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Greg Wyshinski
multiple authors
Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators and gold medalist with Team USA, said he doesn’t appreciate the AI-powered video released by the White House that appears to be disparaging Canadians.
The video, released by the White House’s official TikTok account on Sunday, included doctored footage of the Tkachuk brothers’ press conference during the four-nation showdown last February. “They booed us for the national anthem, so I had to come out and teach the maple syrup eaters a lesson,” Brady Tkachuk said as Team USA’s goal song “Free Bird” played in the background of the video.
The clip, which revealed the use of AI-generated media, has been viewed 11.1 million times on TikTok and is widely viewed on other social media platforms.
“Well, obviously this is fake, because it’s not my voice and my lips aren’t moving,” Tkachuk said Thursday during his first media appearance in Ottawa since the U.S. beat Canada for gold in men’s ice hockey at the Milan Olympics. “I don’t control those accounts. I know those words will never come out of my mouth. So there’s nothing I can do.”
Tkachuk was asked if he enjoyed the video.
“That’s not my voice. That’s not what I said,” he said. “I would never say that. That’s not me. That’s why I don’t think I like that video, because things like that would never come out of my mouth and I’ve never had a thought like that.”
Tkachuk also addressed something he wasn’t able to say during Team USA’s locker room celebration. Some on social media accused Tkachuk of being the one who shouted “close the northern border!” On a congratulatory phone call between Team USA and President Donald Trump.
“I’ve seen what people think is me, but when you watch the video, you see that’s not my voice or what I never said,” Tkachuk said. “I gave everything I had here, and I don’t know how it just took off by itself.
“The speed with which things move on social media is crazy. I would never say that.”
In that call, Trump made widely circulated comments about the U.S. women’s hockey team, which also won gold at the Olympics.
When Trump invited the men’s players to come to Washington for the State of the Union address, he said, “I have to say, you have to bring the women’s team, you know that,” adding with a laugh that if he didn’t invite the women’s team as well, “I believe I would probably be impeached.” Some players laughed along with the joke.
Team USA star Hilary Knight told “SportsCenter” Wednesday that she thought it was a “disgusting” joke and that it “unfortunately overshadowed” the team’s success in Milan. “I should have reacted differently,” Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, a member of Team USA, said Wednesday.
Like other American athletes, Tkachuk detailed the good relationship between the men’s and women’s Olympic teams, from attending each other’s games to spending time together at the Olympic Village cafe at 3 a.m. after the men’s team returned as champions.
Tkachuk said he understands why the female players felt insulted by the comment.
“I mean, I get it,” he said. “We support them and they support us. You can’t control what other people say. It was fun to be around them. You could see how they played and how good they were around them.”
“If you meet one of them, they’ll talk about the excitement of being a gold medalist, something they can control.”
As for why the men’s team laughed at Trump’s comments, Tkachuk said the players were a little “caught off guard.”
“There’s really no answer. It’s a dizzying moment,” he said. “You can’t control what someone says. It’s like you were caught a little bit off guard. Ten minutes after achieving your dream, you’re talking to the president.”
Brady Tkachuk is one of five Team USA players from the Canadian-based NHL club. He partied with teammates in Miami and then attended the State of the Union in Washington before returning to Ottawa.
“It was special,” he said. “As an American citizen, I never thought I would ever visit the White House or go to the Oval Office.”
But Tkachuk pointed to the awkwardness of helping the U.S. defeat Canada for the gold medal while captaining the team in Canada’s capital, a role he has held for the past five seasons in Ottawa.
“We have a really loyal fan base,” he says. “I said this after the 4 Nations: It’s a unique feeling to have this fan base cheering you on every day and then not supporting you for three weeks. It’s a crazy feeling.
“I have given my all as an Ottawa Senator. Representing the United States means being an American. It’s an honor. Only three teams have ever won a gold medal. I wanted to fulfill my childhood dream and bring a gold medal back to the United States.”
