Team USA star Matthew Tokachuk, who missed injuries in the final overtime victory of four Canadian countries, said he “feels better” and at the 2026 Winter Olympics He said he liked the team’s chances of redemption.
With the Florida Panthers preparing for their Stanley Cup defense after the season, there were concerns about how long Tkachuk would miss out on the injury. He told Jimmy Fallon when he appeared on “The Tonight Show” Monday night that he was better and “he’s recovering right now.”
With Tkachuk taking the final test, the Panthers are expected to respond on Tuesday on their recovery timeline. When asked about reports that Tkachuk could miss the rest of the season, coach Paul Maurice disputed it. “He’s going to play,” he told reporters.
Tkachuk and his brother Brady played a major role in the tournament. Both scored twice in the opener against Finland, fighting the first Canadian game, part of a three-time fight in 9 seconds.
“I think myself and everyone who was in this were jacked for that, and that’s why I saw all the fights at the start of the match against Canada,” Matthew Tokachuk said. “I think everyone wanted to keep our anger out of the way.”
However, his time was limited after that, as he kept him on the bench at the end of the Canadian match, missed the Swedish match and kept him out of the finals after the mid-2nd term. .
Tkachuk said he enjoyed playing for the same team as his brother for the first time. He realized they played together in the All-Star Game. “But it’s a fake.”
“We’ve always competed with each other and eventually grew up dreaming one day. He plays in Ottawa. I’m in Florida so I know it’s going to be tough in the regular season. But we always had a dream of playing with each other, and that finally came true,” Tkachuk said.
The Tkachuks will once again get a chance at the 2026 Olympics. It features more teams than the US, Canada, Finland and Sweden. Matthew Tukachuk pointed out that all teams are star-studded, but he likes Team USA’s chances.
“We’re very close to this tournament and we really believe in our opportunities as we see that next year is like a chance to redeem,” he said. “Wearing the American coat of arms, there’s nothing like that. We take a lot of pride in it, so we’re ready.”