Former Red Wings Player Moved to Tears Following Olympic Finale

While Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was celebrating an Olympic gold medal with his USA teammates, the vanquished Canadians were solemnly accepting their silver medals.

It’s often said of the Olympic Games that silver is the unkindest finish of them all. As comedian Jerry Seinfeld once pointed out about silver medal winners, out of all the losers, they are the best.

In truth, winning an Olympic silver medal is quite an accomplishment. As time heals the wounds, the Canadian players will come to realize this fact.

As for unkindest finishes, fourth place is foremost in terms of Olympic heartbreak. The fourth-place squad deals with back-to-back devastation. There’s a semifinal loss, immediately followed by failure in the bronze medal game.

Tomas Tatar and Erik Haula had a really nice moment in the handshake line after the bronze medal game, ending with a big hug. Congrats to them both on a great Olympics! pic.twitter.com/CHYCWE6CMj

— Victory Flamingo🦩 (@VGKFlamingo) February 21, 2026

That was the heartbreak former Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar was feeling as the Cortina Milano Winter Games were reaching a conclusion. Tatar was the captain of Slovakia. The plucky underdog Slovaks lost 6-2 to the USA in the semifinals. Then they fell 6-1 to Finland and former Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta in the battle for bronze.

Tatar scored the lone Slovakian goal in the bronze medal defeat.

Former Red Wings Player Devastated

Dealing with the devastation, Tatar was overcome with emotion. The tears welled up, flowing down his cheeks.

“It’s disappointing,” Tatar told Slovak TV network STVR. “We were so close to a great success, but it didn’t happen.

Heartbreak for captain Tomas Tatar as Slovakia falls short in the bronze medal game 🇸🇰 #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/7kXwDzc3fr

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 21, 2026

“We still have a young team, and matches like this have given them the experience they lack. You could see the nervousness we had. The result is very cruel.”

A Calder Cup winner with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Tatar, 35, spent eight seasons with the Red Wings from 2010 to 2018. He currently plays in Switzerland with EV Zug.

Tatar sought to put a happy face on the emptiness that accompanies fourth place, but admitted it wasn’t easily done.

“Nobody predicted fourth place for us,” Tatar said. “My emotions are strong. We had something huge within reach. We surprised at a tournament with such a large number of players, and I think that in hindsight we will be proud.”