Auston Matthews is chasing gold in Milan, and the payout details are finally public
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Team USA captain Auston Matthews is looking to bring the Americans gold, and if he does so will come into a little bit of extra money thanks to the win.
The goal of winning the Olympic gold medal is something that all athletes strive for, and when it comes to ice hockey, there seems to be a heightened aura around being named the best country in the world (at least on the ice).
It's been a long road for the Americans as they haven't won gold since 1980, and while they are continually the bridesmaid, they can never seem to land being the bride -- though they have a huge chance to rewrite history this year.
Auston Matthews has extra incentive to win gold during 2026 Olympics
A big part of that is going to be Auston Matthews, who has proven that he can be a leader and produce when needed and could be the key to overcoming the odds and standing atop the podium when all's said and done.
But in addition to a gold medal, it seems like Matthews is also going to be getting a bit more in his bank account thanks to the US Olympic Federation:
If Matthews were to win gold, he would earn an additional $37,500 dollars which is doled out to each American athlete who earns top spot. A silver medal would bring him $22,500 while a bronze finish nets him an additional $15,000.
Matthews lucks out as only handful of countries offer Olympic incentive
To a guy who makes over $13-million a year, on top of endorsements nonetheless, it seems like a drop in the bucket for Matthews but given that only a handful of countries decide to add an extra incentive -- it's still nice.
Matthews already made some headlines as he is listed as the second-highest paid athlete performing at the Olympics, only behind China's Eileen Gu. Matthews earns over $20-million between his salary and endorsements, and he's showing why he's earned every penny.
For contrast, Norway, Sweden, and Great Britain all do not pay their athletes so if William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson end up in third or better -- they don't get the extra incentive (though the Scandinavian governments offer stipends for athletes to prepare).
Interestingly enough, even if Matthews ends up coming away with a silver medal he would still walk away with more money than if a Canadian won gold as they only get $18,369 for top spot.
So while it's not a ton of money, it's a nice little bonus for Matthews to walk away with the gold though just winning it at all is what's the most important to the captain.
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FEVRIER 17|955 ANSWERS Auston Matthews is chasing gold in Milan, and the payout details are finally public Do you think Olympic NHL players should be paid? | ||
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