Leon Draisaitl and Matthew Tkachuk renewed hostilities Sunday at the Winter Olympics, and they certainly didn’t get through the competition without some heated confrontations.
Tkachuk and the Americans frustrated Draisaitl and the Germans all night en route to a 5-1 victory that was not only extremely physical in the superstar center but also included 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.
Later in the match, when Draisaitl tried to put Tkachuk in the corner, Tkachuk seemed to resemble a turtle to avoid being crushedmuch to the delight of the German captain.
Tkachuk was asked about his one-liner after the game:
“With some guys you have to play harder than most, physically and sometimes after the whistle. But I thought our line, I thought [Eichel] above all, did an incredible job of not giving him and their line anything tonight. So sometimes you have to play both parts of the game. But mainly I thought: [Eichel] did a great job at the whistle playing it hard. There was talk of us going in there, being tough on him, and… [Stutzle]Some of those guys here, some high-end talent. I thought we did great,”
It is certainly not the first time that 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 back-to-back meetings in the Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers, they know each other pretty well.
While Tkachuk may have had the last laugh on this one, Draisaitl will be out for revenge when they meet again in the finals this year – that is, if Florida makes the playoffs at all.
Next: Could the Oilers consider a move for Leon Draisaitl’s German linemate?
Discover more from NHL Trade Talk
Subscribe to receive the latest posts by email.
#Leon #Draisaitl #Matthew #Tkachuk #clash #USGermany #match