Connect with us

Sports

US men’s hockey stars reflect on American pride after bringing home Olympic gold

Published

on

US men’s hockey stars reflect on American pride after bringing home Olympic gold

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The U.S. men’s hockey team made history with its 2-1 overtime win over Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics in the gold medal game Sunday. 

Jack Hughes hit the golden goal to deliver the U.S. its first men’s hockey gold medal since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team.

“We deserve it,” Matthew Tkachuk said during an exclusive sitdown on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” about the whirlwind celebration he and his teammates have experienced in recent days.

“We really pride ourselves on being true Americans that would doing anything it takes for this country and to win. And I’m so proud of the guys, and I’m so proud to be able to compete with them.”

Advertisement

Brady Tkachuk (7) and Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the United States celebrate after their game against Team Canada during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena Feb. 22, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Team USA spoke with Fox News shortly after visiting President Donald Trump at the White House.

“You never really dream of being in this position, but to share this with (Matthew), but also my 23 other brothers … wouldn’t change it for the world,” Brady Tkachuk said about the experience of playing alongside his brother Matthew in the gold medal game.

“To be able to represent this country and all (the) amazing people and millions of Americans that were back home, we felt their love. We felt their support.”

Advertisement

Team USA goaltender and Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck discussed his transition back to Canada for NHL competition.

“Mentally, this is going to be hard to get back in it. I need at least 24 hours to wrap my brain around this because this has been not only the most fun experience of my life, but you just see the pride in this country,” Hellebuyck said. 

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of theUnited States celebrates winning the gold medal during the men’s gold medal game against Canada at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games Feb. 22, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Andrea Branca/Eurasia Sport Images)

“It’s bigger than the game of hockey. …. I know my city loves me in Winnepeg, and I’m really looking forward to trying to bring some joy back to that city as well and hopefully chasing a (Stanley) Cup.”

Canada has historically been the most dominant Olympic hockey team in history, with a world-best nine gold medals. Sunday’s win also avenged a loss to Canada in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face Off exhibition last year.

Advertisement

“The second the boots hit the ground back here in the U.S., we could feel how many millions of people were tuning in, supporting us and just loving how we represent,” Matthew added of the outpouring. “We were kind of America’s Team there for a bit, and we could feel it across the Atlantic (Ocean). We just appreciate everybody’s support. It was truly amazing just to represent the greatest country in the world at that stage.”

Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning, hours after celebrating their gold medal victory against Canada in Miami. The two opened up on what it meant to them to represent the Stars and Stripes.

The United States celebrates after winning the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. (James Lang/Imagn Images)

“I think a lot of us played at the U.S. National Team Development Program. … When we were there, you get to put the jersey on every day for two years before you’re drafted. We go through training. We’re not military by any means, but they put us through some training, and they really instill in you some pride,” Larkin said. “Once you go through that, you take the jersey off. … And every time you take it off, for me at least, I don’t know the next time I’m going to put it on.

Advertisement

“So, every time I get the chance to represent the United States of America, I put that jersey on, I’m all in. I love doing it, and it’s just something special. I could go on all day about how great our country is. Just being home and seeing our friends and family, it’s just special.”

Trump invited the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team to Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement

Related Article

Trump congratulates Team USA after picking up men's hockey gold in Olympic thriller

Sports

Deonna Purrazzo touts Ring of Honor as having ‘great women’s wrestling,’ should be seen as landing spot

Published

on

Deonna Purrazzo touts Ring of Honor as having ‘great women’s wrestling,’ should be seen as landing spot

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Deonna Purrazzo was credited with helping restart the women’s division in Ring of Honor (ROH) when she joined the company in 2015. She was featured in one of the first women’s matches in the company’s history in nearly a decade at the time.

She spent three years with the company before she landed back in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2024. By that time, AEW co-founder Tony Khan had bought Ring of Honor and it became a sister company of AEW. Upon her return to Ring of Honor, she was thrust into a tournament to determine the first ROH women’s pure champion.

PRO WRESTLING STARS LEADING SHOWCASE TO BENEFIT TUNNEL TO TOWERS, SHARE WHAT BEING AN AMERICAN MEANS TO THEM

Deonna Purrazzo celebrates after winning her match during AEW Collision on June 15, 2024, at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Advertisement

In December, Purrazzo defeated Billie Starkz to be crowned the champion and has held the title ever since.

As a wave of new wrestlers hit the free-agent market over the last two weeks, Purrazzo touted the opportunities that Ring of Honor has for women’s wrestlers – something that was “really important” to the New Jersey native.

“I think what’s so great about Ring of Honor is that it kinda flies under the radar a little bit,” she told Fox News Digital. “So, you get to really develop and tell stories and show personality and maybe try something different than you would if you were on ‘Dynamite’ every single week. I think that there is really great women’s wrestling within Ring of Honor. Most weeks there’s four, five, six women’s matches and so I think that it doesn’t get enough credit online that it deserves for what it’s doing and the purpose it’s serving for women’s wrestling, which is, again, really important to me, starting in Ring of Honor, starting the women’s division 11 years ago.

“To get to see multiple women every single week grow and develop, I think it’s really important and I think that if more people saw it as a landing spot, we can maybe grow that perception in the public’s eyes.”

Athena sits at the top of the women’s division in ROH. She’s held the ROH Women’s World Championship for more than 1,200 days. Red Velvet is the current ROH Women’s World Television Championship and has held it for more than 150 days.

Advertisement

Deonna Purrazzo attends Shaq’s Fun House at XS nightclub at Encore Las Vegas on Feb. 9, 2024. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

Purrazzo also has the opportunity to help veterans and first-responders in need.

