Auston Matthews Says 4 Nations Loss Will Motivate Him

It was a heartbreaking loss for Team USA to wrap up the 4 Nations Face-Off, but while losing their much-talked-about showdown with Team Canada, the Americans' captain, Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews says that he will be using that gut-wrenching loss as motivation.

Matthews one of the biggest American stars in the sport and captains one of the most under-the-microscope teams around, said that the loss on Thursday night still stings… I would've assumed that's the case — when he was asked it had only been 36 hours — but someone asked and, to his credit, Matthews answered.

"It's tough," Matthews said, per TSN. "It means a lot to wear that jersey and have the opportunity, and you never know how many chances you get at representing your country and playing in a tournament like that. It definitely still stings, but you have to flip the page here. It's a pretty quick turnaround."

Unfortunately for Matthews, he was heavily criticized for getting drawn into the corner on the game-winning goal, leaving Connor McDavid — the best hockey player on the planet — alone in the slot and free to bury the puck in the back of the net.

Should Matthews have known better? Yes.

Does s--t happen? Also yes.

Auston Matthews talked about learning from — and finding motivation in — Team USA's overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship.. (Photo by Ben Jackson/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

But you've got to learn from these mistakes and Matthews is more than aware of this.

"That's part of life," he said. "It's not always going to work out in your favor. You know, for me, like, it sucks, but there's nothing that I can do to fix that now. It's about trying to just get better and be better as we move forward here for this team."

Team USA has another big tournament on the horizon in the 2026 Olympics in Milano and Cortina, and Matthews was asked if the loss at the 4 Nations would serve as motivation.

"Yeah, definitely," the Leafs captain said. "Definitely."

Alright, rest of the hockey-playing world. You've been put on notice.