While nowhere near the importance of the gold medal game at the Winter Olympics, Matthew Tkachuk and Team USA took on Team Canada in an elimination game on Thursday.
This time around, Tkachuk and the Americans were on the losing end, shut out 4-0 by the Canadians, seeing their tournament come to a close.
It was the superstar winger’s first-ever appearance at the IIHF World Hockey Championship, and he hopes it’s his last, saying after the game that he never wants to be back at the tournament and would much rather be competing for the Stanley Cup.
“I don’t ever want to be back at this tournament. I want to be playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But if for some reason I am, we can get another crack at them,”
The 27-year-old Tkachuk racked up seven points (four goals, three assists) in just five games played for Team USA at Worlds. This comes after an injury-derailed 2025-26 regular season for the Florida Panthers, where he tallied 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 31 games.
While Tkachuk is not necessarily taking a shot at the tournament, it is the type of subtle backhanded comment we’ve become used to hearing from him.
He very well could be right, however, because a healthy Panthers team heading into 2026-27 should absolutely be seen as a Stanley Cup contender again, and there are even rumblings that GM Bill Zito is looking to add brother Brady Tkachuk into the mix this offseason.
It doesn’t feel as good as the 4 Nations Face-Off win or as devastating as the Olympic gold medal game loss, but a win over the rival Americans is always a welcomed sight for the Canadians, who will now take on Team Finland in the semifinals on Saturday.
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