Matthew Tkachuk To Fox News: ‘Lives Changed Forever’ with Team USA Gold

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk joined his younger brother Brady and Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck on Fox News on Tuesday night to talk about winning gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Host Bret Baier asked Matthew Tkachuk to compare winning the Stanley Cup with the Panthers to winning gold with Team USA.

Tkachuk struggled to answer the question — but previously said on the show that he really dug being on what he said was “America’s Team for a little bit.”

On Sunday, Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win the gold medal in men’s hockey for the first time since the ‘Miracle on Ice’ team of 1980.

Sunday was the 46th anniversary of the United States beating the Soviet Union in Lake Placid.

“It’s been crazier, to be honest,’’ Tkachuk said. “Hundreds of millions of people back here in the United States, we felt the support. Whether you like hockey or not, it united everybody, they cheered for one team.

“It was the most special team to ever be part of, and it meant the world for me to be on this team. It meant the world for me to represent this country. I don’t know if I will ever have an experience that will replicate the last few weeks and what this has meant.

“I mean, our lives have changed forever, to be completely honest.”

Tkachuk and the rest of Team USA landed in Miami to a hero’s welcome on Monday afternoon — and they have been rolling ever since.

The team stayed on South Beach on Monday night, being escorted to dinner in the design district atop double-decker buses before they partied into the wee hours of Tuesday at E11even.

On Tuesday, they were flown by the U.S. Air Force to Joint Base Andrews before going to visit with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Tkachuk went on Baier’s program before Team USA were feted at Trump’s State of the Union address before Congress.

“Being over here in the U.S. for two days, it’s been absolutely insane,’’ Tkachuk said. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the impact this has had on Americans across the country. It’s the most special thing you could ever imagine.”

On Monday, Tkachuk confirmed the trip to Washington and said he would be back in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.

The Panthers expect him to be in the lineup — along with the rest of their 10 Olympians who recently returned from Milan — on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sunrise.

Florida has three players (Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett) who were on the losing end of Sunday’s game.

General manager Bill Zito does not think there will be a problem having everyone come back together as one team with the Panthers.

“I’m not worried about it,’’ Zito said. “I would hope our relationship as teammates trumps all of it. Their relationship with their teammates certainly does.”

ON DECK: GAME No. 58

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Season Series (Leafs Lead 2-0) — At Florida: Leafs 4, Panthers 1 (Dec. 2); Feb . 26. At Toronto: Leafs 4, Panthers 1 (Jan. 6); April 11
• Last Regular Season: Panthers Won 3-1
• All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 53-40-7, 7 ties
• Last Postseason: Florida d. Toronto 4-3
• All-time Postseason (Panthers Lead 2-0): Panthers d. Toronto 4-1 (2023 ECS); Panthers d. Toronto 4-3 (2025 ECS)
• Up Next: Friday vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7