Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk is one of the biggest advocates for National Hockey League (NHL) players returning to the Olympics.
“My first dream is to win the Stanley Cup. My second dream is to win an Olympic gold medal with my brother [Brady Tkachuk] with the American team,” explained the 25-year-old ice hockey player during his appearance on the “Cam and Strick Podcast.”
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Matthew Tkachuk’s comments come weeks after the NHL announced plans for an international tournament and a possible return of players to the Olympics.
Representatives from the Bettman circuit have not been to the prestigious competition since the 2014 Sochi Games.
“There are so many good Americans in the league right now. “It’s a shame we didn’t have a chance to prove ourselves,” Tkachuk said. It’s crazy to believe that, Auston [Matthews], [Nathan] MacKinnon and [Connor] McDavid has never competed in the Olympics. It is sad.”
The NHL and the players’ association had agreed on the participation of ice hockey players from the Bettman circuit in the 2022 games [Pékin] and 2026 [Milan et Cortina d’Ampezzo]. However, their participation was canceled last year due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Matthew Tkachuk represented his country a few times, albeit during his teenage years. His father, Keith Tkachuk, had the opportunity to wear the United States colors in four Olympic Games and holds the record for games played (23) by an American player in the competition.
“He told me there was no such thing,” Matthew Tkachuk said of his father’s experience at the Olympics.