OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – American hockey player Brady Tkachuk said Thursday he doesn’t appreciate a doctored TikTok video shared by the White House that appears to be disparaging to Canadians. won a gold medal at the Olympics, He called it a fake and said it was something he would never say.
The video included fake audio of Tkachuk calling Canadians “maple syrup eating (expletive),” with the expletive heard aloud. The video comes with a warning that it “contains AI-generated media.”
“It’s obviously fake because it’s not my voice and my lips aren’t moving,” Tkachuk said. “I don’t control those accounts. … I know words like that would never come out of my mouth.”
When asked if he liked the video, Tkachuk replied: “I would never say that. That’s not me.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Tkachuk also denied that he heard cries of “close the northern border” during Team USA’s congratulatory phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump after Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win over Canada for the gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
“I’ve seen things that people think are me, but if you watch the video, it’s not my voice, it’s something I never said,” Tkachuk said. “I really don’t know how it just kind of took off by itself when I’m out here playing and giving everything I’ve got here.”
Tkachuk, a 26-year-old Arizona native, is the captain of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and has played his entire career in Canada’s capital. He and other members of the U.S. team will return from Italy this week to resume the NHL season. some Attended President Trump’s State of the Union address It was held in Washington on Tuesday night and drew cheers from those in attendance.
The U.S. women also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime, making the U.S. win both Olympic hockey tournaments for the first time. Celebrations of the Twins’ victory have been overshadowed by American politics since the final horn of the men’s game.
Speaking on speakerphone in the locker room after the game, Trump extended an invitation to the men’s team to the White House, adding, “We’ve got to bring the women’s team, you know that.” The president also joked that he would probably be impeached if he did not extend the invitation. Several of the male players laughed, and at least one said he later regretted it. Tkachuk said he understands how the moment of the phone call reflected on the women’s players.
“I mean, I get it,” he said. “We supported them and they supported us. You can’t control what other people say.”
Many of the men’s players traveled to Washington on Tuesday to visit President Trump at the White House before the inauguration. State of the Union Guest. Meanwhile, many of the female players were on their way back to their professional or college clubs. They didn’t find out until late Sunday that they too had been invited, making it difficult to change travel plans that had already been disrupted by bad weather on the East Coast.
President Trump said in his speech that plans are in the works for a women’s team to visit the White House, but it’s unclear when that will happen. The earliest the team could move to Washington would be late spring after the PWHL season concludes.
In the meantime, wrapper flavor flavor has planned a July celebration for the women’s team in Las Vegas for those who can attend.
Hilary Knight She said earlier this week that she didn’t want what she called President Trump’s “offensive” jokes to get in the way of a historic performance by an American woman. winter games. Athletes from both U.S. teams spoke in unison about how much they bonded in the Olympic Village in Milan and supported each other on their journey to gold.
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers star and Brady’s younger brother, said, “Our two teams were very close. We watched other sports together and went to cheer on them. We loved the women’s team. They love us and we’re so proud of them for winning the gold medal and so respectful of them and the other players.”
Brady Tkachuk was asked about being a proud American while captaining the Senators amid rising tensions between the two countries.
“First and foremost, I gave my all as an Ottawa Senator with my blood, sweat and tears,” Tkachuk said. “It’s an honor to be an American and represent the United States. Only three teams have won gold medals for the United States, so it’s special to be a part of that.”
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Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin, Tim Reynolds and John Wallow and The Canadian Press contributed.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-Winter-olympics
