Dave Portnoy crosses the line after Megan Keller fleeces Claire Thompson for gold
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Alexander Cole
Feb 19, 2026 (5:26 PM)
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Photo credit: Eric Rueb/Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Dave Portnoy proved he doesn't respect the grind of women's hockey, trashing Claire Thompson right after the most crushing moment of her life.
The Barstool Sports boss fired off a completely classless shot at the Canadian defender following Team USA's historic 2-1 overtime win in Milan.
He went directly after her on X just minutes after American superstar Megan Keller secured the gold medal for the United States.
But Portnoy completely ignores the brutal reality of a full-blown war on the ice.
Thompson was battling through a reported upper-body injury all game long, logging incredibly heavy minutes against a relentless American offensive machine.
Keller just exploited the right moment to make herself a permanent national hero.
She took a perfect long pass from Taylor Heise exactly at the 4:07 mark of the extra frame, hit the gas pedal, and never looked back.
Keller walked right through the defensive coverage to rip the gold medal away from Canada.
She dragged the puck inside, absolutely fleeced Thompson one-on-one, and squeezed a dirty backhand right over Ann-Renee Desbiens' right pad.
Her individual effort was undeniably elite, capping off a massive, dominant tournament where the heavily favored U.S. squad outscored their opponents by a ridiculous 33-2 margin.
Yet Portnoy decided to make his entire narrative about embarrassing a Canadian player who left every single ounce of her blood and sweat out on that rink.
Canada actually had the Americans completely on the ropes for 58 hard-fought minutes, forcing them to pull Aerin Frankel for an extra attacker.
That was until American captain Hilary Knight tipped in her record-breaking 15th career Olympic goal to tie it up and force the 3-on-3 nightmare.
The Canadians choked away the late lead, but they certainly didn't deserve Portnoy's cheap, uneducated shots from the peanut gallery.
He clearly wants to build his personal brand by laughing at her lowest professional moment on a global stage.
Real hockey fans know Thompson is a total warrior, and Portnoy will be forever known as a loudmouth begging for attention he simply hasn't earned.
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