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Brady Tkachuk has found himself in a rather awkward position.
Days after helping the U.S. beat its neighbor to the north for the gold medal and breaking the hearts of Canadians, Tkachuk is back with the Senators playing in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, in hopes of making the playoffs.
The TikTok posted by the White House, which featured footage of Tkachuk’s press conference at last year’s Four Nations game, probably didn’t help matters because it had been manipulated by artificial intelligence to appear to speak derogatorily of Canada and its people.
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Brady Tkachuk of the United States celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men’s gold medal game against Canada at the Milan Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
“They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup eaters a lesson,” Tkachuk reportedly said in the video. Tkachuk and his brother Matthew played in three 9-second games against Canada last year.
Tkachuk celebrated his gold medal in Washington, D.C., but was not satisfied with the footage.
“Well, obviously that’s fake because it’s not my voice and it’s not my lip movements. I don’t control any of those accounts. I know those words will never come out of my mouth. So there’s nothing I can do about it,” Tkachuk told reporters Thursday, via ESPN, ahead of his NHL return.
When asked if he enjoyed the video, he echoed his sentiments.
Brady Tkachuk (top) of the United States plays against Canada’s Sam Bennett (9 years old) during the first four-nation hockey tournament in Montreal on February 15, 2025. (Christine Muschi/Canadian Press, via AP)
“That’s not my voice. That’s not what I said,” he added. “I would never say that. That’s not me. That’s why I don’t like that video, I guess, because things like that would never come out of my mouth and I’ve never had a thought like that.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Some have accused Tkachuk of saying “close the northern border” during a phone call with President Donald Trump after his team won the gold medal.
“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.”
Brady Tkachuk (7 years old) and Matthew Tkachuk (19 years old) of the United States celebrate after the match against Canada during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, February 22, 2026. (Jeff Burke/Imagine Images)
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Tkachuk will play for the home team against the Detroit Red Wings in Canada on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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