USA hockey star Matthew Tkachuk has come under fire for admitting he wants to have a son who can follow in his footsteps on the ice, leading to accusations of ‘sexism’ and ‘misogyny’.
Tkachuk, who helped America claim gold at last month’s Winter Olympics in Italy, revealed on Wednesday that he is currently expecting his first child with wife Ellie almost a year after they tied the knot.
The Florida Panthers player, 28, revealed in an interview with Sean Hannity that he and Ellie are waiting to learn the sex of their baby the ‘old-school’ way after resisting the option to find out immediately.
However, he then sparked controversy online by expressing his desire to have a son one day because he wants to be a hockey dad.
‘Yes, I mean, at some point, would definitely have to have a boy,’ he said on the Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast, via People. ‘I’ve been explaining to [my wife], because she has just a sister [and] no brothers… what youth hockey is like. And I think I’m more excited for youth hockey one day than my current hockey right now.’
After being asked when he’d let his child put on some skates for the first time, Tkachuk added: ‘Oh, I’m lacing them up. The second he can get — at least stand up, I’m going to carry him around the ice.’
USA hockey star Matthew Tkachuk has come under fire for explaining why he wants a son
Tkachuk, who is expecting his first child with wife Ellie, admitted he wants to be a hockey dad
The American winger’s remarks did not go down well with a number of fans on social media, particularly in light of Donald Trump’s contentious joke about the USA women’s team during a celebratory phone call with the men last month.
One user said about Tkachuk on X: ‘you would think after all the s*** from the gold medal celebration he would try [to] be less blatantly sexist. and yet’.
Another argued: ‘Women’s hockey just hit 100k players and one of the faces of the NHL is saying this. You can say you hung out with the women’s team but that means literally nothing when you’re essentially saying you won’t be happy until you’ve had a boy. Just mask-off misogyny’.
A third put: ‘like oh okay so would you not put your girl in youth hockey too or’.
‘Someone tell him he can also be a hockey dad if he has a daughter,’ a fourth pointed out.
While a fifth wrote sarcastically: ‘Famously girls never play hockey’.
The USA women’s team also won gold at the Milan-Cortina Games last month, getting the better of rivals Canada in the final just like their male counterparts.
Following the men’s victory, Trump enjoyed a phone call with Tkachuk and his teammates in the locker room to congratulate them, only for his jibe about the women to ultimately dominate headlines.
The Florida Panthers player made the comments on Sean Hannity’s podcast this week
It comes after the men’s team drew criticism last month over a controversial interaction with Donald Trump, who poked fun at their female counterparts
The president was heard saying when inviting them to Washington DC: ‘I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.’
He then added: ‘I do believe I probably would be impeached [if not].’
Several men’s players apologized over the interaction with Trump, while stressing that they share a close bond with the women’s team.
NHL star Charlie McAvoy said: ‘Certainly sorry for how we responded to it in that moment. You know, things just happened really quick there.’
‘If you know the men’s team, and if you know the relationships that we have, the amount of time that we’ve spent with the women’s team and how we’ve supported them, it’s certainly not reflective of how we feel and look at them and their accomplishments,’ McAvoy added.
Jack Hughes, who proved the hero in the men’s gold-medal showdown with Canada, also insisted the men’s and women’s players are ‘tight.’
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USA Olympic hockey star Matthew Tkachuk blasted for ‘sexist’ baby announcement: ‘Mask-off misogyny’