. Our mission today 00:01:04.310 --> 00:01:07.969 is to uncover how an athlete from a, well, a 00:01:07.969 --> 00:01:11.510 completely non -traditional hockey market redefined 00:01:11.510 --> 00:01:14.310 modern goal scoring. How he shattered decades 00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:17.870 -old records and just recently brought Olympic 00:01:17.870 --> 00:01:20.579 glory back to the United States. Which is still 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:23.200 hard to believe. I know. We are, of course, talking 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:26.040 about Austen Matthews. Okay, let's unpack this 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:28.560 because the sheer improbability of this story 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:30.799 is just wild. It really is. We're talking about 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:34.099 a kid born in California, right? Raised in Scottsdale, 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:38.000 Arizona. His mother, Ema, is from Mexico. And 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.459 she knew absolutely nothing about hockey when 00:01:40.459 --> 00:01:42.400 he started. Right, which is obviously not your 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:44.959 typical origin story for an NHL superstar. I 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:47.060 mean, usually we hear about kids leasing up skates 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:50.040 on frozen ponds in Ontario or Minnesota before 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:52.459 they can even walk. Exactly. And his initial 00:01:52.459 --> 00:01:54.280 attraction to the sport wasn't even the game 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:56.680 itself. When he went to local Phoenix Coyotes 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:58.560 games as a toddler, he didn't care about the 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:00.739 players. He was just mesmerized watching the 00:02:00.739 --> 00:02:03.260 Zamboni clean the ice during the... He just liked 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:04.840 the big machine. Yeah, he just liked the big 00:02:04.840 --> 00:02:07.379 truck driving around the ice. Well, what's fascinating 00:02:07.379 --> 00:02:09.479 here is that this isn't just a traditional sports 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:12.819 story. It's really a study in unconventional 00:02:12.819 --> 00:02:15.539 development. Yeah. Because when you look at the 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:18.680 massive scope of his achievements by age 28, 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:22.520 shattering the salary cap era goal record, becoming 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:25.560 the Leafs' all -time leading scorer, and captaining 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.020 Team USA to their first gold since the miracle 00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:31.479 on ice in 1980, you realize none of this happened. 00:02:31.849 --> 00:02:33.909 Because he followed the standard hockey playbook. 00:02:33.969 --> 00:02:37.430 No, he practically rewrote it from scratch. And 00:02:37.430 --> 00:02:40.469 to understand how he rewrote it, I want to look 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:42.849 at his childhood. Because hockey wasn't even 00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:45.050 necessarily his best sport early on. I was reading 00:02:45.050 --> 00:02:47.129 that his dad said baseball was actually his strongest 00:02:47.129 --> 00:02:50.389 game. That's right. He had this elite, off -the 00:02:50.389 --> 00:02:52.969 -charts hand -eye coordination, which made him 00:02:52.969 --> 00:02:55.229 just an unbelievable hitter in baseball. So why 00:02:55.229 --> 00:02:57.289 didn't we see him in the MLB? Well, he ended 00:02:57.289 --> 00:02:59.150 up quitting baseball for a very simple reason. 00:02:59.189 --> 00:03:01.229 He thought it was just too slow. Too slow. Yeah, 00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:03.509 he needed the pace of hockey. But the thing is, 00:03:03.530 --> 00:03:05.750 he didn't leave baseball behind entirely. He 00:03:05.750 --> 00:03:07.830 brought the mechanics of the batter's box right 00:03:07.830 --> 00:03:10.250 onto the ice. Wait, how does a baseball swing 00:03:10.250 --> 00:03:12.629 translate to an ice hockey shot? That seems like 00:03:12.629 --> 00:03:14.789 two totally different physics equations. It's 00:03:14.789 --> 00:03:17.210 all in the hands and the torque. So because he 00:03:17.210 --> 00:03:20.520 played baseball, Matthews developed this. Totally 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.860 unique ability to change the angle of his hockey 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:26.319 stick blade at the very last millisecond. Oh, 00:03:26.340 --> 00:03:29.879 wow. Yeah. Before he shoots, he practically drags 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:31.879 the puck closer to his own feet, pulling it inward, 00:03:32.020 --> 00:03:34.500 which completely changes the release point. And 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:37.280 that throws the goalie off. It completely blindsides 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:38.979 the goaltender because they are tracking the 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:41.960 puck's original path. That incredible hand -eye 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:45.379 coordination from baseball. is the literal secret 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:48.419 sauce to his release. That is wild. He's basically 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:51.219 throwing a curveball with a hockey stick. And 00:03:51.219 --> 00:03:53.080 there's this incredible anecdote about where 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:56.000 his true hockey obsession sparked. Oh, the 2006 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:59.439 game. Yes, January 16, 2006. Eight -year -old 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:01.659 Austin Matthews is sitting in the stands at a 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:03.599 Coyotes game against the Washington Capitals. