Keith Tkachuk on Matthew, Brady, Olympic gold and his Hall of Fame snub

Keith Tkachuk never won the Stanley Cup during his storied 18-season NHL career, but he's lifted it multiple times.

Most recently it was on the ice in Sunrise, as his son Matthew handed him the chalice after the Florida Panthers' second straight championship. He stood near center ice as a proud hockey dad: Matthew raising the Cup in victory with his brother, Ottawa Senators star Brady Tkachuk, standing a few feet away.

A few months earlier, Keith watched his sons transcend hockey at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, when they were the catalysts for the three fights in nine seconds that led off the first USA showdown against Canada.

Their celebrity status keeps growing: Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are the cover athletes for EA NHL 26. They appear on the Deluxe Edition cover with their father. The newest NHL game features the incorporation of NHL EDGE puck and player tracking data and revamped "Be A Player" mode.

The Tkachuks are also making their mark on TV: After Matthew was a focal point in Season 1, Brady Tkachuk was the first player revealed for Season 2 of "Faceoff: Inside the NHL," the docuseries on Amazon Prime.

"My wife and I are living the dream right now. There's nothing better than seeing your kids do what they love to do best," Keith Tkachuk told ESPN recently.

As much as he's proud of their NHL accomplishments, Tkachuk said it's what people don't see about his sons that means even more to him.

"They carry themselves well off the ice. They do the things that we taught them growing up. They respect the people around the rink. They're always very cordial," he said.

"Now, I can see why people want to punch them in the face on the ice, but they're great kids. They're great role models. They're great brothers. And they're great sons."

We spoke with Keith Tkachuk about his NHL star offspring, partying with the Panthers, the 2026 Winter Olympics, and how he feels about his ongoing Hockey Hall of Fame "snub."

Matthew and Brady are the 2026 cover athletes for EA Sports NHL series. Were video games big in the Tkachuk house when they were growing up?

Tkachuk: With Brady more than Matthew. We kept our kids busy a lot, but they would play whatever video games they had when they had time. Now when I go visit Brady in Ottawa, once he puts his son to bed, he's right back downstairs playing video games with his buddies.

And when Matthew was playing in Calgary, I remember getting up to go to the bathroom at 2 in the morning and seeing his door closed with the lights flashing underneath it. The next day I asked him what he was doing and he's said he was playing video games. I'm like, "You gotta get some rest, kid."

They're both still kids, in my mind. It's just phenomenal that they're getting an opportunity to do this cover. They've worked their tails off to get here.

Apparently, you're an EA cover athlete yourself, on their deluxe version of the game.

Tkachuk: Hopefully my ratings are better than Brady's and Matthew's.

You were on the ice with Matthew and with Brady when the Panthers repeated as champions. What was that moment like?

Tkachuk: Two years ago, we were going crazy. I know this is going to sound awful, but it felt like routine this time around. But to be able to celebrate it with Matthew -- and obviously Brady was on the ice and my wife, my daughter, and the whole family -- and see what him and his teammates have gone through over the last three years ... they're just built different down there. They really are.

It was a lot of fun. And the next five days were a lot more fun too. They're so good on the ice, but they're even better off the ice.

As a former player, how impressed are you by how hard the Panthers go after they win?

Tkachuk: You're a little jealous, just because of how close they are as a team. It felt like it went on for weeks.

Florida GM Bill Zito told me multiple times that the swagger, the attitude, the way they carry themselves as a franchise directly comes from their acquisition of Matthew in some way. How much pride do you take in knowing the difference Matthew made for that team?

Tkachuk: You've got to give Bill Zito credit. It took a lot of guts to make it move like that -- and with the ownership allowing that to happen, you got to give them credit too.

But I'm pretty happy for Matthew. He picked Florida. That was his destination, and they were able to get a deal done. Paul Maurice is a phenomenal coach, and him and Matthew almost have that same personality. They all get along. They all have one goal in mind, and that's to win.

