Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Opens up About ‘Revenge’ Talks Against Canada at 2026 Olympics Following 4 Nations Face Off Loss

Matthew Tkachuk and Team USA suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in overtime in the final of the 4 Nations Face Off against Team Canada.

Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Opens up About ‘Revenge’ Talks Against Canada at 2026 Olympics Following 4 Nations Face Off Loss

Matthew Tkachuk (Image via Fox News)

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Matthew Tkachuk has become a household name in the NHL in recent years with his success with the Florida Panthers and spirited showing for his national team. Recently, he opened up about ‘revenge‘ talks against Canada at the 2026 Olympics following Team USA’s 3-2 overtime loss in the 4 Nations Face Off final.

In February this year, the NHL replaced the All-Star Game and introduced the 4 Nations Face Off. In the first international ice hockey tournament in almost a decade, the USA locked horns with Canada in the final after facing off in the 2nd group stage game.

While Team USA won the first meeting 3-1, they ended up getting their hearts crushed in the final. An overtime goal from Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid sealed a thrilling win for Team Canada and secured them another international triumph.

The two teams will be heavy favorites at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy, next year. In a recent interview with ESPN, Matthew Tkachuk, alongside his brother Brady Tkachuk, spoke on the narrative of ‘revenge‘ against their rivals at the Winter Games.

I don’t even know if you look at it as revenge, but it’s been a long time coming since USA Hockey’s been at the top of the mountain. Canada’s owned the Olympics or World Cups or even the world championships, although we got that back a little bit this year… So, not only would winning [gold] accomplish dreams for us, but hopefully it would bring a lot of satisfaction for those guys that paved the way for us.

Matthew Tkachuk said as per ESPN

Canada has been the dominant force when it comes to international ice hockey tournaments. They have won 9 Gold Medals in the Olympics and 28 Gold Medals in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships.

Matthew Tkachuk was recently named as the cover star of NHL 26

Despite suffering a heartbreaking loss at the 4 Nations Face Off, Matthew Tkachuk ended the 2024-25 season on a high. He would lift the Stanley Cup for a 2nd year running as the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers again. In the offseason, he would get married and last week was named as the cover star of NHL 26.

Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk (Image via X/@BR_OpenIce)

His recent success and popularity led to him being named as the cover athlete for the upcoming edition of the Electronic Arts (EA) NHL video game series. His family, though, is also part of the cover. The cover of the deluxe edition features his brother, Brady Tkachuk, and his father, Keith Tkachuk.

The Tkachuk family follows in the footsteps of the Hughes family to grace the cover of the NHL video game. The Hughes brothers, Luke, Quinn, and Jack, were the cover stars of the previous edition, NHL 25. The new installment of the game will be released across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 12, 2025.

Matthew Tkachuk remains tight-lipped regarding being part of new Donald Trump council

A few days ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new council regarding Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Matthew Tkachuk was named alongside several top sporting names in this. When asked about this in the recent ESPN interview, the Florida Panthers star remained tight-lipped.

Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk (Image via Gino Hard)

The new council is set to create school-based programs to reward excellence in physical education and support the development of a Presidential Fitness Award. Along with Commissioner Gary Bettman and Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, Tkachuk is one of the ice hockey representatives.

In the interview with ESPN‘s Greg Wyshynski, Tkachuk remained tight-lipped regarding this and expressed that he is not allowed to speak on the matter at the moment.

I’m not actually allowed to comment on that until it’s official yet. So, I have to wait on that a little bit. But I promise in a few weeks, if that comes true, I’ll answer that for you.

Matthew Tkachuk said

Some other top sporting names who will be part of this are Nick Bosa, Harrison Butker, Cody Campbell, Roger Goodell, Nelly Korda, Triple H, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Mariano Rivera, Tony Romo, Annika Sorenstam, Tua Tagovailoa, and Lawrence Taylor. Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley was also part of this, but would later refuse to be part of it.

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