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.240 And he actually witnesses in person Alexander 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.919 Ovechkin score what is now universally known 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.699 as the goal. The goal. Every hockey fan knows 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:13.949 exactly what you're talking about. Right. Ovechkin 00:04:13.949 --> 00:04:16.170 gets knocked down, slides on his back, reaches 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:18.769 over his own head, and somehow hooks the puck 00:04:18.769 --> 00:04:21.410 into the net completely blind. Yeah, and Matthews 00:04:21.410 --> 00:04:22.810 is in the building for that. He's right there. 00:04:22.970 --> 00:04:25.310 He later called it one of the best goals ever. 00:04:25.509 --> 00:04:28.149 And that inspiration gets channeled into a training 00:04:28.149 --> 00:04:29.990 environment that frankly sounds like a movie 00:04:29.990 --> 00:04:31.889 script. Because he isn't playing in freezing 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:34.449 Canadian arenas. He's in the Arizona desert. 00:04:34.910 --> 00:04:37.649 And his main youth coach is a man named Boris 00:04:37.649 --> 00:04:40.410 Doroshenko. And Doroshenko's background is a 00:04:40.410 --> 00:04:43.129 story in itself. Yeah. He is a Ukrainian coach 00:04:43.129 --> 00:04:45.870 who had previously founded the National Ice Hockey 00:04:45.870 --> 00:04:48.350 Program of Mexico. Wait, the National Hockey 00:04:48.350 --> 00:04:50.870 Program of Mexico? Exactly. And when he came 00:04:50.870 --> 00:04:52.930 to the U .S., he actually lived with Matthew's 00:04:52.930 --> 00:04:55.490 paternal grandparents for his first few years. 00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:58.279 So think about this melting pot of influences. 00:04:58.540 --> 00:05:00.800 It's crazy. You have the intense hand -eye coordination 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.620 mechanics borrowed from baseball, layered with 00:05:03.620 --> 00:05:06.740 a Ukrainian coach who built Mexico's hockey program, 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:09.680 all operating out of the Arizona desert. So what 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:11.819 did Doroshenko actually teach him that was so 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:13.819 different from like a standard Canadian hockey 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:16.600 camp? Well, Doroshenko's methods were highly 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:18.939 unorthodox. He wouldn't just have kids skate 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:21.480 up and down the ice. He focused obsessively on 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:24.500 edge work. on balance and skating in incredibly 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:27.040 tight spaces. Almost like figure skating. Exactly. 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:29.100 It's almost like figure skating drills with a 00:05:29.100 --> 00:05:32.420 puck. That hyper -unique foundation is exactly 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:35.180 what built Matthew's lethal adaptability. It 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:37.860 really makes you think, doesn't it? We are often 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:39.379 told there's a right way to move up the ladder 00:05:39.379 --> 00:05:41.959 no matter what industry you are in. But Matthews 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:44.079 proves that sometimes the biggest competitive 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.300 advantage you can possibly have comes from being 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:49.199 completely outside the traditional system. Totally. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:51.839 Pulling from diverse disciplines, finding mentors 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.579 in unexpected places, that is what creates a 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:56.779 completely unique skill set. Absolutely. And 00:05:56.779 --> 00:05:58.319 if you think his youth hockey path was unusual, 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:01.560 his transition to the pros is completely unprecedented. 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:04.879 Here's where it gets really interesting. As he 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:08.019 approaches his NHL draft eligibility, he discovers 00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:12.259 he missed the 2015 NHL draft cutoff date. And 00:06:12.259 --> 00:06:14.100 he didn't miss it by months. He missed it by 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:17.019 two days. Two days. Yeah. His birthday is September 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:20.180 17th and the cutoff is September 15th. Which 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:23.360 is a massive sliding doors moment. Normally a 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:26.519 North American phenom in his position would just 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:28.500 play Canadian major junior hockey for another 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:31.319 year. They'd go dominate a league full of 16 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:33.759 and 17 year olds or they go play in the NCAA. 