Matthew Tkachuk Talks NHL All-Star MVP, Fashion Style and More in B/R Interview
From the frigid temperatures in Calgary to the gorgeous Florida sunshine, Matthew Tkachuk is becoming a household name in the NHL.
The 25-year-old winger is in his first season with the Florida Panthers after coming over in a blockbuster trade in July that sent Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a conditional 2025 first-round pick to the Calgary Flames, and it's safe to say he's loving his new home.
"It's been amazing. I have loved every single minute of being here in Florida," Tkachuk told Bleacher Report of his move down South. "It's been the best thing that's happened to me. I really enjoyed my time in Calgary as well, but I just think at this stage this is exactly where I wanted to be and it's everything I've wanted it to be and more. I never would have expected myself to feel as comfortable as I am now or love it as much as I do."
Tkachuk added: "I have people visiting me all the time. The fans have been amazing. My teammates have been the best. Trainers and everybody at the rink. It's just been such a great environment and so enjoyable for me. I've loved every minute of it."
Through Florida's first 49 games of the 2022-23 season, Tkachuk notched 25 goals and 41 assists for 66 points to earn himself a spot in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, which the Panthers hosted at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Tkachuk went on to be named the 2023 All-Star Game MVP after tallying four goals and three assists in two games to lead the Atlantic Division to the All-Star Game crown. With his performance, he hopes to inspire the next generation.
"I just think for the next generation, I always look at those All-Star Games, the events and the skills like you still want to win it, you still want to be competitive," Tkachuk said. "So go into everything, every event, every sport you play growing up and do everything you can to win."
One of the biggest aspects of the NHL's All-Star Weekend is the ability for players to show off their style. During the regular season and playoffs, players are required to wear jackets, ties and pants to all games unless granted permission to do otherwise by the coach or general manager.
But for All-Star Weekend, anything goes, and Tkachuk teamed up with Sherwood fashion director Kesha McLeod to develop the perfect red carpet look. While the clothes are true to Tkachuk's typical style, McLeod worked with him to bring a little South Florida flair to his outfits for the event.
"She is amazing. I thought she was super cool and trendy and definitely have never worked with somebody like that before," Tkachuk said of working with McLeod and Sherwood. "I've never worked with anybody before, but just to get her point of view on stuff and different stuff like that, especially down in Florida and just in general."
Tkachuk added that McLeod and Sherwood embodied his "bold and outgoing" style for All-Star Weekend, bringing in both aspects of himself as a hockey player and as a "unique" person. While McLeod had numerous outfits for Tkachuk to try on, there was one specific look that he liked the most.
"I actually liked the denim because it brought me back to when I was in Calgary when I wore a lot of that," Tkachuk said. "So, I think I still have a little bit of that in me, like the all-jean look and the jean jacket especially. I wore that all the time in Calgary, so I thought that was pretty funny."
However, the all-jean look has become somewhat of a thing of the past for Tkachuk since his move to Florida. With his home base now located in what is known as the Sunshine State, Tkachuk said his wardrobe has changed to include more shorts and button-down shirts, which was also a look he wanted to bring to All-Star Weekend.
This past weekend was Tkachuk's second appearance in an NHL All-Star Game. He also appeared in the 2020 version of the event at Enterprise Center in his home city of St. Louis, notching two goals and four assists in two games for the Pacific Division.
"I'm from St. Louis, so being a guy who played in Calgary and going there it wasn't your typical weekend as a road player. I had a lot of events and stuff I had to do. So, I just realized how busy it was." Tkachuk said when asked what he learned from his first All-Star Game. "... The All-Star stuff was unbelievable, but the stuff that came with it was very busy.
"This year being the host team it was very similar, so I knew what to expect going into it that it wasn't going to be much of a relaxing break. … It was more of a hectic weekend, but I loved it and everybody that came with me had a great time. I wanted to make sure I put on a good game for them as well."