Matthew has the two rings. He's been to the final three straight years. Brady finally makes the playoffs with Ottawa last season. It was an interesting year for him with the Senators. What did you make of that moment when their owner spoke out against teams "soft tampering" with Brady and declaring he wasn't going anywhere despite those who feel he might want out?

Tkachuk: I wouldn't believe everything you hear. I think after what happened with Matthew in Calgary, everyone just assumes that's going to happen with Brady [in Ottawa].

But Brady loves it there. Brady has really cemented himself in the community. They're a team on the rise. They got a great bunch of young players. They're core players. The fans and the city itself treat him so well. He wants to be a big part of that moving forward. So I don't think he's going anywhere.

Obviously, Matthew and Brady gave us quite a show at the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA. What would it mean to you if they were able to win the first Olympic gold medal in men's hockey for the Americans since 1980 when they play in the 2026 Winter Games?

Tkachuk: It would mean everything. It really would. I mean, just for them to both be named among the first six selected is amazing.

But it's more about them playing together at such a high level, in the most watched thing probably in all the sports, the Winter Olympics. I know they really enjoyed playing together at 4 Nations. I mean, it was something to see. It really was. They had so much fun.

The worst part about the whole thing was when they went to their training camp for the 4 Nations and they iced me out. They knew I had FOMO. I knew it was Matthew. He wouldn't let Brady answer my phone calls. They iced me out for four days until I finally went to Montreal to see them.

I wanted to ask you about the huge change we've seen in college hockey eligibility rules recently. Brady chose Boston University, where you played as well. Matthew chose to play for the London Knights. What are your thoughts on those two paths now that young stars like Gavin McKenna are allowed to go from playing in Canadian juniors to a school like Penn State?

Tkachuk: They're both great paths to get to the NHL. It all depends on the player. Back then, before the new rules, you had to make a choice. Matthew was a late birthday. He wanted to go play for the London Knights for [Dale and Mark] Hunter. To be able to play with Christian Dvorak and Mitch Marner was a huge plus. Matthew wanted that experience of playing an 80-plus-game-schedule, including playoffs, and went out and won a Memorial Cup.

Brady probably wasn't as developed at the time as Matthew was. Brady wanted that college feel -- that ability for him to get stronger and get bigger. It's a lesser schedule, but he felt that was the right path and it was.

Now with the rule changes, I think it's great. Gavin McKenna had phenomenal years at Medicine Hat. He's one of the best players I've seen in a long time. Now he gets to play a schedule where he can rely on getting stronger, getting bigger, playing against older players. I think it's a good opportunity for these kids to have a chance to go play for Boston University or Michigan State or Penn State, wherever they go. You've got to do what's best for you. And the NIL money's crazy.

You would have been OK with an extra $700,000 in your pocket back in your NCAA days?

Tkachuk: I would have settled for a few bucks a week.

After playing at Boston University in 1990-91, you embarked on a career that many people believe should be honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame. There have been 48 NHL players to score 500 goals, and you're one of only four retired ones not to be inducted yet. What does it mean to you when you see fans, media, hockey people, whomever, rally to the cause and say that Keith Tkachuk should be in the Hall of Fame?

Tkachuk: I mean, there's nothing I can do. I appreciate the support. I really do. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, life goes on. But my kids are my Hall of Fame. I enjoy watching them. I work for the Blues, but I also get to see my kids play and see them grow up.

It was an honor to play in the NHL. The game has changed my life. If it happens, I know my mother will be extremely happy. I think she's one who takes it the hardest.

We've got to get her in front of the selection committee. Speaking of family: Do you feel that the accomplishments for Matthew and Brady have perhaps raised your own profile when it comes to the Hall of Fame? Do you think the fact that people talk about you when they talk about them might help your chances for induction?

Tkachuk: Well, it certainly doesn't hurt them. Life goes on when you're retired, whether you had a great career, an average career or whatever. I think the success of the boys -- with the 4 Nations, and obviously Matthew doing well and Brady playing in the Canadian market -- it definitely gives you a little extra boost.

But I don't look at it that way. I just look at it as I'm their dad. I love watching my kids play. I just wanted to be around them. And this has been a heck of a ride, though.