Tkaczuk and Tkachuk had similar paths to the pros
Tkaczuk’s path to pro hockey has parallels to current Flame Tkachuk
Daniel Tkaczuk and Matthew Tkachuk share similar names, junior stats and were selected sixth overall by the Calgary Flames 19 years apart.
One is progressing well as one of the NHL’s most well-rounded youngsters, while the other played just 19 NHL games in a career that veered from what he dreamed it would be.
The two will be on opposite sides of the battle Wednesday in Calgary when Tkachuk will face off against St. Louis and Tkaczuk will be watching from above as a first-year assistant coach with the Blues.
It’s not uncommon for the latter to be asked if he’s related to the former, who came into the league with all the same hype and hope Tkaczuk did 17 years ago.
“No relation to Matthew Tkachuk, but his dad (Keith) is involved in the St. Louis organization,” Tkaczuk said with a chuckle.
“Hockey is a funny world that way.”
When asked where things started to go sideways for the Toronto native, Tkaczuk starts in the Saddledome.
“I was actually in a game here against Phoenix and I hit my face on the ice,” said Tkaczuk, who captained his Barrie Colts and was the leading scorer of Canada’s silver medal-winning team at the 1999 world juniors.
“I was tangled with a guy in the neutral zone and I wasn’t wearing a visor and bounced my face off the ice, got stitched up and came back. We flew to L.A. after the game and when I woke up I had the TV screen thing going, so just never was able to fight my way back.”
To that point, the American Hockey League call-up had a respectable four goals and 11 points in 19 NHL outings while playing on Don Hay’s second line between Dave Lowry and Val Bure.
“I’d like to think after having a strong year in the minors (making the AHL all-rookie team) and a strong start I got the call-up and was contributing,” said Tkaczuk, 38, who had 105 points in 58 games his final junior campaign, compared to Tkachuk’s 107 points in 57 outings.
“The numbers were OK and the team was holding its own, but then missing a month and a half hurt me developmentally. I lost a step and had other injuries like a second concussion in the minors. I was a quick thinker and with those injuries I couldn’t really get back to that level.”
He returned to lead the Saint John Flames to a Calder Cup that year before being traded at the draft by GM Craig Button to St. Louis with Fred Brathwaite and Sergei Varlamov for Roman Turek.
What followed was a 10-year odyssey through the minors and all over Europe, where he retired with the Nottingham Panthers in 2011.
He never played another NHL game.
“I do wish I had a longer NHL career, but I look at some of the opportunities I was given. I travelled the world and met some great people and experienced the game,” said Tkaczuk, a father of two young boys.
“There were players far greater than me who never got to play in the NHL. There’s definitely stuff I would have changed, but sometimes circumstances are such you can’t change anything. I look back and I tried hard. I tried to do what was asked of me by the organization and coaches. It didn’t work out, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.”
Tkaczuk tells a tale about an early exchange that might have explained the club’s mindset.
“When I first got drafted here, Brian Sutter was the coach and he said, ‘Well, you don’t smile very much,’ ” said Tkaczuk, a cerebral, intense type.
“I said, ‘No, I am having a great time, that’s just not my personality, that’s not my way. I’m a little more reserved. I’d rather go about my business and do what I can to help the team.’
“That was the one bit of feedback I got. So you want me to change my personality? You’d have to ask management if it was a personality thing, but you can’t change who you are.”
The Blues thought enough of his approach to hire him in a playerdevelopment role with an eye on helping talented young players.
“I knew I wanted to get into coaching and help young players with some of the stuff I wish I got help with when I was younger,” he said.
“I try to use my experience to help some of these younger guys — guys who are told how to develop into an NHL game or those who are up for a cup of coffee how to sustain it.”
Tkaczuk vividly recalls his first NHL sip, which started with a game against Hall of Fame Mighty Ducks Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya.
“My first goal was in my hometown against the Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada and I had just been called up,” said Tkaczuk, a two-way centre.
“I arrived so late my dad picked me up and I slept at home and my dad drove me in for pre-game skate. That was kind of neat. We won (6-5) in overtime when Val scored.
“Hey, it is a hard business. When you’re a kid dreaming, you don’t say, ‘I’m going to battle through injuries and various circumstances.’ I don’t look back with regret. How many guys get to play in the NHL, play for their country and still be involved with it as a coach?”