It turns out that one of Leon Draisaitl’s biggest rivals isn’t about to stop chirping the Edmonton Oilers star anytime soon — even on a different continent.

On Sunday, Draisaitl’s Germany squad wrapped up their preliminary round play at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, suffering a 5-1 loss at the hands of the United States.

Barring a miracle, it seems unlikely that Draisaitl’s team will end up on the podium, a fact that American forward Matthew Tkachuk took note of midway through their matchup.

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” Tkachuk quipped on the broadcast,while hurling a slew of other insults.

Matthew Tkachuk was hurling chirps to Leon Draisaitl in the U.S. vs. Germany hockey game today 🗣️🫣 pic.twitter.com/hhvpE0B4DD

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 16, 2026

With the United States well on their way to their third straight win, and Germany picking up just one win in three games, Draisaitl didn’t seem to have much of a retort.

It appears that there’s no love lost between these two stars, with Tkachuk seemingly making reference to Draisaitl’s Oilers’ inability to win the big one over his Florida Panthers’ squad.

As you likely know, Tkachuk’s team has gotten the better of the Oilers in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals.

With the Panthers currently sitting last in the Atlantic Division — and Tkachuk playing just 10 games due to injury this year that held him out until January —  a third straight Stanley Cup rematch doesn’t seem like it’s on the way.

But you can bet when the Oilers play the Panthers on March 19, those chirps will probably be flying, presuming that both players are in the lineup.

How has the Oilers star performed at Winter Olympics?

Through three games, Draisaitl has tallied a goal and two assists. That’s fine production, but hardly the next-level performance we’ve seen from the Hart Trophy winner at his peak.

Particularly with Connor McDavid putting up nine points through three games (albeit with a few stronger linemates than Draisaitl), it’s hardly been a tourament to remember for the Germans so far, outside of simply getting to experience the Winter Olympics with NHLers again.

The loss on Sunday against the United States sets Germany up to take the long road for a medal at the Winter Olympics, as they’re now taking on France on Tuesday in a qualification playoff game.

Should they win that, they’ll be drawn against Slovakia on Wednesday in the quarterfinal, hardly an easy road to try to reach the podium.

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