"It looks good. It looks good from the outside, and it looks good from the inside. There have been a lot of teams practicing today, so it was chewed up pretty good, but the ice felt pretty good. It is never going to be perfect circumstances. The ice isn't great in Toronto, either. You kind of live with it. I am sure it will get better and better throughout the tournament."
"Honestly, it is not bad. It is good to get out there, even if it is not the cleanest, crispest drills, passing, or execution. It is just to get out there and get a sweat, especially after the jet lag and travel. It helps you get settled into the time zone more quickly. I've made the trip overseas a lot, and the first couple of days are always the hardest. It is important to try to get regulated to this time as quickly as possible."
Matthews arrived in Milan, moved into the Olympic village, and felt the buildup when settling in. He enjoyed getting on the ice with teammates for a first sweat and described the experience as special. He assessed the arena as visually appealing inside and out, noting the ice was chewed up from many practices but felt pretty good and expected improvement. He said jet lag was manageable and that practicing helped adjust to the time zone. He slept through most of the flight. He described the athletes' village as neat, rooming with Dylan Larkin and enjoying close quarters and team camaraderie.
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