OTTAWA — For the first time in two decades, two Ottawa Senators are coming back to the nation’s capital from an Olympics with a gold medal around their necks.

Last time it happened was 2006, when Daniel Alfredsson won gold for Sweden.
Not bad company for the Senators’ American stars.

“I’m dreaming and somebody’s got to wake me up,” said Tkachuk Thursday about Team USA’s victory in Italy.

Last year, these two each scored a goal in the 4 Nations Face-off final loss against Canada, but this time they were able to win the final game of an international tournament.

In Milan, Sanderson was stellar on the back end, playing with Zach Werenski and Jaccob Slavin for large swaths of the tournament, tallying two assists.

Meanwhile, the Senators captain was excellent, amassing five points in six games. Sure, he had a bit of a tough gold-medal game, but they don’t ask how, they ask what medal you bring home.

By that measure, their performances were both golden.

It was especially cool for Tkachuk as he and his brother, Matthew, had dreamt of playing together and winning gold — something that eluded their father, Keith, at three Olympics.

Keith was the bridesmaid in 2002; his sons were the brides in 2026.

“To do it with Matthew and be with him for two-and-a-half weeks, non-stop together, and just how special that was, that’s (something) we will forever remember,” Tkachuk said.

But if the Tkachuks are lovable when they are on your side, they can seem like cartoon villains if they are the opposition.

“They’re not the happiest with me right now,” Tkachuk said of Senators fans, speaking to Fox News on Tuesday. “(I’ll) go back and give them everything that I got.”

“It’s a funny feeling, you feel their support every day, (then) for two weeks you’re public enemy No. 1. Going back with a smile on my face and get ready for a playoff push.”

Unlike Alfredsson’s gold medal, however, the aftermath of this victory came with a shade of controversy.

During a dressing room celebration of their Olympic gold medal, the team took a call from president Donald Trump, who invited them to the White House.

“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” Trump said, adding he’d “probably be impeached” if he didn’t also invite the women’s team. That statement was met with laughs by some of the U.S. men, who engaged in a celebratory back-and-forth with Trump.

Hilary Knight, captain of the US women’s team, called the joke “distasteful and unfortunate” ahead of her return to PWHL play. “And, I think just the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point and really shines light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats,” Knight said.

The two Senators were asked about that exchange with the president.

“Looking back at it now, I think it was a mistake,” Sanderson said. “But I think things got blown out of proportion a little bit. You know, we have nothing but the utmost respect for the women.

“I think if we were to do it again, I think we wouldn’t do that, and we made a mistake. But, again, I think it kind of got blown out of proportion a little bit. We love the women.”

Said Tkachuk: “Honestly, it was just a whirlwind of a moment. Can’t be in control (of) what somebody says. It just caught (us) off-guard a little bit, talking to the president.”

As it happens, the Senators play their “Women in Sport” game on Thursday versus Detroit.

Also heard in the video of the call with the president was someone in the dressing room calling for the closing of the northern border.

“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 just think that’s something that I never thought would happen in my head, and especially would never say it. I know it’s crazy when things go on social media, how fast they go.”

Tkachuk was asked if the political backdrop would affect his desire to stay in Ottawa. He’s a free agent in 2028.

“That’s not something that has crossed my mind,” he said. “I love playing for this team. I love the guys in this room. I really believe in what we’re all about.”

In the meantime, along with gearing up for his NHL return, Tkachuk is still celebrating with his family, though his one-year-old son Ryder is too young to understand the significance of his dad’s accomplishment.

“Yesterday, we were taking a picture (with the medal), and he thought (it) was … a wheel of a car, so he started doing car motions,” said Tkachuk.