Edmonton Oilers
Matthew Tkachuk at It Again — Jabs at Connor McDavid and Team Canada
Matthew Tkachuk has provided his take on why Connor McDavid and Team Canada couldn’t get the job done in overtime
Matthew Tkachuk just can’t help himself. The superstar winger loves to voice his opinion and take shots at his opponents on and off the ice—but when you continue to find a way to come out on top when it matters most, there’s not much anyone else can do about it.
No player in the NHL has had more team success over the last three years than Tkachuk. Back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and now an Olympic gold medal—he’s a winner. There’s no other way to put it. Not only has he continued to win on the biggest stages, but all three times he’s crushed Connor McDavid’s dreams in the process. And once again, he’s giving McDavid and company some feedback on why they lost.
Tkachuk and his brother Brady took to the Wingmen podcast for the first time since winning gold on Wednesday, and Matthew made sure to remind McDavid once again that he can’t do it all by himself if he wants to win the big one.
“We have to mention his play defensively to start. And I think that’s where we got these guys. I think that their team—and this is my opinion—they almost press too much to get it. Like, each guy wanted to be the guy so much. Obviously, you want to be the guy, but it was almost like every time they took it 1-on-1. McDavid tried to take on Jack knowing he’s a forward playing defense, and Jack made a ******* **** of a play,”
McDavid’s 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in six games more than doubled Tkachuk’s six points (six assists) in the tournament, though the latter once again got the last laugh. One led the tournament in scoring and won MVP, while the other didn’t even score a goal. Yet the two are feeling remarkably different about how it all played out.
As we know, Tkachuk had a lot to say about McDavid and the Oilers after beating them in the 2024-25 finals, noting that when the going got tough, Edmonton would just look to McDavid to be Superman. He added that despite his struggles to get over the hump, McDavid is too talented not to win it all one day, “wherever it is.”
Everything Tkachuk says has to be taken with a grain of salt—and even his podcast’s social media team took to X (formerly Twitter) to troll not just McDavid but Leon Draisaitl as well after his infamous bridesmaid chirp that reverberated around the hockey world.
McDavid, Draisaitl, the Oilers, and their fans must be sick to their stomachs watching Tkachuk bask not only in his victories but also in their defeats—for the third time in less than two years. They’ve mostly stayed quiet, not biting on any of his antics, but at some point, you have to wonder when that bubble will burst, and chaos will ensue—perhaps the next time Edmonton and Florida meet on March 19.
Next: Oilers Analyst Calls for Major Response to Matthew Tkachuk in Next Matchup
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