Matthew Tkachuk Has Hilarious Response To Brandon Hagle's 'No Group Chats' Remark
There's no love lost between Team USA and Team Canada as we approach the finale of the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off.
I mean, that was abundantly clear when three fights broke out within the first nine seconds of regulation, but a little bit of bad blood continued after the game once it became clear that the two bitter rivals were on a collision course for the championship on Thursday night in Boston.
That continued this week as Canada's Brendon Hagel talked about how the Canadian flag — not the cameras — is what motivated him to fight, while also taking a swipe at reports that Team USA's Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and JT Miller discussed plans to open the game with a hat trick of tilts in a group chat.
"We don't have any group chats going on," Hagel said.
Well, on Thursday, Hagel's words circled back to Matthew Tkachuk and he had a response for the Tampa Bay forward (who he certainly knows well, seeing as he plays for the Florida Panthers), and a funny one at that.
"Well, I mean maybe their team doesn’t like each other if they don’t have group chats," Tkachuk said. "That's just a player enjoying his opportunity. Our team does not care about anything that they say. There's been a lot of chatter and talk from individuals, but we care about one thing in this room.
"We have millions of people that are watching us and supporting us around this country, and we're very prideful in playing for them. So it's an opportunity of a lifetime for us."
Well, that's exactly the kind of response I expected from a player who has not been shy about letting people know how proud he is to be an American (also, keep an eye on him and Hagel the next time the Bolts and Cats meet up, there seems to be some bad blood there).
But another quick reminder that this incredible week of hockey that we've all been gifted is the NHL's replacement for the All-Star Game.
What a stroke of genius.