Why Team USA's Olympic hockey win went so viral in Mexico

The Milan Cortina Olympics came to an end on Sunday, a day when an important episode in sports history was recorded: After 46 years of drought, the United States was proclaimed the men's Olympic ice hockey champion. Interestingly, this achievement went viral in Mexico.

One of the key pieces on the United States team that defeated Canada in the gold medal match is Auston Matthews, who has Mexican heritage.

The star and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs has Mexican roots through his mother, Ema, who is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora, a place Matthews, 28, frequently visited as a child.

Auston Matthews' Olympic gold made him a hero in Mexico

"My mom's side is from Hermosillo. It's about six hours south of Phoenix. I've been there, went there a lot growing up. I'm not really sure how to really describe it," Matthews mentioned in an interview he gave in 2019 to the NHL.

"They had a ranch about two hours away from their house in Hermosillo, so we'd go there and hang out there, and lots of animals, and just kind of do different stuff that we typically did not do in Phoenix."

A few years later, Matthews did not hesitate to show how proud he is of his origin. He said, via Sportsnet, "I'm grateful to be a Mexican American. I'm proud of where I come from."

"I feel pretty fortunate to have her as my mom and my dad," Matthews said. "Especially when you get drafted and you do a lot of soul searching, you kind of look back on your childhood and how you got here. And it's always a little bit emotional when you think of just everything you had to go through. So, I think it's great."

Matthews was born in San Ramon, Calif., but grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., and was selected first overall in the 2016 Draft. In his NHL career, he has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the top scorer, the Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player, the Ted Lindsay Award and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year (2016-17).

Multiple journalists and outlets, including ESPN, Claro Sports, Record and others, celebrated Matthews' victory, calling it a Mexican achievement.