Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has pushed back against an AI-generated video shared by the White House on social media that appeared to show him making derogatory comments about Canada.
The brady tkachuk AI video, posted over the weekend, depicted the bruising winger, who also plays for the US men’s Olympic ice hockey team, using offensive language to describe the Canadian team during a mock press conference with bleeped profanity.
Tkachuk was made to say in the White House TikTok video, “They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup-eating f—s a lesson.” The clip then cut to highlights from the Olympic gold medal game, which saw the United States defeat Canada 2-1 in overtime.
Watch Brady Tkachuk White House video:— alexadamsBTP_ (@alexadamsBTP_) 
Live EventsTkachuk, who plays full-time for the Senators, said he did not condone the language used in the video and stressed that it was fabricated.
“It’s clearly fake because it’s not my voice and not my lips moving,” Tkachuk told reporters at a media scrum Thursday, February 26. “I’m not in control of any of those accounts. … I know that those words would never come out of my mouth.” Asked directly whether he liked the brady tkachuk white house video, the Ottawa Senators captain was unequivocal. “I would never say that. That’s not who I am.”
Tkachuk also denied claims that he was the person heard shouting “close the northern border” during Team USA’s celebratory phone call with Donald Trump following the gold medal win.
“I’ve been seeing stuff that people think it’s me, but if you watch the video, that’s not my voice and something that I never say,” Tkachuk said. “I don’t really know how that kind of took a storm on its own when I play here and give everything I have here.”
The 26-year-old Arizona native has spent his entire NHL career with the Ottawa Senators in the Canadian capital. He and other members of the US Olympic team returned from Italy this week as the NHL season resumed. Some players attended Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday night, where they were applauded by the audience, reported the Associated Press.
The US women’s team also defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime, marking the first time the Americans swept both Olympic hockey tournaments. However, celebrations of the twin victories have been overshadowed by political controversy in the days following the men’s final.