The US Canada hockey rivalry just landed in uncomfortable territory, and you felt it watching that clip. You saw the laugh. You saw the AI video of Brady Tkachuk appearing to insult Canadians, fake and taken down. But statistically, based on the last election, about half those players probably didn’t want to be there either, and that half never makes the highlight reel.

Rob Breakenridge pulls out the Sidney Crosby comparison: 100% proud Canadian, loves Pittsburgh, went to the White House when the Penguins won the Cup during Trump’s first term, and nobody had a problem with it. The AI video is where the line is, and that’s Trump being boorish and clumsy, not the players being disloyal. Kash Patel was there guzzling beers in the background. That detail got leaked.

Dumping Trump’s behavior onto young men who just won gold is the easy move. The boogeyman framing feels righteous. These are still just hockey players, and if they take a stand, they face the consequences.

Topics: US Canada hockey rivalry, Brady Tkachuk White House, American hockey players Trump, Alberta budget deficit, Rob Breakenridge

GUEST: RobBreakenridge | robbreakenridge.ca

Originally aired on2026-02-26