Leon Draisaitl and Matthew Tkachuk renewed hostilities on Sunday at the Winter Olympics, and they certainly didn’t get through the game without several heated run-ins.
Tkachuk and the Americans frustrated Draisaitl and the Germans throughout the night en route to a 5-1 win, which, in addition to being particularly physical on the superstar center, featured this now-viral clip of Tkachuk chirping Draisaitl between the benches during a brief stoppage in play.
The Florida Panthers superstar winger can be heard saying, “Always the bridesmaid, eh Leon? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” to which Draisaitl laughs and shrugs it off.
Later in the game, when Draisaitl tried to line Tkachuk up in the corner, Tkachuk appeared to turtle to avoid getting crushed, much to the delight of the German captain.
Tkachuk was asked about his one-liner after the game:
“Some guys you got to play, you know, harder than most, physically and maybe after the whistle sometimes, too. But I thought our line, I thought [Eichel] especially, did an unbelievable job of giving him and their line nothing tonight. So sometimes you gotta play both parts of the game. But, I thought, mainly, [Eichel] did a great job during the whistle of playing him hard. That was something talked about going in, that we got to be hard on him, and [Stutzle], some of these guys over here, some high-end talent. Thought we did a great job,”
It’s certainly not the first time the two have clashed. From their days in the Battle of Alberta with Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers against Tkachuk and the Calgary Flames, to consecutive meetings in the Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers, they know each other quite well.
While Tkachuk might have gotten the last laugh in this one, Draisaitl will be looking for revenge if they meet in the finals again this year— that is, if Florida even makes the playoffs altogether.
Next: Could the Oilers Consider a Move for Leon Draisaitl’s German Linemate?
Discover more from NHL Trade Talk
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
