Victory hugs becoming a habit for Tkachuk
Tkachuk appears to have mastered the art of the post-game hug for goaltender Rittich
It’s a love story, really.
A ‘Brotherly-love,’ ‘I-got-youman,’ ‘You’re awesome,’ ‘Thanks for being you,’ kind of tale that happens between teammates.
And on a team that happens to be winning (a lot) in part thanks to some phenomenal performances from a good natured goalie who is proving to be a dressing-room favourite.
So, yeah, showing your appreciation for that once in a while is perfectly fine.
“I have no clue when it started. I don’t know if he did it in his first year or what,” David Rittich said with a chuckle. “But I know he did it last year and we did it together. “We keep doing it.”
The scene goes like this: the buzzer sounds.
The Calgary Flames win. Matthew Tkachuk finds Rittich. And... “It was a little hug that turned into a big hug, that turned into a jumping hug, that turned into a big jump and hug,” Tkachuk explained. “It kind of keeps going a step (further) each time. This might be the last stage of that.”
After a victory, Rittich braces for it.
“He is always last (to come over and congratulate) so I know he’s coming,” he explained. “It was pretty easy at the start of the season, but right now, it’s kind of a hard hug.
“But he’s not that heavy so, it’s easy.”
The point is, the Flames have appreciated Rittich and it’s easy to see why.
With a 16-4-2 record, a 2.42 goals against average and a .921 save percentage — and wins in his last four starts (which also included a panic-inducing lower body injury that kept him out of the lineup for two games while the Flames were on the road) — the 26-year-old Czech goalie has been doing his part for the team in front of him.
“Chucky just always gives the goalie a hug after games, I guess that’s his thing,” said Flames centre Sean Monahan with a laugh. “I usually don’t see it. I usually see it on a picture later at some point on social media. But that’s just what Chucky does.
“I mean, with Ritter’s energy and with the way he’s been playing, he deserves those hugs.”
Tkachuk and Rittich are pals, but the Flames’ No. 1-until-provenotherwise explains that this is a close-knit group.
“I think we are all tight,” Rittich said. “We are one team and we have to be tight because everyone wants to be successful. We’re playing great hockey but you can always be better.
“We have a great amount of points but there’s still a lot of hockey in front of us.”
The Flames are currently riding a three-game winning streak and, heading into Thursday ’s NHL action, were second in the entire 31-team loop with a 28-13-4 record.
They’re four games past the halfway juncture of the season and, yes, it is only January, but the post-season is a reasonable goal at this point. And there’s no reason to think they aren’t considering themselves as a contender for the Stanley Cup, especially with the consistency they’re receiving on a daily basis out of Rittich.
“No matter what day it is, after a win or a loss, he comes in the same way,” Tkachuk said. “He’s always joking around. He’s great in the locker-room and after wins, you see how excited he is and it makes you that much more excited, too.
“It’s been a lot of fun when he’s been in net and playing the way he has been, so far. When we’re winning, we reward each other with a big hug.”
With Ritter’s energy and with the way he’s been playing, he deserves those hugs.