Senators captain Brady Tkachuk described Sunday's Olympic hockey win as the "greatest feeling" of his career.
In the leadup to the men's Olympic final in Italy, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk repeatedly described the notion of winning a gold medal as a "childhood dream." On Sunday morning, the dream was realized, although it was a nightmare for most of his fan base back in Ottawa.
On the anniversary of the 1980 Miracle on Ice, which was the last time America won this event, Tkachuk and Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime on Sunday to take home the gold medal.
So how does Tkachuk describe winning Olympic gold for his country now that he's actually done it?
"It's the greatest feeling I've ever felt in my hockey career," Tkachuk told CBC. "And, and just to do it alongside (my brother Matthew), just to hear him every single day, and the confidence that he's instilled in me. And what a stretch of of hockey that he's been playing: Two Stanley Cups and a gold medal. And just to share this with my best friend, this is an incredible feeling."
Matthew was also pleased that his brother was able to get on the board with his first championship since turning pro. They played together last year on Team USA but came up short, losing to Canada in overtime at the 4 Nations Face-off.
"I can't believe it, Matthew said as he motioned to Brady. "Big boy here gets a championship, too. Awesome to do it with him. Awesome that we're able to do this together. It's awesome that this group has pretty much crossed paths with every single person at some point, whether it's youth hockey, USNTDP, guys in college, some guys in junior, some guys at Worlds or whatever.
"It's just special to be able to do this. We deserve this, and the United States of America, the greatest country, deserves it because we've been knocking at the door for a long time. We've got the game of hockey right now, and I'm so honoured to be a part of this team."
Canada can take some solace in the fact they outplayed Tkachuk the Americans on Sunday, but in terms of actual bragging rights, Canada will have to wait until the 2028 World Cup of Hockey before they have a chance to try and set Matthew and the Americans straight.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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