Watch: Fans in Montreal shower loud boos on Auston Matthews during 4 Nations Face-Off pre-game ceremony 

At Bell Centre in Montreal, fans showered loud boos on Team USA captain Auston Matthews during the pre-game ceremony for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Matthews joined Team Canada's Sidney Crosby, Team Sweden's Victor Hedman and Team Finland's Aleksander Barkov for the ceremonial puck drop. When Matthews was introduced as Team USA’s captain, the Montreal crowd greeted him with a chorus of boos.

Watch the video here:

Matthews later commented that he found the boos somewhat flattering:

"Honestly, I kind of find it like a tone of respect, I guess, especially in a building like this and a big time hockey city and fan base. So, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all."

While the boos for Auston Matthews were deafening, they stood in stark contrast to the reaction received by NHL legend Mario Lemieux when he was introduced later in the ceremony. Lemieux stepped onto the ice to a massive standing ovation and chants of "Mario! Mario! Mario!" from Montreal fans.

The 4 Nations Face-Off brings together top players from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden for a series of exhibition games.

Fans react to Auston Matthews getting booed in Montreal

Auston Matthews getting booed during the 4 Nations Face-Off pregame ceremony in Montreal sparked a spirited reaction on social media from hockey fans across North America.

Fans were quick to weigh in on the incident on X/Twitter, with one gleefully declaring:

"Lmfao this was awesome too. I hope Matthews kills it this tournament."

Another fan expressed confidence:

"They just know he's gonna put their dreams to sleep when USA beats Canada in the Finals."

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"Best American born player of all time. Have some respect you frogs," one fan wrote.

"It didn’t have anything to do with him, it was the sweater he was wearing," another fan said.

"Yeah, they don't like Toronto or the USA politics right now, but really no need for that," a fan commented.

"As both a Canadian and a Leafs fan, I highly respect this "welcome" for Matthews. I'm a huge fan but that is put aside for the next week," another fan wrote.

With Team USA and Team Canada set to clash on Feb. 15, the anticipation is building for a potential showdown of the ages between the two archrivals.