Matthew Tkachuk chirps Leon Draisaitl: ‘Always the bridesmaid, eh Leon?’
During Sunday’s men’s hockey Olympic game between the United States and Germany, Team USA forwards Brady and Matthew Tkachuk were yapping at German forward Leon Draisaitl.
At one point in the third period, Matthew Tkachuk was caught on a hot mic yelling at Draisaitl.
“Always the bridesmaid, eh Leon?” he said. “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
“Always the bridesmaid eh Leon? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” Matthew Tkachuk to Draisatil 😳
The clip went viral on social media with some suggesting the trash talk was a reference to Matthew Tkachuk’s Florida Panthers defeating Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025.
Through three games, Matthew Tkachuk has five assists while Brady Tkachuk has two goals and an assist for three points. Meanwhile, Draisaitl has one goal and two assists for three points.
USA has beaten Germany 5-1 to go a perfect 3-0 in the round robin. A look at the top standouts, including Auston Matthews and Moritz Seider: dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-olym…
The U.S. won the game 5-1 and finished the preliminary round with a 3-0-0-0 record and plus-11 goal differential, clinching a first-place berth in Group C.
They will play their next game Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. ET in the quarterfinals. They will face the winner of the Sweden–Latvia game, which will be played Tuesday at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Through 10 games with the Panthers in 2025-26, Matthew Tkachuk has three goals and five assists for eight points and 31 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, Brady Tkachuk has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 37 games with the Ottawa Senators.
As for Draisaitl, the 30-year-old forward has 29 goals and 51 assists for 80 points in 55 games with the Oilers in 2025-26.