Team USA stirs rivalry with ‘Canadian tears’ jab in Olympics hockey ad with Jon Hamm

Team USA’s hockey team is going for more than just gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics — it wants to collect some “Canadian tears.”

At least that’s what Jack Eichel is saying during a new commercial for the Games which aired on NBC during Sunday Night Football.

In the ad spot during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, actor Jon Hamm is seen entering the U.S. team’s locker room to provide a motivational speech.

After hearty “listen up!” Hamm says that he “just got chills” before addressing the room full of NHL stars.

“It’s an honour to speak to you all before you head off to the Olympics,” Hamm says. “You’re going to Milan to bring home the biggest prize of all.”

That’s when Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel jumps in, saying “Canadian tears.”

Hamm is thrown for a loop, likely having expected the team’s main prize to be a gold medal.

“Wait, what?” Hamm asks. “What did Canada do?”

Brady Tkachuk chimes in with “stuff” as a clip from the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year, featuring a Canadian and American player duking it out is shown.

Hamm is stunned, saying that Canadians “are usually so polite.” Charlie McAvoy replies “not anymore,” to which Leafs captain Auston Matthews agrees.

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Hamm suggests that perhaps the teams could “just hug it out,” which draws laughter from around the room. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor ends the ad spot with a “Go get ‘em, boys” as he exits the scene.

The clip later , but was geo-locked and unavailable to watch in Canada — perhaps to keep down the ire of hockey fans in the Great White North.

NBC is the official American broadcaster of the Winter Olympics this coming February in Italy.

Eichel, Hughes, Matthews, McAvoy and Tkachuk (along with his brother Matthew Tkachuk, who currently is recovering from surgery and wasn’t featured in the ad) all have been named to the U.S. team. The full rosters are set to be announced by Dec. 31.

Olympic rink issues

As reported last week, there remains a “possibility” that NHL players will not be making the trip to Italy for the Games.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly was asked by Matt Larkin of the Daily Faceoff about the rink issues and the chance that NHLers wouldn’t in fact be headed to Italy in February.

“Depends on the percentage you want to place on the possibility the rink doesn’t get completed,” Daly said. “If there’s no rink completed, there’s no NHL players going to the Olympics.”

Hockey Insider Frank Seravelli also reported that “there is no Plan B” when it comes to potentially moving the men’s and women’s hockey events to a different city or arena.

The response from Daly comes after reports that the ice surface at the Milan rink will be more than three feet shorter than the NHL’s standard.

The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the IIHF approved a 196.85-foot by 85.3-foot sheet of ice in Milan, which is more than three feet shorter than the NHL’s standard 200-foot by 85-foot dimensions.

The ice issue was brought to light by Team Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer during an interview on Monday.

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