Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk won a gold medal with the United States men’s hockey team at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, following a 2-1 overtime victory against Canada at Santagiulia Arena in Milan. The win marks the first time a player has earned an Olympic gold medal while playing for the Florida Panthers.
Tkachuk finished second on Team USA with six assists during the tournament, trailing only Quinn Hughes, who led with eight points. Tkachuk’s total also placed him fourth among all skaters in the competition.
Several other Panthers players also medaled at the Games. Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Sam Reinhart received silver medals as members of Team Canada. Reinhart contributed a goal that helped Canada rally in their semifinal match against Finland.
Representing Finland, Panthers forwards Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Niko Mikkola secured bronze medals. Assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu was part of Finland’s coaching staff.
The seven medals won by Panthers players set a new franchise record for most medals at a single Olympics, surpassing the previous high of five from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
In total, ten Florida Panthers players and five staff members participated in this year’s Olympic tournament, leading all NHL teams in representation.
The listed Panthers participants were: Uvis Balinskis (Latvia), Sandis Vilmanis (Latvia), Anton Lundell (Finland), Eetu Luostarinen (Finland), Niko Mikkola (Finland), Sam Reinhart (Canada), Brad Marchand (Canada), Sam Bennett (Canada), Gustav Forsling (Sweden), and Matthew Tkachuk (USA). Staff included Bill Zito as Assistant General Manager for Team USA, Teddy Richards as Equipment Manager for Team USA, Tuomo Ruutu as Assistant Coach for Finland, Myles Fee as Video Coach for Sweden, and Jamie Kompon as Assistant Coach for Germany.
Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito said: “With their 2-1 overtime win over Canada today at Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Italy, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk earned a gold medal for the United States of America at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.”
The Florida Panthers are scheduled to play next on Thursday, Feb. 26 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena. The game will be broadcast on Scripps Sports and Panthers Plus.
