The 4 Nations Face-Off match did lots to develop the sport of hockey. It reached 10.7 million Canadians on Sportsnet and set an ESPN hockey viewership document in america.
4 days after the ultimate and the match remains to be transferring the sport ahead — a reality evidenced by Florida Panthers ahead Matthew Tkachuk showing on The Tonight Present on Monday night.
Tkachuk joined host Jimmy Fallon on the late-night broadcast to speak in regards to the 4 Nations match, the Olympics and the Panthers’ Stanley Cup victory.
However to handle the elephant within the room, what about that harm?
“Feeling higher, simply recovering proper now,” Tkachuk advised Fallon. “However the final two weeks, representing my nation, was one thing that I am going to always remember.”
Tkachuk suffered an undisclosed harm on the 4 Nations that the Panthers fear might preserve him out long-term. However to listen to Tkachuk inform it, it was worthwhile to signify USA Hockey alongside his brother and play the sport on the largest stage.
“We have performed within the All-Star sport collectively, however that is pretend,” Tkachuk joked when speaking about his brother Brady. “It was our first-ever alternative. We grew up at all times competing in opposition to one another and dreaming about it, finally sooner or later…
“We at all times had the goals of taking part in with one another, and it lastly got here true.”
The Tkachuk brothers, already well-known across the NHL, made fairly the title for themselves outdoors the hockey world as video of the notorious trio of fights to begin the People’ round-robin sport in opposition to Canada went viral.
“We by no means had the chance [to play best-on-best international games], and so myself and all the blokes that had been on this had been simply so jacked up for it, and I feel that is why you noticed the fights all originally in opposition to Canada,” he mentioned, earlier than acknowledging that father Keith Tkachuk was in all probability proud watching his two sons fired up on the ice.
Tkachuk additionally spoke on how particular it was to see his father get emotional at his Stanley Cup win, one thing the elder Tkachuk was by no means in a position to accomplish regardless of his storied profession.
“[Keith] performed 19 years and was the most effective gamers of all time, the most effective People of all time and he sadly by no means bought the possibility to win the Cup,” Tkachuk mentioned. “I do not assume he would change a factor, to see certainly one of his boys elevate that trophy.
“One of many coolest moments I had was after that, on the ice, having my complete household with me and, I do not know, I had the Cup in my fingers for some cause. This was after all of the celebrating and I bought at hand it to him and it was some of the particular moments of my life.”
Keith might not have lifted Lord Stanley’s Cup, however he did spend his justifiable share of time representing the U.S. on the worldwide stage, together with incomes silver on the 2002 Salt Lake Metropolis Winter Olympics. Matthew and Brady will possible comply with of their father’s footsteps and get again on the worldwide stage when NHL gamers return to the Olympics subsequent yr in Milan — the place Matthew hopes they will win gold for the primary time since 1980.
“I really imagine in our group, and we bought so shut with this match and taking a look at subsequent yr as being an opportunity at redemption. However I really imagine in our possibilities and, like I mentioned, carrying the USA crest, there’s nothing prefer it and we’ve got a lot pleasure in it. We’ll be able to go.”
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