02/26/26 06:41:00
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02/26 18:40 CST Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews celebrate US hockey gold
with ceremonial puck drop
Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews celebrate US hockey gold with ceremonial
puck drop
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) --- Matthew Tkachuk grabbed an American flag, skated down
the ice and presented a game puck to 101-year-old U.S. Army Air Corps veteran
Jim Sileno.
That's how the Florida Panthers capped an Olympic gold medal celebration.
Tkachuk --- part of the U.S. team that beat Canada to win gold at the Milan
Cortina Games --- was in the Panthers' lineup for their first post-Olympic game
Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers had an Olympic
celebration, starting with Tkachuk and U.S. captain Auston Matthews, who also
captains the Maple Leafs, taking part in a ceremonial face-off just before game
time.
Tkachuk picked up the puck, then got the flag and paid tribute to Sileno.
"I really think our team really showed what it's like to be true Americans and
the pride we played with and how we would do every single thing for our
country," Tkachuk said, gold medal dangling from his neck. "So, the support
we've gotten is incredible."
There were "U-S-A!" chants during the national anthem, and the arena was
predictably loud when Tkachuk handed the puck to Sileno. Tkachuk said he
thought "the roof might fall off before the game even starts."
It has been a whirlwind since Sunday for Tkachuk: an all-night party in Italy
before a charter flight back to the U.S., more parties with the team in Miami
on Monday, then a trip to the White House for the State of the Union with most
of his Olympic teammates.
And life has been one big celebration for Tkachuk in recent years anyway, with
a Stanley Cup win in 2024, another in 2025, a wedding in there as well --- and
now, gold.
"The hardest thing to do in sports is winning the Stanley Cup," Tkachuk said.
"You go through an 82-game grind and then your four playoff series, some Game
7s probably, and just the physicality and the travel and everything, it's
crazy. Whereas you could almost argue it over there at the Olympics, it's so
hard because it's just one-game elimination."
Tkachuk is one of seven Panthers players who won Olympic hockey medals: Brad
Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett won silver medals for Canada, while
Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola and Eetu Luostarinen won bronze medals with
Finland, with Panthers assistant Tuomo Ruutu serving as an assistant for that
team.
The Canadian and Finnish players were honored during the first TV timeout
Thursday --- drawing loud cheers as well from the Florida fans.
"I thought our team played really well actually and sometimes you don't get the
bounces and that's the game of hockey. Sometimes it doesn't go your way,"
Bennett said, reflecting on the loss to the Americans. "So, that's what makes
hockey incredible. You never know what's going to happen. And they obviously
played a great game as well and it was their night."
Added Lundell: "Bronze is special too, and I'm slowly starting to understand
it's actually a kind of big deal."
Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito was part of
the brain trust for the U.S. team in Milan, and equipment manager Teddy
Richards had the same role for the Americans at the Olympics.
They were all part of Thursday's ceremonies. Zito and Richards took part in the
pregame puck drop.
"It's a weird dynamic," Marchand --- who scored Florida's first goal of the
night --- acknowledged after the team's morning skate. "Obviously we're
disappointed and you want a different outcome, but at the same time, trying to
remember to be grateful for the incredible part of it all."
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
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