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:36.879 But he doesn't do either of those things. At 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.319 age 17, he packs up and signs a professional 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:42.980 contract to play for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland's 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:46.470 top league. How on earth does a 17 -year -old 00:06:46.470 --> 00:06:48.910 kid decide to move to Europe to play pro? Well, 00:06:48.930 --> 00:06:50.790 the strategic brilliance of this move really 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:53.310 cannot be overstated. Instead of playing against 00:06:53.310 --> 00:06:55.389 other teenagers in North America where he was 00:06:55.389 --> 00:06:58.029 already physically and skillfully dominant, he 00:06:58.029 --> 00:07:00.889 deliberately chose to bypass that system. He 00:07:00.889 --> 00:07:02.850 wanted to play against fully grown professional 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:05.449 men in the Swiss National League A. That is a 00:07:05.449 --> 00:07:07.550 huge risk, right? What if he went over there 00:07:07.550 --> 00:07:10.089 and just got physically bullied by guys 10 years 00:07:10.089 --> 00:07:12.709 older than him? It was a risk, but it was a very 00:07:12.709 --> 00:07:15.060 calculated one. He was coached over there by 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:17.720 former NHL head coach Mark Crawford. Crawford 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:19.600 had actually scouted him at the Under -18 World 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:21.920 Championships and was just blown away by his 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:23.879 skating and puck possession. Playing in Switzerland 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:26.180 wasn't just a waiting room for the NHL. It was 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:28.560 a crucible. And he thrived in that crucible. 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:30.899 I mean, he won a Swiss Cup. He finished second 00:07:30.899 --> 00:07:33.779 in the league's MVP voting. And he physically 00:07:33.779 --> 00:07:36.060 prepared his body for the rigors of the National 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:38.660 Hockey League. Exactly. He learned how to battle 00:07:38.660 --> 00:07:40.420 against adults in the corners, how to protect 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:42.779 the puck from veteran defensemen. It accelerated 00:07:42.779 --> 00:07:45.300 his development by light years. Which perfectly 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:48.660 set the stage for his NHL arrival. So let's fast 00:07:48.660 --> 00:07:51.759 forward to 2016. He is drafted first overall 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:53.639 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first American 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:56.120 to go number one since Patrick Kane in 2007. 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:58.920 Right. Now, there was a tiny bit of preseason 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:01.560 drama regarding contract bonuses with the legendary, 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:04.079 notoriously strict Leafs general manager Lou 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.420 Lamoriello. But they got it done the Toronto 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:08.600 way in about 10 minutes of negotiating. And then 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:12.319 we get to opening night, October 12, 2016. One 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:14.519 of the most famous debuts in the history of professional 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.279 sports. Matthews makes his NHL debut against 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:19.740 the Ottawa Senators and goaltender Craig Anderson. 00:08:20.180 --> 00:08:22.899 Paint a picture for us what exactly happens in 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:25.240 this game. Well, the anticipation is sky high. 00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:28.220 He's the savior of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a 00:08:28.220 --> 00:08:30.680 franchise that has been starved for a superstar. 00:08:31.220 --> 00:08:33.840 And in his very first game, he doesn't just score 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:38.240 a goal. He scores four goals. Four. In his first 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:42.360 ever NHL game. Yes. It made him the first player 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:45.139 in modern NHL history to do that in a debut. 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:48.059 And he wasn't just scoring lucky garbage goals. 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:50.320 His second goal of the night, he practically 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:52.720 pickpocketed an elite defenseman, Mark Stone, 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:56.460 skated past two other guys and sniped it. The 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:58.820 crowded Ottawa rival arena was just an absolute 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:01.399 shock. I can only imagine. His jersey instantly 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:03.360 became the highest selling in the league. That 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:05.480 four -goal debut must have put a massive target 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:08.139 on his back, though. It did, but it also instantly 00:09:08.139 --> 00:09:10.139 shifted the center of gravity in the NHL. It 00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:12.019 signaled the arrival of a generational talent. