Matthew Tkachuk is still riling up Edmonton Oilers fans

The Edmonton Oilers don’t appear to be leaving Matthew Tkachuk’s mind anytime soon.

In the past two Stanley Cup Finals, Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers have gotten the upper hand on the Oilers, shutting down any shot of the NHL’s biggest trophy being won by a Canadian team for the first time since 1993.

Dating back to his time with the Calgary Flames, it’s hard to remember a player with a deeper history in recent memory playing against the Oilers — but he doesn’t appear to be letting the rivalry die down anytime soon.

Speaking with sports media personality “Stugotz” while at the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Tkachuk spoke about recent interactions he’s had with those supporting the Oilers on their quest for a Stanley Cup.

“It’s hard. I’ve gotten a few [people] here today, probably Western Canadians, like, ‘can’t you just let Edmonton get it? Don’t you feel bad for them?’ I’m like, ‘you don’t feel bad for anybody,’ because at the end of the day, we lost to Vegas a few years ago and nobody gave a sh** about us.”

Since being traded to the Panthers in 2022, Tkachuk has made three straight Stanley Cup Finals, including bringing the franchise’s first two titles to South Florida.

“It’s the greatest place to play in the NHL. And hopefully we’re not stopping just at two,” Tkachuk added.

This isn’t the first time Tkachuk has riled up Oilers fans this summer.

On a team outing in the days following their second consecutive Stanley Cup win, the Panthers hit the town at E11EVEN, a strip club (and nightclub) located in downtown Miami.

And the Oilers weren’t exactly getting the nicest treatment from their back-to-back Stanley Cup rivals, at what looked like a full-capacity event with the team’s stars, media members and fans all coming out to party with the Stanley Cup champions — and the trophy itself.

“Connor McDavid WHO?” Tkachuk yelled out at one point in the night, with a microphone in one hand and a drink in the other.

Following the three-word prompt from the Panthers star, the crowd in attendance came back with a chant of “F*ck McDavid! F*ck McDavid!”

While we don’t know if Tkachuk will ever have another high-profile playoff series against Edmonton, he’s certainly been playing the role of pest quite well over the past few years.

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