The 2024-25 NHL season has been an exciting experience for fans of the sport. Indeed, there has been a lot of action throughout the campaign, and the anticipation for more is not dying owing to all the events that have occurred in the mid-season. However, in a few days, the 4-Nations Face-Off will begin, and many are excited about it. And guess what? Auston Matthews has been given a new role with bigger responsibility.

The 27-year-old is already the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but from February 12 to 20, the American will be donning the Team USA sweater with the label C on it. You might have already guessed it; indeed, Matthews was declared the captain of the American team in the 4-Nations Face-Off, but he didn’t receive much of a positive reaction from the fans on social media.

So what’s this event all about? The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association decided to hold the 4 Nations’ Face-Off, an international ice hockey tournament. This will span from February 12 to 20, replacing the NHL’s annual All-Star games. Indeed, when it was first announced last year on February 2, many were surprised by this decision taken by the two organizations.

However, which are the countries that are involved in this tournament? They are the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. Many NHL players hail from these countries, and fans will enjoy watching them compete not for their respective franchises but for their national teams. The community will see a wave of patriotism in these players involved in the tournament, and it will be the biggest international ice hockey event since the 2016 World Cup.

So every team will have their own lineups, and for Team USA, the squad would be led by none other than Auston Matthews. This update was announced on Spittin’ Chiclets’ official X profile, “CAPTAIN AMERICA!! Auston Matthews gets the ‘C’ for Team USA at the #4Nations Face-Off. Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk will be the alternate captains.”

These are some experienced names in the NHL scene. Indeed, Matthews is currently the Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain, and with the NHL team being in second place in the Atlantic Division, this is a new opportunity for the center. However, this announcement saw a different kind of reaction from the ice hockey fans on social media.

Ice hockey fans don’t want Auston Matthews as one of the 4-Nations captain

Auston Matthews has been with the Toronto Maple Leafs since the 2016 NHL draft. Indeed, the fans of the franchise have watched him go from a prodigy to the captain of their team. However, it was a big upgrade for the American ice hockey star when he got promoted to the captain of the Leafs, replacing John Tavares. And with him being the captain of Team USA ahead of the 4-Nations, this is another achievement in his career. However, the fans predicted the future, and not in a good way, stating, “First-round exit incoming, sorry team USA.” Similarly, another user wrote, “Lmaoo L USA.” This fan stated, “USA getting the boot in the 1st round.”

The trolling will never stop from the community, and the Leafs’ Stanley Cup drought since 1967 is one of the major reasons. Indeed, the team has secured their place multiple times in the playoffs over past seasons, but they haven’t been successful in chasing the cup. When Matthews was appointed as the captain of the Leafs, he did have a big responsibility on his shoulders, but NHL standings can be deceiving, as things change rapidly in the sport.

Indeed, he has not won the cup with the Leafs for so many years, and there will be questions. This fan is quite frustrated with the decision by Team USA, stating, “Horrible f***ing call.” This user gave Matthews a nickname, stating, “Mr. No Cups.” Another fan related the ice hockey center to another player in the NHL, stating, “This is like Canada naming McDavid captain. They won’t win shit now.”

Matthews will be leading a team that has two types of ice hockey players. There are those who are experienced and those who are young but talented, and if Team USA manages to win the 4-nations event, then it will be a historic moment for the NHL star in his career.