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:15.120 He finished that rookie season with 40 goals, 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.460 taking home the Calder Memorial Trophy, which 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:20.470 is the league's top rookie award. Just as an 00:09:20.470 --> 00:09:22.690 indicator of his sheer consistency right out 00:09:22.690 --> 00:09:25.570 of the gate, he set an unofficial NHL record 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:28.470 by starting his career with a 103 -game streak 00:09:28.470 --> 00:09:31.210 where he registered at least one shot on goal. 00:09:31.470 --> 00:09:33.789 From day one, he was an offensive engine that 00:09:33.789 --> 00:09:36.190 simply could not be turned off. He was a volume 00:09:36.190 --> 00:09:38.570 shooter, but with sniper accuracy. And that engine 00:09:38.570 --> 00:09:40.909 went into absolute overdrive as we moved into 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:43.490 the 2020s. Right. So we know he has this incredible 00:09:43.490 --> 00:09:46.830 rookie debut. But there's a big gap between being 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:49.149 a great rookie and being a generational legend. 00:09:49.450 --> 00:09:51.929 When does he make that leap into the stratosphere? 00:09:52.169 --> 00:09:55.529 That really crystallizes in the 2021 to 2022 00:09:55.529 --> 00:09:58.590 season. He puts up a 60 -goal season. He takes 00:09:58.590 --> 00:10:00.250 home the Hart Trophy, which is the league MVP, 00:10:00.590 --> 00:10:02.990 but he also wins the Ted Lindsay Award. And the 00:10:02.990 --> 00:10:05.210 Ted Lindsay is arguably even more special, right? 00:10:05.350 --> 00:10:07.809 Many players say it is because that one is voted 00:10:07.809 --> 00:10:09.690 on by the players you actually skate against 00:10:09.690 --> 00:10:12.070 every night. It's the ultimate sign of pure respect. 00:10:12.490 --> 00:10:15.820 But even 60 goals wasn't his ceiling. I want 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:19.100 to really dive into the 2023 to 2024 season because 00:10:19.100 --> 00:10:21.759 this is where the records just shatter. He opens 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:24.220 that season with back to back hat tricks. Then 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:26.220 in February, the All -Star Game is hosted in 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:28.799 Toronto and he serves as a team captain alongside 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:31.580 Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber. Which is just 00:10:31.580 --> 00:10:34.220 a surreal pop culture crossover moment. Totally. 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.820 Team Matthews wins the tournament and Matthews 00:10:36.820 --> 00:10:39.340 takes home the All -Star MVP, the first Leaf 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:42.000 to do that in 33 years. But the defining number 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.470 of that season. The one that cemented his legacy 00:10:44.470 --> 00:10:48.929 is 69. Wait, 69 goals? In modern hockey, how 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:50.889 is that even possible with today's goaltending 00:10:50.889 --> 00:10:53.129 and defensive systems? If we connect this to 00:10:53.129 --> 00:10:56.330 the bigger picture, the magnitude of 69 goals 00:10:56.330 --> 00:10:59.350 in the modern NHL is staggering. Goalies today 00:10:59.350 --> 00:11:01.549 are massive. They wear highly engineered pads, 00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:04.429 and teams play complex defensive traps. For context, 00:11:04.470 --> 00:11:07.450 in the salary cap era, which began in 2005, Alexander 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:10.070 Ovechkin held the record with 65 goals. Matthews 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:12.409 blew past that. So he beat his childhood idols' 00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:16.179 modern record. Yes. In fact, 69 goals was the 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:19.580 most scored by any NHL player in 28 years. You 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:21.460 have to go all the way back to Mario Lemieux 00:11:21.460 --> 00:11:25.379 in the 1995 to 1996 season to find a number that 00:11:25.379 --> 00:11:28.440 high. Matthews was operating in a stratosphere 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:31.679 entirely his own. This pace also made him the 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:34.500 fastest Leaf to reach 500 points. And eventually, 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:37.940 by January 2026, he passed the legendary Matt 00:11:37.940 --> 00:11:40.820 Sundin. to become the franchise's all -time leading 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:42.740 goal scorer. But of course, in Toronto, individual 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:45.440 records always clash with the immense suffocating 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:47.820 pressures of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And we 00:11:47.820 --> 00:11:49.480 have to be balanced here. It was a roller coaster. