Did Matthew Tkachuk's selfishness cost team USA?

[LTIR]

Both a Tkatchuk boys are excellent players. They are throwback players to an era gone by.

They are good at what they do.
NHL should thank them for bringing spice to this tournament. It really could have been a lame exhibition one without them.

 

[LTIR]

I respect Tkachuk's willingness to try and battle through an injury to play for his country.

What cost us was Auston Matthews leaving the center of the ice in the defensive zone to go attack a player who is standing in the corner on the goal line. You wouldn't see guys in the ECHL make that bone-headed of a play. He owes each and every American an individual apology.

Good on Tkachuk but Hockey USA should've used their brains and played the strongest side.
let's see how much hockey he misses for FLA and what his injury truly is.

Sitting Connor for a banged up player is a head scratcher. Even Crosby would've sat if he knew he was only healthy enough for 5mins TOI in the 1st period and someone like Konecny would be his replacement.

 

[fsanford]

Unless they could get another guy who is willing to take a pounding near the net and get that greasy goal I am okay with it

 

[centipede2233]

Team USA were their own worst enemy. From their medical staff with mcavoy to Tkachuk playing too hard too fast leading to injury and sitting kyle Connor was a decision…

 

[Ratsreign]

Or the fact we have like 3 better goaltending options but still went with binnington and still won.

Any excuse the USA can muster, Canada can say something similar.

At the end of the day excuses are for losers. You're never going to have the perfect team, and even if you did and still lost people would just find another excuse to harp on.

Lollol, “went with Binnington, and still won.”
Binnigton saved Canada’s ass multiple times in the OT.

 

[Beau Knows]

I guess it depends on how honest he was with himself and his team, and that's not something we'll ever know.

Maybe he really did think he could go out there and make it through the whole game while playing at a high level. Maybe he reaggravated something that he thought he'd made enough progress on. Maybe he underplayed his injury to the medical staff and shouldn't have been out there at all. Who knows?

 

[GMR]

Too bad the Minnesota Wild doctors didn't shoot him up with something.

While they're at it, they could have done the same to Brady also.

 

[aylib]

I think this is a valid question. Maybe he bought into the hype and the hero storyline.

 

[BlueSeal]

He wasn't the only person on the ice, if a single player playing or not makes all the difference, then your team sucks. Both teams had players that were doing riding more than driving and it got pretty apparent. Maybe it's to avoid injury in a tournament with no meaning, maybe its because they didn't want to be there, could be a lot of things, but there are far, far more atrocious examples of selfish play or apathy on the ice that eclipses anything Matt says.

 

[JungleBeat]

He thought he was a hero and ended up being a dud

 

[ORRFForever]

They are still young men, and they let emotions get the better of them. I think they will learn some lessons from this tournament. I see USA better prepared in 2026. Also with iihf, there won’t be any fighting which is a good thing for the tkachuks, they can focus just on hockey

There were lots of young men on both sides but it was mostly the Tkachuks who were acting the fool so...

 

[centipede2233]

There were lots of young men on both sides but it was mostly the Tkachuks who were acting the fool so...

True but team Canada had 30 plus year olds in Crosby, doughty, stone and Marchand. USA had no one in their 30’s to guide them.

 

[Fatass]

Unless they could get another guy who is willing to take a pounding near the net and get that greasy goal I am okay with it

MT is a fantastic player. But if a guy isn’t sure he can finish a game because he’s injured too much before it starts then he needs to sit out. Shouldn’t be the player’s decision though. This is up to management and coaches and team medical staff. The US could have used Kyle Connor for sure. Heck, did Kreider play much?

 

[ORRFForever]

True but team Canada had 30 plus year olds in Crosby, doughty, stone and Marchand. USA had no one in their 30’s to guide them.

JT Miller's in his 30's and he's cool, calm and collected / mature. (wink)

 

[Fatass]

True but team Canada had 30 plus year olds in Crosby, doughty, stone and Marchand. USA had no one in their 30’s to guide them.

Hi old are Miller, Krieder, and Trochek?

 

[fsanford]

MT is a fantastic player. But if a guy isn’t sure he can finish a game because he’s injured too much before it starts then he needs to sit out. Shouldn’t be the player’s decision though. This is up to management and coaches and team medical staff. The US could have used Kyle Connor for sure. Heck, did Kreider play much?

I think if they got a PP he would have been on the ice, and that was thought process.

Not saying I agree with it, but I am guessing part of thought process

 

[Fatass]

I think if they got a PP he would have been on the ice, and that was thought process.

Not saying I agree with it, but I am guessing part of thought process

Good point.

 

[FinlandPanther]

I mean, he was the reason it went 7 with his legendary Game 5 performance

then followed it up with a legendary goal in OT to beat Tkachuk and the US again

No he wasn’t lmao. Your bottom 6 carried you. If only the best player in the world would have showed up more than 2 blowout games where he collected extra calories

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

No he wasn’t lmao. Your bottom 6 carried you. If only the best player in the world would have showed up more than 2 blowout games where he collected extra calories

someone needs to re-watch Game 5

 

[FinlandPanther]

someone needs to re-watch Game 5

It’s 1 game. What about the rest of the series. Unfortunately you don’t win series with 1 good game.

 

[Peiskos]

I don't know about you but I think its definitely selfish to pre-plan mass fights in a team group chat before a game, it really speaks to where the focus of the US team was in this tournament, immature and cringe.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

It’s 1 game. What about the rest of the series. Unfortunately you don’t win series with 1 good game.

he was great in Game 4 too

in any case...he was better than Tkachuk in both instances and daggered the US in OT, cause that's what legends do...I wonder what Tkachuk said in the group chat afterwards

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I don't know about you but I think its definitely selfish to pre-plan mass fights in a team group chat before a game, it really speaks to where the focus of the US team was in this tournament, immature and cringe.

lol, they won the game in which this occurred, and it was a huge net positive for the exposure of the tournament and the sport. It's fine.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

lol, they won the game in which this occurred, and it was a huge net positive for the exposure of the tournament and the sport. It's fine.

well that's just it...staged fights for the cameras
all good, when it matters, Canada wins

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

well that's just it...staged fights for the cameras
all good, when it matters, Canada wins

The cameras actually do kind of matter.