Tag: Keith Tkachuk

See the moment Keith Tkachuk finally lifted the Stanley Cup after the Florida Panthers won Game 7

Keith Tkachuk’s long wait is finally over.

The Florida Panthers might have finally gotten the Stanley Cup monkey off their back, but another person had been waiting a lot longer.

Five-time NHL All-Star Keith Tkachuk, father of the Panthers’ standout Matthew Tkachuk, missed out on touching the greatest trophy in sports during his illustrious career. And while younger brother Brady avoided touching the Cup — because he wanted to win it on his own — Matthew made the best possible gesture for his father.

He sought him out during the on-ice celebrations, letting the elder Tkachuk finally experience the ultimate hockey nirvana. For folks who watched Keith dominate as a power forward in the 1990s and early 2000s, this was quite a sight:

What a beautiful moment for the Tkachuks. A moment that was decades in the making. Now Brady just has to complete the trifecta and earn a Cup of his own.

Featured image courtesy of ESPN

Why Brady Tkachuk didn’t touch the Stanley Cup after the Florida Panthers won Game 7

Pro athletes never tempt fate

The Tkachuk name is finally going on the Stanley Cup more than 30 years after Keith broke into the NHL.

Matthew Tkachuk, Keith’s oldest son, helped lead the Florida Panthers to their first championship in franchise history as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 on Monday night.

Yet in all the photos of the Tkachuk family celebrating on the ice and in the locker room afterwards, you may have noticed Matthew’s younger brother Brady abstained from getting too close to the famed trophy (so far).

There’s a good — and pretty classic — reason for this.

Hockey players, like most pro athletes, are incredibly superstitious, and there’s a long held belief that any player who touches the Stanley Cup before  winning it will never win a championship.

Considering Brady Tkachuk, who plays for the Ottawa Senators, is still 24 with a whole career ahead of him, it makes sense he wouldn’t want to tempt fate.

That left him trying to celebrate his brother’s victory without cursing his own chances of winning the Cup. It seems like he struck a solid balance, all things considered. The Senators (+400) are tied for the 10th-best odds to win the Cup in 2025, so it was probably a good move.

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