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:51.740 It wasn't all sunshine and trophies. Not at all. 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:54.039 For years, there was repeated first -round heartbreak. 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:56.720 Right. Surrendering a 3 -1 series lead to the 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.340 Montreal Canadiens in 2021, repeated devastating 00:11:59.340 --> 00:12:02.299 Game 7 losses to the Boston Bruins. The Toronto 00:12:02.299 --> 00:12:04.740 media market is ruthless, and the burden on Matthews 00:12:04.740 --> 00:12:06.940 was heavy. People were questioning if he could 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:10.149 produce when the ice got smaller. But there were 00:12:10.149 --> 00:12:13.549 massive breakthroughs, too. In 2023, he helped 00:12:13.549 --> 00:12:15.389 lead the Leafs past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:18.470 scoring five goals in the series to end the franchise's 00:12:18.470 --> 00:12:20.990 almost two -decade -long playoff series drought. 00:12:21.610 --> 00:12:24.250 That was a huge monkey off his back. And then 00:12:24.250 --> 00:12:27.009 in the 2025 playoffs, during a grueling second 00:12:27.009 --> 00:12:28.549 -round series against the defending champion 00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:31.269 Florida Panthers, Matthews scores the Game 6 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:33.950 winner in a tense 2 -0 victory to force a Game 00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:36.889 7. He proved he could deliver under the most 00:12:36.889 --> 00:12:39.669 intense pressure imaginable. And that proven 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:42.450 leadership ability culminated in the defining 00:12:42.450 --> 00:12:44.909 peak of his career thus far, which brings us 00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:47.370 to 2026. Let's look at the timeline here. In 00:12:47.370 --> 00:12:50.090 August 2024, the Toronto Maple Leafs name him 00:12:50.090 --> 00:12:52.870 captain. That is a massive deal. He becomes the 00:12:52.870 --> 00:12:55.549 first American -born captain in the history of 00:12:55.549 --> 00:12:57.850 that storied Canadian franchise. It's a huge 00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:00.269 cultural shift for Toronto. And he takes that 00:13:00.269 --> 00:13:02.990 leadership mandate directly into the 2026 Winter 00:13:02.990 --> 00:13:05.820 Olympics in Milano Cortina. This is a monumental 00:13:05.820 --> 00:13:07.919 event for international hockey with all the top 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:10.799 NHL stars finally returning to the Olympic stage. 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:13.700 And Matthews isn't just on the team. He is named 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:17.139 the captain of Team USA. Exactly. And he leads 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:19.519 them all the way to the gold medal game. And 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:22.519 who do they face? None other than Canada. You 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:24.399 literally cannot write a better script. It's 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:26.980 poetry. He's facing off against his longtime 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:28.960 Toronto teammate Mitch Marner, who is playing 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:31.700 for Canada. The tension in that building in Italy 00:13:31.700 --> 00:13:35.070 was indescribable. It goes to overtime. Sudden 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:37.049 death for Olympic gold. And the U .S. pulls it 00:13:37.049 --> 00:13:39.669 off. They win 2 -1 in overtime. This wasn't just 00:13:39.669 --> 00:13:42.710 a victory. It was historic. It was Team USA's 00:13:42.710 --> 00:13:45.889 first men's ice hockey Olympic gold medal since 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:50.029 1980. The miracle on ice. That is 46 years of 00:13:50.029 --> 00:13:52.909 waiting. Captaining that team realized his status 00:13:52.909 --> 00:13:55.370 not just as a great player, but as a generational 00:13:55.370 --> 00:13:57.759 leader on the global stage. It's incredible. 00:13:57.899 --> 00:13:59.539 But of course, when you win Olympic gold and 00:13:59.539 --> 00:14:01.720 reach that level of global superstardom life 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.720 off the ice gets a lot more complex. You are 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:06.519 no longer just a hockey player. You are a public 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:09.360 figure navigating a very intense spotlight. True, 00:14:09.419 --> 00:14:10.899 though, even his quiet moments are interesting. 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:14.419 During the 2020 lockdowns, for example, he retreated 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:16.320 to his hometown of Scottsdale and lived with 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.639 his then teammate Frederick Anderson. He got 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.919 a miniature Bernadette named Felix. I love that. 00:14:21.059 --> 00:14:23.500 And. Showing that he's always looking to expand 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:26.279 his horizons, he actually enrolled in online 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:28.500 courses at the University of Nebraska Omaha. 