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Imago

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Imago

Team USA demolished Germany in their round robin match at the Milan Olympics. The 5-1 victory clearly confirmed Team USA’s gold medal ambitions, with players like Brady Tkachuk, who was quite aggressive on ice and effective with his playstyle, as he contributed an assist in the second period. However, the American winger revealed his other side right after the final buzzer at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

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As reported by TSN’s Mark Masters, cameras captured a postgame moment between Tkachuk and Germany’s Tim Stutzle, who is his Ottawa Senators linemate. “It’s unique. First time playing against each other,” Tkachuk said, to which the Stutzle replied, “It was definitely really weird.” And the bond between the two goes way back.

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Stutzle arrived in Ottawa as the third overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Almost immediately, Tkachuk and he bonded. The destiny was written, as after Tkachuk’s draft in 2018, the Senators had that one piece of the puzzle missing. And the German fulfilled it with his presence in the team. He recalled his grand welcome to the team, mentioning that Tkachuk was one of the first players to text him.

When Stutzle finished his world junior tournament, Brady Tkachuk invited him to move in, and the two became housemates alongside fellow Senator Josh Norris. “After the world juniors, he asked me to come live with him, and we understood each other right from the beginning, Josh too. It’s great having those guys helping me every day. They want to make me better and it’s definitely fun learning from them,” he stated.

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The off-ice chemistry later translated into on-ice success for the Senators in the NHL. Since Stutzle’s debut in the 2020-21 season, the pair has formed the cornerstone of Ottawa’s rebuild, with the franchise expecting them to lead the team back to playoff contention. Indeed, Tkachuk is now the team’s captain with his aggressive nature on ice, while Stutzle skates, showing off his prowess on the rink.

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They are just perfect as a pair. Stutzle even led the Senators in regular-season scoring with 79 points in their regular season, while Tkachuk led the team with seven points during their postseason run.

However, the Tkachuk brothers completely showcased their grit against Germany.

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Brady Tkachuk and his brother Matthew left no room for their opponents

With a 5-1 victory against Germany on Sunday, Team USA locked its position in the quarterfinals as the second-seeded team and will now wait for its opponent. And from the first period, the match saw the Americans dominating on the ice.

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While Brady Tkachuk had one assist in the game, Matthew secured two, the first coming at 23:25 in the second period, where captain Auston Matthews scored, and the second one almost 15 minutes later with his brother, giving an assist to Brock Faber.

Even Matthew received a minor 2-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct at 55:34. But at that point, it was too late for Germany, as Team USA was leading 5-0. “They’re a pain in the a** to play against,” said captain Auston Matthews, perfectly summing up the Tkachuk brothers against any team.

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Brady didn’t even tone down his playstyle despite having Senators teammate Tim Stutzle against him on the ice, stating, “You can be friends before and after, but when we’re out there, we’re just two opponents going at it.” They have a clear goal: to win.

Matthew was also seen chirping at Leon Draisaitl, saying, “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” pointing out his two Stanley Cup wins against the Edmonton Oilers. The German forward replied, “Same old.”

So, with Team USA ready for the quarterfinals, only time will tell if they can move ahead in the rounds. Fans are expecting nothingless, as they are eager to see a rematch in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off against the favorites, Canada.

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