Every win Team USA secures at Milan-Cortina, Auston Matthews is bound to feel relieved. Not merely because every victory will take them closer to the goal of bringing glory for their country, but inhibitions about Matthews’ competence as a Captain have triggered widespread discourse on social media, and the 28-year-old must be desperate to salvage his reputation.
At this juncture, when the prudence of entrusting Matthews to lead the team is being widely questioned, an insider has come forward with his own thoughts.
Chris Johnston Has Had Enough of Debates Surrounding Auston Matthews’ Leadership Abilities
When Sidney Crosby was announced as Team Canada’s Captain, the decision was widely lauded; it was almost apparent that no better candidate existed than Crosby to lead the team.
Despite the presence of players like Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, it was a unanimous sentiment that no one else could don the C like Crosby; not only is the veteran hockey player a seasoned Olympian, but he has also led the Pittsburgh Penguins to three Stanley Cup victories. Clearly, Crosby was as able a leader as one could get.
Meanwhile, Matthews, despite his personal accomplishments and hockey skills, has failed to break the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup drought. The 28-year-old’s leadership skills remain widely questioned, with many considering him a potent regular-season force who wanes in the playoffs. Matthews’s unsuccessful attempt to lead the team to victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off did little to dispel doubts about his potential.
Chris Johnston, however, believes there is little merit to the argument about Matthews’ purported shortcomings that has the internet gripped with fervor. “I feel like people almost arrived at the preconceived storyline, and the minute he didn’t have four goals in games that the team won anyway, in games that he was producing shots, it felt too convenient of a narrative to me versus something that is real,” Johnston explained in a recent episode of “The Chris Johnston Show.”
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Of course, the insider is not completely absolving Matthews of all responsibility. Still, he prefers to wait and see whether Team USA’s Captain can really rise to the occasion and deliver under pressure, and it’s too early to determine that.
“I think what people want to know is, can he find another gear and another level in a must-win moment, right? We are not going to get that answer until the next few games to see what happens with Team USA and how he plays. It’s a complicated answer.”
Johnston also forwarded a blunt critique of the media, calling their views on the subject “lazy.”
Despite the controversy surrounding Matthews, he has made a difference in the team’s latest showdown against Germany, scoring two goals. As the United States braces for quarterfinals, the stakes for the Captain are higher than ever.
