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If Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk are Feeling Unwelcome in Canada, I Know an American NHL Team that Could Use Some Talent
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It’s been curious following the fallout from Team USA’s Trump phone call and Kash Patel celebration after winning Olympic gold in Italia. Those guys came back home, went to the State of the Union address (most of them), then dispersed to their various NHL teams in the U.S. and Canada, where they were promptly asked about the President’s joke comment about having to invite the U.S. women to the White House.
Brady Tkachuk is in Ottawa and had this to say:
Auston Matthews, who plays in Toronto, was crushed by a local columnist in a story titled Opinion | Auston Matthews made his choice, seemingly putting Trump ahead of the Leafs:
Matthews displayed a complete lack of understanding for the responsibilities — hockey and non-hockey — he accepted as the captain of English Canada’s most famous NHL franchise.
Nobody says he has to give a thundering pro-Canada speech like Mark Carney did at Davos. But a new Angus Reid poll shows 68 per cent of Canadians feel threatened by Trump and his government, and just last week the U.S. president vowed to block the opening of the new Gordie Howe bridge between Windsor and Detroit and demanded Canadian concessions.
Matthews, however, preferred to exchange his immediate return to the Leafs for the opportunity to shake Trump’s hand. When asked about his lack of sensitivity toward Canada, Matthews took the athletes’ easy way out.
“I don’t like to get political or get into that kind of stuff,” he said.
We get it. You’re a proud American. But not a proud Torontonian? Not even verbally supportive of the country that has given you the privilege of living and working here as a non-citizen for a decade?
Give me a fucking break. The “privilege of living and working here” as if playing for the Leafs is some kind of honor. The Flyers have won a Cup more recently than the Leafs, and when that last happened, Fleetwood Mac was in the studio working on an album called “Rumours.” Toronto hockey fans should feel privileged that guys like Auston Matthews and William Nylander are willing to play for their sorry-ass franchise. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the greatest and most important team in the world, according to Toronto Maple Leafs fans and media. These guys are right up there with the Dallas Cowboys and Arsenal in terms of delusion.
Speaking of sorry-ass franchises, the Flyers could really use some talent. Are we wrong to think that Danny Briere and company have an avenue here? Do these guys really want to live and play in Canada, knowing that the media and 68% of the fans now hate their guts? They’re not gonna win a Cup anyway playing for the Senators, Leafs, or Jets. Would they not be in much better situations coming back to the States and playing down here?
Serious question, honest to God. What’s to stop the Flyers from at least making some phone calls and seeing if there’s an angle to work? Brady Tkachuk will be a free agent in 2028 after two more seasons at $8.2 million. Auston Matthews has two more years after this one at $13.2 million, then he’s a UFA at age 30. The Flyers have cap space for the first time in a long time and some younger talent coming through the pipeline. They’re in position to really make a splash.
Of course, we’d all be naive to think Philadelphia is destination #1 for these guys, or any NHL stars, but if it takes two to tango then the Flyers are in a position to begin putting on David Bowie’s red shoes to dance the blues.
You gotta be cut throat with this stuff and take chances to be aggressive. Maybe there’s something here, maybe not, but it’s at least worth exploring.
And in terms of moral superiority, let’s be honest with ourselves. The Flyers aren’t in a position where they can turn down talent based on their political views. If we built Philadelphia sports rosters with the stipulation of “no MAGA allowed,” then the Phillies aren’t winning shit, and the Eagles wouldn’t have an offensive line since all five Super Bowl starters went to the White House along with the head coach. But that doesn’t stop people from watching the local baseball or football team, does it? They just stick their heads in the sand and pretend to not be hypocrites.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com