MIAMI — Matthew Tkachuk welcomed us into his home on Friday to talk about Stanley Cup celebrations, what the championship means to his family, and how the team dealt with the Edmonton Oilers’ attempted comeback.
After the Florida Panthers lost Game 4 in Edmonton, Tkachuk was looking to celebrate at home: “We were either winning in five or winning in seven.”
He thought would be fitting to win the Panthers’ first Stanley Cup in front of South Florida fans.
He is from a hockey family: His dad kept playing for many years and was a great player. His brother Brady is currently a star winger for the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk’s family spends a good amount of time in South Florida that is house. In the playoffs, the moments with the family were special. Especially before the decisive game 7.
“Having my parents at the house, my fiancee was there…getting walked out to the car by my dad and brother, getting game 7 pointers…I wanted it for them,” Tkachuk said. “That was a really special moment.”
His team delivered winning Game 7 with the score 2-1, sparking a week-long celebration. Tkachuk made it a point to celebrate as much as possible with the fans.
“To see how happy they were when cups around and to see, like, like the hours they put into the games and all the practices, at the airports,” he said. “Their support is the best”
For himself, nothing will match this week.
“It’s the craziest, most memorable, best week of my life,” Tkachuk said. “It’s going to get better with the parade coming this weekend. It’s a week I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
