Sports

Matthew Tkachuk caught trash-talking Leon Draisaitl during USA-Germany game: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride'

February 16, 2026

Story byDavid SuggsSun, February 15, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC·2 min readMatthew Tkachuk caught trash-talking Leon Draisaitl during USA-Germany game: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The United States men's hockey team's clash with Germany set up a battle between two of the NHL's best forwards -- and a rematch of the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPanthers star Matthew Tkachuk and Oilers standout Leon Draisaitl were expected to set off fireworks in their Olympic clash. They did just that on Sunday evening -- albeit in an unexpected way. Tkachuk delivered quite the insult towards Draisaitl, whose side fell behind by as many as five goals en route to a 5-1 win.

Matthew Tkachuk caught trash-talking Leon Draisaitl during USA-Germany game: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride'

Credit: Yahoo

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The moment was made all the more memorable by a hot microphone, which captured Tkachuk's quips during the second period. Here's what you need to know. MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer's guide | Day-by-day scheduleMatthew Tkachuk caught trash-talking Leon DraisaitlTkachuk was caught chirping at Draisaitl partway through the second period.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion had a go at the German supernova while they were headed to the bench. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Always the bridesmaid, eh Leon?" Tkachuk said.
"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."Tkachuk would know something about Draisaitl's toils in big games.
Draisaitl has been to two Stanley Cup Finals.
He suffered defeats in both of them, falling to Tkachuk's Panthers each time. MORE: Full box score and stats from USA vs.

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Matthew Tkachuk caught trash-talking Leon Draisaitl during USA-Germany game: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride'

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

Matthew Tkachuk caught trash-talking Leon Draisaitl during USA-Germany game: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride'

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