Actually, it should have been a pure triumph story: The US men’s national ice hockey team won the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics on February 22nd – with a 2-1 overtime victory against arch-rival Canada. But what followed next probably made superstar Brady Tkachuk (26) much less happy than his success on the ice.
The White House released a clip on TikTok in which the US striker appears to insult Canadians with a crude insult. The catch: the video was fake. Although it had a small note “Contains AI-generated media”, not all users were aware that Tkachuk never said these words.
Brady Tkachuk: “That’s not me”
Tkachuk found clear words about this in an interview with the AP news agency: “It’s clearly fake because it’s not my voice and my lips don’t move to it.” He has no control over the White House accounts. “I would never say something like that. That’s not me,” the player clarified.
What is particularly explosive is that Tkachuk, as captain of the Ottawa Senators, has been living and working in Canada for years. He of all people is said to have made derogatory comments about the people of the country to which he owes so much in terms of sport? “I don’t know how it could take on such a life of its own when I play here and give everything I have,” said the US-born boy, visibly irritated.
Tkachuk also did not shout “close the northern border”.
The ice hockey star also denied that he was the voice that shouted “close the northern border” during a phone call between the team and US President Donald Trump (79) after the final triumph. “I’ve seen people think it was me. But if you look at the video, that’s not my voice and something I would never say,” Tkachuk emphasized.
Women’s team controversy
The fact that the US women’s team – which had also won gold against Canada – did not attend Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, unlike the men, also caused background noise. The official reason was the players’ “already planned academic and professional commitments”. Trump himself joked in a phone call with the men’s team that he would have to invite the women’s team too, otherwise he would be threatened with impeachment proceedings. Some players laughed about it.
Brady Tkachuk showed understanding for the players’ reaction: “I understand that. We supported them, they supported us. You can’t control what other people say.” His brother Matthew Tkachuk (28) from the Florida Panthers emphasized the solidarity between both teams in the Olympic Village: “We watched other competitions together and cheered them on. We are so proud of the double gold success.”
