Panthers’ Tkachuk spent past few days celebrating Olympic gold. Now, it’s back to work
Florida Panthers star winger Matthew Tkachuk made his celebratory rounds the past few days since the United States men’s hockey team returned from Milan and the 2026 Winter Olympics with gold medals.
Dinner in Miami’s design district and a trip to Miami nightclub E11even on Monday shortly after landing at Miami International Airport. A trip to Washington, D.C., for another visit to the White House for the State of the Union on Tuesday. And, of course, a stop at the Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Wednesday.
“Last night was the first good sleep,” Tkachuk said from the Panthers’ practice facility at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday morning, his gold medal draped around his neck. “I got a lot of hours last night, so I might have made up for the previous few days.”
Celebrating is over now — or at least is simmering down.
It’s back to the day job.
And there’s a lot at stake over the next seven weeks.
The Panthers entered their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night eight points back of a Stanley Cup playoff spot with 25 games left to play over a 49-day span. There’s little room for error for a team trying to compete for a third consecutive Stanley Cup.
“We have to flip the switch,” Tkachuk said.
And he said it won’t be tough even if he is still riding the high of the latest major milestone of his career.
Tkachuk won the Stanley Cup each of the past two years with the Panthers and was an integral figure in both of those grueling postseason runs (not to mention the run to the Cup Final in 2023 prior to this when Florida lost to Vegas in five games).
It was a life-changing experience becoming a champion.
Now, he got to do it representing his country. He was an alternate captain for the United States in Milan and produced six assists in the USA’s six games, which ended Sunday with the thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Canada for gold, with New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes scoring the game winner less than two minutes into the extra period. They were just the third team men’s hockey team to win Olympic gold for the United States, joining the Miracle on Ice team from 1980 and 1960.
“Once that puck goes in,” Tkachuk said, “our team’s lives kind of changed in that moment. ... The team in general did a great job of not making it bigger than what it was, but it was bigger than what it was. We felt that the second we landed down here in Miami. Our lives the last few days have been some of the most incredible days you could ever imagine.”
He doesn’t want that feeling to end, and it probably never will.
The Panthers are honoring Tkachuk and all their Olympians — Florida had a team-high 10 players go to Italy, representing Canada (Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart), Finland (Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola), Sweden (Gustav Forsling) and Latvia (Uvis Balinskis, Sandis Vilmanis) — on Thursday in their first game back.
“The roof might fall off before the game even starts,” Tkachuk said, “but then we’ve got to go out and play and get the two points. It’ll be a crazy few hours, but hopefully we can walk out of the two points and just have a great night and great time. These are the memories that I’ll remember forever — the reaction from the fans skating around with the jerseys, with the USA flag, and doing it with [Maple Leafs forward and Team USA captain] Auston [Mathews]. That’s the stuff that I’m gonna really cherish. You have to just kind of be in the moment because it’s only happened with two other teams in 100 years in the United States.”
Tkachuk addresses Trump controversy
While the focus of Tkachuk’s availability Thursday morning was primarily about the Olympic success and his return to the Panthers, he did address the political controversy that came from the team’s locker-room celebration following the gold medal game.
After the game, FBI director Kash Patel was seen celebrating with the team and the team received a phone call from President Donald Trump congratulating them on the win but also making a joke at the expense of the United States women’s hockey team, which also won gold.
“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” Trump said as some of the American players laughed. He added that, “I do believe I probably would be impeached” if he did not invite the women’s team to the White House.
Tkachuk’s full response about the situation is below:
“Nobody saw what type of relationship we had with the women’s team and other athletes, really, in the village. Our two teams were so close. We watched other events together. We went and supported. We love the women’s team, and the women’s team loved us. And we’re so proud that we had a clean sweep of gold medals. And just so much respect for them and the other athletes.
“So I think the narrative that we weren’t rooting for each other, whatever the narrative is, is so untrue. We were so close with that team, and the fact that both our teams were able to do that is what should be talked about, and it’s really important.
“So we have a lot of respect for them and all the other athletes and literally had the best time celebrating with them after and throughout the tournament. There’s some relationships that I’ll remember forever and consider a few of them on the team that I hung out with — a majority — really good friends. So I think that’s all just crazy talk and taking away from what really mattered.”
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