Tkachuk shouts out Calgary and chirps Oilers after Stanley Cup win
Matthew Tkachuk might be long gone from calling Alberta home, but he’s still got his fair amount of chirps for the Edmonton Oilers.
On Monday night, Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers topped the Oilers by a 2-1 score in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, avoiding a historic collapse from taking a 3-0 lead in the championship series.
Tkachuk had six goals and 16 assists in 24 games in the 2024 playoffs in his second year with the team en route to winning it all.
It was the end of quite the narrative for the former Calgary Flames star, who was traded from Alberta to the Panthers in the summer of 2022 for a package including Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar. The Panthers made the league’s final for the first time since 1996 in 2023 and ultimately finished the job this past season, effectively ending any debates of whether Tkachuk could be a key cog on a championship roster.
And despite being an American and now a Florida Panther through and through, Tkachuk found time in his postgame interview on-air to throw in a bit of a chirp towards Edmonton and the Oilers fan base.
“Shoutout to my fans in Calgary, you knew I couldn’t let Edmonton win,” Tkachuk told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas following the win.
"Shout out to my fans in Calgary. You know I couldn't let Edmonton win." – Matthew Tkachuk pic.twitter.com/QvnasdfH4c
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 25, 2024
The interview was oddly reminiscent of a similar interview from Nazem Kadri two years prior, who won his first Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche after being traded away from the Toronto Maple Leafs following a series of playoff suspensions.
“I love you guys,” Kadri told Sportsnet’s David Amber at the time. “I love you guys, that’s all is to be said. I’ve had supporters in my corner from day one, never wavered… For everyone that thought I was a liability in the playoffs, you can kiss my ass.”
Tkachuk’s entire immediate family was in attendance, with his brother Brady, who captains the Ottawa Senators, parents Keith and Chantal, and sister Taryn all emotional after the win.
Keith Tkachuk in tears watching Matt win his first Stanley Cup ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0NhBbOMpyB
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 25, 2024
For Oilers fans, it’ll be a long time before they get the last laugh on the Tkachuks after tonight.
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