Team USA Hockey Star Matthew Tkachuk Breaks His Silence On Donald Trump’s Controversial Locker Room Phone Call After Gold Medal Victory Over Canada [VIDEO]

Matthew Tkachuk sets the record straight.

Donald Trump wasn’t at the Olympics, but he made his presence known on the final day of competition. The President had originally planned to show up, but changed his mind at the last minute.

FastCast: Tuesday’s best in < 10 minutes

His decision either way still saved him from a frightening situation, as a man was shot and killed by the Secret Service. Austin Tucker Martin was reported missing by family members in North Carolina. Investigators believe Martin left North Carolina and headed to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

In his possession was a gun and a gas can. Hours after that situation, Trump was in good spirits as he called FBI Director Kash Patel to speak with Team USA. The team had just been Team Canada in the Gold medal game.

The U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal celebration quickly turned controversial after that phone call from President Donald Trump. He phoned the locker room via Patel and invited the men to attend his State of the Union on Tuesday.

Then he said the thing that set off a firestorm when he said, “I must tell you we’re going to have to bring the women too; you do know that. Believe me, I probably would be impeached, okay?”

Now back in the United States, reporters wanted to know more about that call.

Matthew Tkachuk Gives His Take On The Call With Donald Trump

Donald Trump (Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY NETWORK)
People were also extremely confused by Kash Patel’s presence in the locker room, though he claimed on social media that the team invited him. Then, footage surfaced of the team cracking open beers and speaking with Trump.

Get notified of the most viral Olympics stories via Google!

Online, people responded quickly and harshly to the footage.

American Olympian Matthew Tkachuk reflected on the President’s phone call as he arrived at Miami International Airport. “It was super cool,” he told reporters as he walked into the terminal.

USA hockey player Matthew Tkachuk on Trump calling to give his support,

“It was super cool, it was an honor hearing from the president of the United States, hearing he was supporting us.”pic.twitter.com/bwd2Fitd6z

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) February 23, 2026

“It’s an honor hearing from the President of the United States. Hearing that he was supporting us and all the other athletes wanting us to bring home as many gold medals as we can. We’re definitely honored to represent him and the hundreds of millions across the country and to bring a gold medal back.”

The Florida Panthers star was then asked how winning a gold medal compared to winning the Stanley Cup. Tkachuk and the Panthers are back-to-back reigning Stanley Cup champions.

“It’s almost more meaningful to everybody else in the sense of it’s a way to unite the whole country,” he said.

“When you go through the two-month grind and the 82-game grind in the NHL season, you don’t compare that. That’s as hard of a trophy as you’re going to win in sports, the Stanley Cup.

“But when it comes to bringing together Americans, whether they like hockey or not, the Olympics, an Olympic hockey player at that stage against Canada, that’s as high as it’s gonna get.”

Tkachuk didn’t confirm whether the team will be at the State of the Union.