Tkachuk on Canada rivalry: 'There's hatred there'

MILAN — On the eve of the Olympic gold medal game, Brady Tkachuk said for the U.S. to win its ultimate goal, his teammates will have to take down Canada, the team they both envy and despise.

“There’s hatred there,” Tkachuk told ESPN. “I mean, they’ve been the top dog. They’ve been the best for the last bunch of years, and for us, we want to be in that position, be the best. So it’s going to be a game where I think a lot of guys could say, this is the biggest game that they’ve ever played in.”

The U.S. men have not defeated Canada in a best-on-best competition since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, featuring Tkachuk’s father, Keith. That was before many U.S. players, including both Tkachuk brothers, were born. While Team USA defeated Canada in last year’s 4 Nations round-robin stage — a memorable game at Montreal’s Bell Centre, where Tkachuk and his brother Matthew staged three fights in nine seconds after the opening whistle — the Canadians won the final 2-1 in overtime.

“I mean, we were one shot away last year, and sometimes you got to go through that adversity, that sadness, those tough times for the good times to feel even better,” Brady Tkachuk said. “It was definitely a tough couple days, couple weeks, months after that game. And I know I don’t want to feel like that ever again.”

Tkachuk and teammates have not shied away from what’s at stake, repeating a mantra of “gold or bust” in the months leading up to the tournament. The U.S. men have not won Olympic gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. NHL players began participating in the Olympics in 1998 — but missed out on the 2018 and 2022 Games. Hockey has grown immensely in the United States in that span, and Team USA players are eager to prove it on the international stage.

“It’s been 46 years. So many players that have paved the way for us that haven’t had a chance to win gold for us, that for our dream to be right there,” Tkachuk said. “It’s something that we’re not taking lightly. And I mean, we have an opportunity to achieve a childhood dream.”

In May, the U.S. won the men’s world championship for the first time in more than 90 years. Many of the players who were on that team were rewarded with a roster spot at this year’s Olympics. That includes Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson and Jeremy Swayman.

The United States women have had much more success, winning the world championships 11 times since 2005 and capturing their third Olympic gold medal on Thursday.

“I mean, we saw the girls win,” Vincent Trocheck said. “Obviously win gold for USA and if we can beat Canada on Sunday, it’s just a clean sweep and I mean, that’s what everyone’s here for.”

While fighting in international hockey earns players an automatic ejection, the U.S. is bracing for physicality and intensity in the gold medal game.

“It’s going to be a hard-fought battle,” said Trocheck, a defensive-minded forward who has helped the Americans go a perfect 15-for-15 on the penalty kill in the tournament. “I mean, we saw it last year at the 4 Nations. It’s going to be similar to that. Very tight checking. Obviously they have a lot of the best players in the world, so it should be the best.”

The Canada power play has been dynamite, going 6-for-17. Its top unit, in the absence of Sidney Crosby against Finland, featured Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar. That’s three of the top four in the NHL this season.

Crosby (lower-body injury) skated for the second straight day Saturday and is considered a game-time decision.

There’s a poetic nature to the men’s final being held on Feb. 22, the same day as the 1980 game against the USSR.

“I mean, it’s as good as it gets, right? This is what everybody has been waiting for” Trocheck said. “This is best on best hockey on the world stage, playing for a gold medal. I mean, you can’t really dream it up any better than this.”