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:31.379 But the spotlight always finds you, especially 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:34.620 when sports and global politics intersect. Of 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:36.399 course, when you win Olympic gold, you get the 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:40.639 White House invite. And in February 2026, that 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:43.399 visit came with some heavy political media coverage. 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:46.320 Exactly. Based on the reporting from the sources, 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:48.480 the team faced public backlash regarding the 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:51.440 inclusion of FBI Director Kash Patel at the event. 00:14:51.789 --> 00:14:54.149 Additionally, President Trump made a joke suggesting 00:14:54.149 --> 00:14:56.590 he might be impeached if he did not invite the 00:14:56.590 --> 00:14:58.610 women's Olympic team. And Matthews found himself 00:14:58.610 --> 00:15:00.750 right in the middle of a media scrum over this. 00:15:00.830 --> 00:15:02.549 How did he handle it? Well, Matthews actually 00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:04.190 didn't attend the State of the Union address, 00:15:04.289 --> 00:15:06.690 but he did tour the White House with the majority 00:15:06.690 --> 00:15:09.370 of his team. When reporters pressed him on it, 00:15:09.429 --> 00:15:11.909 he publicly called the president's comments a 00:15:11.909 --> 00:15:14.879 distasteful joke. However, he didn't boycott 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:17.240 the experience. He stated that it was an incredible 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.379 honor to tour the White House, and he made a 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:21.659 deliberate point to emphasize the shared respect 00:15:21.659 --> 00:15:24.100 and excitement that existed between both the 00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:26.399 men's and women's national teams. So what does 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:29.080 this all mean? For you listening, think about 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:31.679 the tightrope modern global athletes have to 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.230 walk today. They are balancing their own personal 00:15:34.230 --> 00:15:36.169 convictions, their responsibility to represent 00:15:36.169 --> 00:15:39.070 their team and their country, and an incredibly 00:15:39.070 --> 00:15:42.950 intense 24 -7 public scrutiny where every single 00:15:42.950 --> 00:15:46.470 quote is analyzed and politicized. It's the burden 00:15:46.470 --> 00:15:48.370 of the captaincy, both for his NHL franchise 00:15:48.370 --> 00:15:51.009 and his country. You are expected to be the voice 00:15:51.009 --> 00:15:54.009 of reason, the offensive powerhouse, the diplomat, 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:57.370 and the cultural ambassador all at once. Matthew's 00:15:57.370 --> 00:15:59.710 navigating that situation by standing by his 00:15:59.710 --> 00:16:02.029 perspective on the joke while still honoring 00:16:02.029 --> 00:16:04.309 the institutional achievement of the visit and 00:16:04.309 --> 00:16:06.669 lifting up the women's team as a prime example 00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:09.009 of the extreme diplomacy required of a modern 00:16:09.009 --> 00:16:12.169 sports icon. It really is. And as we wrap up 00:16:12.169 --> 00:16:14.970 this deep dive into his life and career up to 00:16:14.970 --> 00:16:17.730 2026, I want to bring it back to the core theme 00:16:17.730 --> 00:16:20.350 for you, the listener. It's a fascinating observation 00:16:20.350 --> 00:16:22.809 on talent development. Unconventional paths can 00:16:22.809 --> 00:16:25.029 lead to historic greatness. You do not have to 00:16:25.029 --> 00:16:26.809 follow the traditional playbook. Right. You don't 00:16:26.809 --> 00:16:29.049 have to play Canadian junior hockey if you have 00:16:29.049 --> 00:16:31.009 the discipline to forge your own path against 00:16:31.009 --> 00:16:33.889 adults in Switzerland. Exactly. You don't have 00:16:33.889 --> 00:16:36.730 to grow up in a freezing climate to dominate 00:16:36.730 --> 00:16:39.529 a winter sport if you're willing to combine baseball 00:16:39.529 --> 00:16:41.950 mechanics with international coaching in the 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:45.090 Arizona desert. You can forge a completely new 00:16:45.090 --> 00:16:48.029 paradigm. This raises an important question, 00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:50.389 and it's one that goes far beyond sports. That's 00:16:50.389 --> 00:16:53.490 right. Considering how Austin Matthews completely 00:16:53.490 --> 00:16:56.629 broke the traditional mold coming from the desert 00:16:56.629 --> 00:17:00.049 shaped by baseball mechanics and a Ukrainian 00:17:00.049 --> 00:17:02.690 -Mexican coaching system to ultimately claim 00:17:02.690 --> 00:17:04.970 the most historic records in a traditional winter 00:17:04.970 --> 00:17:08.700 sport. How much untapped genius is sitting out 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:10.940 there in the world right now just waiting for 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:13.380 the right unorthodox environment to unlock it? 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:15.160 That is exactly what we want to leave you with 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:17.140 today. Thank you so much for joining us on this 00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:19.539 deep dive. Keep looking for those unorthodox 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:21.720 paths in your own life. Keep questioning the 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:23.680 traditional systems, and we will catch you next 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:23.900 time.