Team Canada Hockey Players Were Not Having It With Their Stuffed Animal Prizes

There’s almost never a situation where grown men should be handed a stuffed animal, and doing so two minutes after a gold medal hockey game is no exception.

On Sunday, Team USA defeated Team Canada 2-1 in overtime to clinch their first gold medal in 46 years. Both teams fought like rabid animals for just over 60 minutes, giving every fiber of their being to win the final medal event of the Winter Olympics.

But in a wild game, Jack Hughes provided the wildest moment of all.

With that win, the Canadians were forced to grapple with a devastating loss, bringing home the silver with a team that by all means could have won gold.

But that somehow wasn’t the most devastating part.

After a few Olympic organizers went and handed out silver medals one-by-one to a dejected Canadian squad, they went back for a second trip and handed out the most unusual token of all:

A stuffed animal. No, I’m not kidding.

The plush toy was Tina the Stoat, but also a stuffed "Flo" — which is a tiny "impish" character, according to NBC via Yahoo Sports. Tina was one of the mascots of the Games, and evidently, every competitor who won a medal in any event got one.

And none of the players cared, especially chief whiner Nathan MacKinnon.

I’m with Team Canada on this one (I can be a good fan, see?).

Plush toys are for children, not gladiators in the ring. A more fitting additional prize would be a bottle of wine, which Italy is by no means lacking. 

But a little promotional souvenir that’s going to be associated with one of the worst memories of their lives? Not necessary. The silver medal will be enough of a reminder of that nightmare.