She and her husband, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling star Steve Maclin, are putting on the Battle for the Brave on June 6. The charity event will benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Purrazzo stressed how important giving back to military veterans was to her in an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this week, especially as a military wife. Maclin served in the U.S. Marines.

Advertisement

“Growing up in New Jersey as well, 9/11 was such a big deal. For me, I was in second grade,” she said. “I didn’t understand what was going on but in the days after, I felt a sense of unity in that everyone came together, everyone was proud to be an American, and we were going to fight back and stand together and be one, united country. And I think that, that feeling has always stuck with me but being a veteran’s wife, it’s taken on a completely different role.

“Steve opening up about his service and things he’s seen and experienced with me has given me a new passion to let veterans know that, yes, war will always come home with you but it doesn’t have to define you. Steve was so lucky that he was able to find wrestling right after he got out of the Marine Corps and it saved him, in a way, from falling down the unknown path of ‘What am I? Who am I next?’

Pro wrestling stars Steve Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo stare at each other. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“And I think that’s something that our veterans deal with unbeknownst to the rest of the public. It’s not talked about enough. They say 22 veterans but right now the math is leading toward 44 veterans a day lose their lives to that battle – an identity crisis of who am I after service. So, that’s what it means to be American for me now, is showing that support for our veterans, showing that our country is here for them and we’re here to support them and we’re here to give them the resources that they need to live healthy and successful lives after service.”

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Sports

Kyle Loftis, street racing media pioneer who founded 1320Video, dies at 43

Published

on

Kyle Loftis, street racing media pioneer who founded 1320Video, dies at 43

Kyle Loftis, who started filming street racing with a point-and-shoot camera and went on to become a pioneer in car culture media, has died, his company confirmed Wednesday. He was 43.

“We are extremely saddened to share that Kyle Loftis, the founder of 1320video, passed away last night,” the company wrote in a statement posted on social media. “We are in a state of shock.”

No cause of death has been disclosed.

The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office and Gretna Fire Department in Nebraska responded to Loftis’ home Tuesday night, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said in a statement emailed to The Times.

“Loftis was declared deceased; his death is not suspicious,” the spokesperson wrote. “Out of respect for privacy, we will not be releasing further details.”

Advertisement

According to his LinkedIn page, Loftis attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 2000-2005 and earned a bachelor’s degree in management of information systems.

It was there, Loftis said in a 2023 video on his company’s YouTube channel, that his interests in car stereos and photography evolved into a passion for street racing — in particular, capturing races in still photos and on video and making that media available to fans.

“I’m a hardcore ‘car nut’ that’s taken his love for cars and turned it into the most amazing ‘job’ of my life,” Loftis wrote on LinkedIn. “Through my business, 1320Video, I’m able to experience the craziest & best automotive events (fitting my tastes) and share them with millions of people around the world!”

Back in the early days, Loftis posted his work on message boards and sold it on DVDs. For nearly 10 years after college, he worked for PayPal while building his motorsports media business on his own time. He dedicated himself to 1320Video full time starting in January 2015.

Currently, 1320Video has nearly 4 million subscribers on YouTube, more than 6 million followers on Facebook and nearly 3 million followers on Instagram.

Advertisement

“Kyle’s passion for motorsports inspired millions of people around the world and we will never forget what he has done to grow our beloved sport,” 1320Video wrote. “Kyle was a beam of light at every gathering… his enthusiasm, kindness, and creativeness was contagious.

“Let us pray that Kyle is in a better place.”

Garrett Mitchell — the YouTuber and stock car racer known as Cleetus McFarland — posted a tribute to his longtime friend on Facebook.

“Completely shocked about the loss of Kyle,” Mitchell wrote. “The most influential person on my life. We’re crushed. Please pray for his Mother and close friends, they need it most.”

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Sports

Eli Manning hilariously shuts down comeback talk as Giants explore Odell Beckham Jr reunion possibility

Published

on

Eli Manning hilariously shuts down comeback talk as Giants explore Odell Beckham Jr reunion possibility

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The New York Giants have had an active offseason, but fans still want to see a reunion with Odell Beckham Jr.

A video of Beckham scoring a touchdown from his time with the Giants went viral on social media.

“All these Giants signings have been great and all, but there’s still one final piece missing…,” the user posted.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Advertisement

NFC coach Eli Manning looks on during the NFL Pro Bowl Skills Competition at the UCF Nicholson Fieldhouse in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)

Eli Manning, who threw the touchdown to Beckham in the clip, had some fun with it.

“Guys, I’m not coming back to play! Stop asking,” Manning posted on X.

Manning retired after the 2019 season, ending a 16-year run with the team. Toward the end of his career, Manning struggled, as the team went 9-26 in his starts over the last three seasons of his career.

Before Manning’s play declined, Beckham was one of his favorite targets. Manning threw more touchdowns to Beckham (44) than to any other player in his career.

Advertisement

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. warm up before a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 12, 2016. (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY NETWORK)

Beckham was electrifying in New York. In five seasons with the Giants, Beckham played 59 games, catching 390 passes for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns.

He was then stunningly traded to the Cleveland Browns and never recaptured that same form, spending just two and a half seasons with them before they released him.

The Giants recently brought Beckham in for a workout. He played under coach John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. The 33-year-old was productive as a depth receiver, catching 34 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

Advertisement

Harbaugh called Beckham one of his favorite people in the world in March.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Odell Beckham Jr. started his career with the New York Giants. (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY NETWORK)

“He and I do talk. We do text,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve maintained a really great relationship. He’s one of my very favorite people in the world. It’s not like you don’t talk to guys on things like that. And certainly we have.”

“We’ll just have to see where it all goes, what’s best for him, what’s best for the Giants.”

Advertisement

While the Giants have to see where it goes with Beckham, they know for sure Manning is staying in retirement.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending