Brady Tkachuk Faces Awkward Backlash
Brady Tkachuk is definitely in an uncomfortable spot right now.
Just days after contributing to the U.S. victory over Canada for the gold medal, which, understandably, disappointed many Canadians, he’s back in Ottawa with the Senators, focused on making it to the playoffs.
Things got a bit more complicated when a TikTok video from the White House appeared. It used AI to alter footage of Tkachuk from last year’s Quadrant Game, creating an impression that he was disparaging Canada and its citizens.
In the doctored video, he supposedly says, “They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup eaters a lesson.” The clip is quite misleading; Tkachuk and his brother, Matthew, had played in three brief matchups with Canada the previous year.
Although he celebrated the gold medal in Washington, D.C., he wasn’t thrilled about how things were presented.
“That’s clearly not me—I mean, it doesn’t sound like my voice, and you can see my lips aren’t moving that way. I don’t have any control over those social media accounts, and those words aren’t anything I’d say,” Tkachuk mentioned before preparing for his NHL comeback.
When he was asked about his thoughts on the video, Tkachuk responded, “That’s not my voice. That’s not what I said. I would never say something like that. So, yeah, I really don’t think much of that video because it’s just not reflective of me at all.” He also added that he couldn’t grasp why the misinformation spiraled so quickly online.
Interestingly, there have been suggestions that Tkachuk mentioned “close the northern border” during a call with former President Trump following the gold medal win.
“People have their opinions about what I supposedly said, but it’s clear if you watch the video that it doesn’t represent my voice or any thoughts I’ve had,” he remarked. “I poured my heart into my performance; so, it’s baffling that it took off like that.”
“Social media moves at such a wild pace these days. I would never say something like that,” he reiterated.
Tkachuk is set to play against the Detroit Red Wings in Ottawa on Thursday at 7 p.m.
