Watch: Radko Gudas grabs Brady Tkachuk by the neck in attempted chokehold 

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified May 24, 2024 07:30 GMT

In the 2024 IIHF World Championship quarterfinal matchup, Brady Tkachuk and Radko Gudas were often seen battling for space in front of the net in a physically intense game.

Gudas' primary task was to get under Tkachuk's skin, and he succeeded in doing so by constantly provoking him during the game. At one point, the Team Czechia defenseman was caught grabbing the neck of the Team USA forward, with Gudas seemingly trying to chokehold Tkachuk in front of the net.

Watch the video of the incident here:

In the post-game media availability, Tkachuk spoke of the incident. He reckoned that both he and Gudas have different playing styles, where Tkachuk's focus is on getting to the net and engaging in physical battles.

Tkachuk acknowledged that it's all part of the competitive nature of hockey (via The Hockey News):

"Yeah, it’s just part of the game,” Tkachuk said with no apparent ill will. “You know what? That’s his type of game and my type of game is to get to the net, try to bring it and try to drag guys into the fight, so credit to him.”

Despite Team USA's dominant performance against Czechia, outshooting them 36-28, they couldn't find the back of the net. The deadlock was finally broken by David Spacek, who scored the game-winning goal on the powerplay during the second period, securing Czechia's spot in the semifinals.

Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and Czechia are the remaining teams in the 2024 IIHF World Championship that will fight for the gold medal.

Brady Tkachuk on loss to Czechia

Brady Tkachuk shared his thoughts on the loss to Czechia. Tkachuk's response reflected his frustration and respect for the opponent's strong performance.

He reckoned that Czechia's strategy of congesting play in the zones made it challenging for the USA to succeed.

Thakcuk acknowledged the effectiveness of Czechia's gameplay and emphasized the need to take time to analyze and learn from the defeat (via The Hockey News):

"It’s tough to answer that question right now,” USA captain Brady Tkachuk responded when asked what the team could have done better. “It’s going to take a little time to reflect. I mean, they just had a lot of numbers everywhere. They congested play in the zones – they played a great game.”

Tkachuk finished the 2024 IIHF World Championship with 13 points through seven goals and six assists in eight games for Team USA.