One of those people who attended the event with Tkachuk was his father, former NHL winger and five-time All-Star Keith Tkachuk, who suited up for the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization, the then-Phoenix Coyotes and the St. Louis Blues over his 18-year career from 1991-2010.
After notching a hat trick in the Atlantic Division's opening game against the Metropolitan Division, a 10-6 victory, the ESPN camera crew caught Tkachuk's father excitedly high-fiving everyone in the family's suite.
Tkachuk's father, of course, has given him some advice over the years, but for the All-Star Game, he told Tkachuk and his brother, Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk, to just have fun with the event.
"When it's about approaching the normal game, it's always compete and be a good teammate, those are the ones I think he said ever since I was a young kid," Tkachuk said. "But when it comes to the All-Star Game, it's just get lots of pictures, and I made sure I did a lot of that. My brother and I took pictures with some of our favorite players growing up that we've had previous pictures with like [Alex] Ovechkin and [Sidney] Crosby, so those were cool moments."
This year's All-Star Game was the first time Tkachuk and his brother were able to play alongside each other after years of being competitors, and while they proved to be a great duo, Tkachuk doesn't see the two playing for the same NHL franchise anytime soon.
"I don't know if we'll ever play together for the same NHL team, but hopefully we start getting some international events back and we both can play well enough to be on a U.S. team together. I think that would be super fun."
When asked what made the two click despite not having played together prior to the All-Star Game, Tkachuk said he and his brother have "always talked about playing together."
"I think that's what led to us making some good plays for each other and scoring some goals early, but I think we were a little tired towards the end of the game and our chemistry wore off a bit, so I think we're better off competing against each other for right now," Tkachuk said.
He added: "I don't even know if it's specific skill sets that made us click, I just think the fact that we've been talking about it for so long and wanting to do well is what led us to some success. And we had Barky [Aleksander Barkov] on our line, which makes it a lot easier for us."
The Tkachuk siblings also participated in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, taking part in both the Splash Shot and Breakaway Challenge events.
The Breakaway Challenge allows players to show off their individual creativity, and Tkachuk did not disappoint, with assists from his brother, Barkov, his Panthers teammate, NHL goaltender Roberto Luongo and Miami Dolphins defensive end Christian Wilkins.
Tkachuk's idea for the event stemmed from his desire to show off Florida in the best way possible.
"It was all just like 'How do I show off Florida, and how do I make it really Florida-ish?' I wanted a bucket hat involved. That was like the first thing I wanted. I wanted a button down. I didn't really know about the other props. I was just going to come down in the bucket hat and a button down and just do that, but then at the last second I wanted to get another sports team involved and that's where Christian Wilkins came in," Tkachuk said.
"And obviously I wanted Barky and Brady to do whatever they could just to be out there with it. I actually thought, looking back, it worked out perfect. I didn't think I was going to throw on the goggles because I really couldn't see in them, but then I threw them on and I was like, 'What the hell, it's not going to be perfect,' but it ended up working out, so it was cool."
With the All-Star festivities now complete, Tkachuk and the Panthers have already returned to regular-season action, taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-1 on Monday night. Tkachuk notched five points in that win—two goals and three assists.
Florida currently sits fifth in a difficult Atlantic Division with a 25-22-6 record—three points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot—and Tkachuk is hoping to take some of what he learned from the All-Star Game to help his team improve during the second half of the season in hopes of making the playoffs.
"You look at some of these players that I was around for a few days and how much success they've had team-wise in the championships, and it just drives you to want to be in that category with them," Tkachuk said when asked if he could take anything from All-Star Weekend to help the Panthers for the final stretch.
"So, I think it just makes you more focused on the last push to make the playoffs and ultimately try to do some damage because all these guys that I've looked up to have. So, if you want to be one of those guys one day, you gotta start making some noise in the playoffs. I just think that learning from those guys and getting some rest is all going to translate and help me."
