TKACHUK PATRIARCH SAYS LEAGUE ‘LACKED PERSONALITY’ FOR YEARS
Family members continue to marvel at Flames forward Matthew’s thick skin
His son, he figured, was going to hear about this.
“If I was a player out there and I saw my teammate’s dad doing interviews, I’d be giving it to him right now,” said a smiling Keith Tkachuk, the retired power forward and proud father to two of the NHL’S rising stars. “That’s what I would have done.”
Indeed, while Keith chatted with reporters at Canadian Tire Centre, his youngest boy Brady was likely receiving an earful from the rest of the Ottawa Senators.
A couple hours later, when the Calgary Flames arrived at the rink, big brother Matthew may have been a popular target for chirps, too.
Then again, why bother? “(Matthew) has the thickest skin I’ve ever seen,” Brady Tkachuk marvelled.
That’s never been more obvious.
Matthew Tkachuk has been the hottest topic in hockey for nearly a week, with every TV personality and Twitter user opining on his actions in the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta.
The Flames’ all-star winger laid a hat trick of hits on Zack Kassian, but irked the Edmonton Oilers tough guy — and everybody else in the 780 area code — by refusing to fight.
Despite all the headlines, Matthew insisted he wasn’t paying any attention to the uproar. The 22-year-old proved it Thursday, making highlights again by sniping the shootout winner as the Flames topped the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
“He is so good at blocking stuff out like that,” said Brady, 20, who faces his older brother in Saturday’s showdown between the Flames and Senators. “You’ve seen, his game is still top-end, even with all the distractions recently. That just speaks about his mental game.
“I just know from personal experience, always being around him, that he doesn’t let stuff bother him. I think that’s huge. Sometimes, there’s a lot of negativity towards somebody so to block that out and still play your game, it’s pretty impressive.”
There certainly has been no shortage of negativity, with some backing Kassian’s contention that Tkachuk needed to “answer the bell” after those wicked licks and others arguing those were dirty hits. Even notorious nice guy Teemu Selanne picked a side — and not Matthew’s.
“That’s the world we live in now with social media,” said Keith Tkachuk, who racked up more than 1,000 points in his NHL heyday, as the Senators wrapped practice Friday. “When I first came in, probably half the league didn’t hear about a big bodycheck or a big fight, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“But it is what it is now. The game, probably for the last few years, has lacked personality, and I think it’s starting to come back.”
Indeed, guys like Matthew Tkachuk are good for business in the NHL.
Love him or hate him, everybody has an opinion on the Flames’ first-liner, fan favourite and alternate captain.
“I’m the type of guy, I don’t listen to anything that anybody says,” Matthew reiterated after practice in Ottawa.
His loved ones can confirm. “Nothing rattles Matthew,” Keith said.
“It might rattle his mom (Chantal) a little bit.”
His siblings, too, likely find it tough to ignore the commotion and controversy.
“I wouldn’t say it bugs me,” Brady said of the bluster that has followed the latest Battle of Alberta. “I just think there are people that are complaining about kind of nothing. Because if they thought they were dangerous hits, the league would have suspended him. I just think people need to kind of relax a little bit.
“But Matthew will do anything to win, and he showed it that game and ended up being a crucial part for that fourth goal (on the power play) that ended up with Calgary winning the game and getting those two huge points and being at the top of their division.
“You can almost say it rekindled the Battle of Alberta,” he continued. “I think they’re just two teams that hate one another and I think that’s great for the game. It just shows how emotional, whether it’s Game 1 or Game 41 or Game 82, playoffs … Everybody is putting their heart and soul on the line for one another and trying to get those crucial two points, because they add up at the end.”
There are two more points on the line in Saturday’s clash at Canadian Tire Centre (2 p.m.
MT, Sportsnet West/sportsnet 960 The Fan), the final outing for both the Flames and the Senators before the all-star break.
Plus, of course, bragging rights between brothers.
The Tkachuks have booked two suites. The split cheering section will be about 40 strong.
“I just hope they’re not on the ice together,” Keith said of his boys. “As a dad, I want to see one play one shift and then I don’t want to wait three more shifts. So I’ll have to talk to the coaches and make sure they don’t match lines.”