Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators, recently found himself in the spotlight for reasons off the ice. As one of the 20 members of Team USA's gold medal-winning Olympic roster, Tkachuk visited the White House at the invitation of President Donald Trump. However, the visit wasn't without controversy.
After Jack Hughes clinched the gold with a thrilling overtime goal against Team Canada, the White House's official TikTok account posted a video that quickly went viral. The AI-altered clip falsely depicted Tkachuk making derogatory comments about Canadians. Garnering over 11 million views, the video showed Tkachuk supposedly saying, “They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup eating f***s a lesson.”
Tkachuk, who leads a team based in Canada's capital, was understandably upset. “It’s clearly fake,” he stated, emphasizing that the words and voice were not his.
In a media session in Ottawa, he clarified, “Those words would never come out of my mouth. It’s not who I am.”
The incident highlights the rapid spread of misinformation on social media, something Tkachuk is keenly aware of. “I would never say anything like that,” he reiterated, distancing himself from the doctored video.
Adding to the whirlwind, Tkachuk addressed another viral moment involving Trump. During a call with the men’s team, Trump joked about inviting the women’s national team to the White House, suggesting he might face impeachment if he didn’t. The comments were met with laughter, which sparked discussions across the hockey community.
Tkachuk acknowledged the potential for offense but stressed the mutual support between the men’s and women’s teams. “We support them, they support us,” he said. “It was fun being around them, seeing their excellence.”
Reflecting on the unexpected moment with Trump, Tkachuk admitted the team was “caught off guard.” Speaking to the president shortly after achieving a lifelong dream was surreal, and the laughter was more a reaction to the unexpected situation than agreement with the joke.
Despite the controversies, Tkachuk is eager to shift focus back to the NHL, proudly wearing his gold medal and ready to lead the Senators in their upcoming game against the Detroit Red Wings.