Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk publicly rejected a fabricated AI video on the White House TikTok account that falsely showed him insulting the Canadian hockey team. The video surfaced shortly after the U.S. men’s hockey team defeated Canada to win gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday.
Tkachuk, who played a major role in the American victory, explained that the clip, which was posted the same day as the Olympic final, featured manipulated footage from a previous press conference during the 4 Nations Face-Off. The video claimed he said,
“They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup eating f—s a lesson.”
Tkachuk Clarifies Video Is a Fabrication with No Basis in Reality
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa before the Senators’ first game after the Olympic break against the Detroit Red Wings, Tkachuk made it clear the video was falsified.
“Well, it’s clearly fake, because it’s not my voice, not my lips moving,”
he said.
“I’m not in control of any of those accounts. I know that those words would never come out of my mouth. So, I can’t do anything about it.”
The TikTok clip, which acknowledged the use of AI technology, has been viewed over 11 million times. It paired the false quote with the song Free Bird before showing highlights of the U.S. victory over Canada.
Tkachuk reiterated,
“It’s not my voice. It’s not what I was saying. I would never say that. That’s not who I am, so I guess I don’t like that video because that would never come out of my mouth and (I) never had that thought.”
Additional False Claims and Social Media Fallout Addressed
Beyond the AI video, Tkachuk denied being the person who shouted, Close the northern border, during the American team’s congratulatory phone call with then-President Donald Trump.
“I’ve been seeing stuff that people think it’s me. But if you watch the video, it’s not my voice,”
Tkachuk stated.
“I don’t know how that took a storm on its own when I give everything I have here. It’s crazy when things go on social media, how fast they go. I would never say anything like that.”
Recently, the U.S. men’s hockey team attended the White House for Trump’s State of the Union speech, marking their return from the Olympics. The visit stirred controversy when Trump remarked he might be impeached if he failed to invite the U.S. women’s hockey team, who also earned gold.
Tkachuk’s Olympic Impression and Current Performance with Senators
The 26-year-old Tkachuk completed his first Olympic appearance this season, scoring three goals and two assists over six games. Since returning to the NHL, he has accumulated 37 points in 37 games for the Ottawa Senators.
The widespread distribution of the AI video on the White House TikTok highlights the challenges athletes face with digital misinformation, and Tkachuk’s firm denial underscores the importance of verifying content before accepting its authenticity.
