Sens captain Brady Tkachuk unhappy with White House AI video that insulted Canadians

By Canadian Press on February 26, 2026.

OTTAWA — Brady Tkachuk said he did not appreciate an AI-doctored video shared by the White House that made it appear he was disparaging Canadians, calling it fake and not something he would ever say.

The Ottawa Senators captain spoke Thursday in his first availability since helping the United States defeat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win men’s hockey gold Sunday at the Milan Winter Olympics.

The U.S. women also beat Canada 2-1 in overtime three days earlier, the first time the Americans swept both Olympic hockey tournaments.

The altered clip inserted fabricated audio of Tkachuk referring to Canadians as “maple syrup eating f—s,” with the expletive bleeped in the video.

Tkachuk called it “clearly fake,” said the voice and lip movement did not match, and added he would never use that language.

He also denied being the voice heard shouting “close the northern border” during Team USA’s celebratory phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.

The Canadian Press

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