Auston Matthews texted Matthew Tkachuk nightly during Team USA men’s hockey Olympic gold medal run

One of the largest performances by the Team USA men's hockey team was recorded at the Milan Winter Olympics, where it secured its first Olympic gold medal in the field in 46 years. It was captained by the Toronto Maple Leafs captain, Auston Matthews, who was instrumental as a leader and an important contributor to the offense during the entire tournament.Stories inside the locker room are also starting to appear as players still look back at the historic run. It was also one of the stories that Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers wrote that recently, wherein he mentioned a light-hearted tradition that Matthews kept throughout the tournament that reflected the team chemistry and good connection.

NHL star Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers reveals text tradition with Auston Matthews of Team USA

In the Wingmen podcast, Matthew Tkachuk disclosed that Matthews would text him every night before a Team USA match in the Olympics.

The forward of the Florida Panthers claims that the message would normally reach him at about 10 p.m. on the eve of the game day.One thing that was always included in the text was a humorous video of Dylan Larkin, the captain of the Detroit Red Wings. In the clip, Larkin would be dressed in the outfit the team had decided on when they got to the arena the next day.To the players, the repetitive video turned into a little yet sweet tradition of the team.

It served to pull the spirits up and provided teammates with something to laugh at before going out on the ice in one of the largest international hockey tournaments.Such situations were indicators of the great camaraderie within the Team USA locker room. Although the players were bent on winning the gold, they also made friends, and their tradition made the experience that more meaningful.The nightly messages of Matthews have become an addition to the growing number of tales about the tournament, but another marker of the leadership and the spirit that drove the historic triumph of the team.