Just weeks after lifting his second straight Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk has gone viral again. Well, this time, not for his on-ice heroics, but for revealing an unusual plea from Canadian hockey fans. Tkachuk, who was born in Arizona and raised in St. Louis, helped lead the Panthers to a six-game series win over the Edmonton Oilers, securing the franchise’s second title in as many years. Now a two-time champion in his nine NHL seasons, the gritty winger sat down for a candid chat with Stugotz, co-host of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, in a YouTube video.
In the clip titled “Matthew Tkachuk Has Made Winning Stanley Cups Look Easy…”, the conversation quickly turned humorous and revealing. When the host discussed, “Canada cares about hockey, and we’ve taken that away from them in South Florida,” Tkachuk laughed and replied, “Yeah, well, Canada has to hate South Florida.” But then, the Panthers star dropped a moment of honesty that caught fans off guard.
“You know, I’ve gotten a few here today that I’m sure are from Western Canadians, like, ‘Can you just let Edmonton get it?’” That strange, semi-serious request was asked of him, which shows the desperation some Canadian fans feel, especially as Canada’s Cup drought drags on, Edmonton being their last hope this year. The comment went viral among hockey circles, as it humorously highlighted how serious Canadians are about hockey and how painful it’s been to watch their own teams fall short year after year. But Matthew Tkachuk didn’t express much sympathy.
“Do I feel bad for them?” he said. “I’m like, you don’t feel bad for anybody, because at the end of the day, we lost to Vegas a few years ago and nobody gave a shit about us.” It was typical of Tkachuk’s no-nonsense personality. Still, despite the tension between Canadian heartbreak and Florida triumph, Tkachuk shared a heartfelt appreciation for his adopted hockey home.
When pressed again by Stugotz about Canada possibly resenting the Panthers’ success, Matthew Tkachuk responded, “What I’ve seen from my time in South Florida is they care a ton, yes, so much about hockey, more than I could have ever pictured. Sorry, I’ve loved playing there. It’s been the time of my life, the best thing that’s happened to me in my hockey career.” But Tkachuk didn’t stop there; he made his future plans crystal clear: “I’m looking forward to hopefully… another one. I don’t know—yeah, three-peat.” At 27, the fiery winger isn’t just chasing more silverware; he’s helping build a hockey culture in South Florida that’s loud, proud, and unapologetically real, even if it continues to sting north of the border.
This is a developing story…
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