Matthew Tkachuk isn’t just chasing another Stanley Cup – he’s got his sights set on Olympic gold.
The Florida Panthers star, fresh off back-to-back Cup victories, is ready to lead Team USA into the 2026 Olympics in Italy. It’s been 46 long years since American hockey players stood atop that Olympic podium.
They came tantalizingly close last season at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Team USA beat Canada in the early rounds, only to watch Connor McDavid crush their dreams with an overtime winner in the championship game.
But Tkachuk doesn’t see this as a revenge story.
“I don’t even know if you look at it as revenge,” he told ESPN. “It’s been a long time coming since USA Hockey’s been at the top of the mountain.”
The Canadians have dominated international hockey for decades, winning pretty much everything in sight. World Cups, Olympics, world championships – you name it, they’ve owned it.
This is personal for Tkachuk. His dad Keith was on the 2002 American team that came up just short, losing to Canada in the Salt Lake City finals.
“We’ve had some incredible players and national teams that we’ve looked up to our whole lives but that haven’t gotten the job done,” the younger Tkachuk said. “Winning gold wouldn’t just be for us – it’d mean so much to all those guys who paved the way.”
American hockey fans have seen this movie before. The heartbreaks keep piling up.
There was 2002 in Salt Lake. Then 2010 in Vancouver, where Zach Parise tied it with seconds left, only to watch Sidney Crosby end it with his famous “Golden Goal” in overtime.
The 2026 team might be America’s most talented ever. But there’s one weird pattern they’ll need to break:
Team USA hasn’t won an Olympic medal outside North America since 1972’s silver in Sapporo, Japan.
With the games headed to Italy, that’s a 54-year drought they’ll need to end if they want to bring home the gold.
Can Tkachuk and company finally get it done? The talent’s there. The motivation’s there. Now they just need to make history.
