‘We won the big one … but this one still sucks losing’: Matthew Tkachuk discusses World Championship loss to Canada

In the first clash between Team USA and Team Canada since the Americans won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in an overtime thriller, the Canadians earned a 4-0 win over Team USA in the quarterfinal round of the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland.

The Americans were the defending champions after taking the tournament last year with a roster much more loaded with high-end NHL talent than this year’s iteration.

For Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, who was by far the highest-profile player on the squad, there was still plenty to be proud of with their effort in the tournament.

“We had to win to our last two games to get in, so proud of that,” Tkachuk told IIHF.tv. “But we were hoping we could ride the high and win against (Canada) today.”

Tkachuk fared quite well in his five appearances, putting up four goals and three assists for a total of seven points as the Americans beat Hungary on Monday and Austria on Tuesday to secure a spot in the quarterfinal.

While wearing the red, white and blue was a positive experience for Tkachuk, the fact that this event unfolds in May is a reminder of what he’s not doing.

“I don’t ever want to be back at this tournament. I want to be playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But if for some reason I am, we can get another crack at them.”

Tkachuk has been quite busy for each of the past three postseasons prior to this one, as his Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025 and fell in the Cup Final in 2023.

The veteran winger, who had 34 points in 31 games in the NHL this season, was making a run at joining the Triple Gold Club, an honor reserved for those who win the Stanley Cup, World Championships and an Olympic gold medal in their careers.

“I guess we won the big one (Olympics), so I guess that feels okay,” Tkachuk added. “This one still sucks. I came here to win and going home empty-handed sucks. But I will remember the experience with the boys. It was such a fun group. Great mix of young guys and guys who played in the NHL for some years. And USA Hockey continues to have a great future with all these young players. I really enjoyed my eight days here.”