The popularity of the Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk and Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk rose to another level on Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Tkachuk brothers stood out on the scoresheet and physically for the Americans at the tournament, which included both players fighting Canadians in the early moments of the rivalry round-robin matchup.
Despite losing to Canada in the championship game, Matthew Tkachuk ended up on The Tonight Show and now appeared with Brady Tkachuk on the popular New Heights podcast with NFL players Jason and Travis Kelce.
There were many memorable quotes from the interview with the Kelce brothers, but part of what stood out was how the Tkachuk brothers spoke about the 4 Nations Face-Off and the unwritten rules of fighting, as well as the Kelce brothers' interest in hockey.
4 Nations Face-Off Was 'Electric'
Suffice it to say, the Tkachuk brothers won't forget the 4 Nations Face-Off anytime soon.
“Honestly, it was the best hockey experience I’ve ever had – it was unreal,” said Brady Tkachuk.
Meanwhile, Travis Kelce also chimed in with great praise, saying, “It was electric the entire tournament.”
There’s really no question the 4 Nations exceeded expectations. Brady Tkachuk hasn't made the Stanley Cup playoffs yet as he and the Ottawa Senators try to change that. But this tournament turned out to mean a lot more than some mid-season all-star showcase, with high stakes that had both brothers playing hard and even getting injured in the process.
Unwritten Rules Of Fighting?
The Tkachuk brothers were asked about the hockey "code" for fighting.
"Unwritten rules – usually when the guy's down, you don't hit him... unless you don't like the guy," Brady Tkachuk said.
"Brady, there's no unwritten rules," said Matthew Tkachuk.
That fits in with this writer's experience covering the game for a quarter-century. There are some who claim there is a "code," but players cross the "code" all the time, so it's not as if there are many, if any secret rules that have to be abided.
One man's "code" is another's "made-up rules" that have no impact on how they play the game. And that indicates there's no true "code" to live by.
Hockey's Reach
Finally, Travis Kelce couldn’t stop praising hockey as a sport.
“There’s something about the world of hockey that I just feel like it’s a hidden gem,” he said.
The Kelces’ sheer joy talking about the 4 Nations Face-Off clearly helped unlock a fresh and new fandom among casual hockey fans, new fans of the game and diehard fanatics. The Kelces played amateur hockey as kids, and you could see how both NFL stars were stoked by what they saw in the games played in Montreal and Boston.
The Tkachuks have the bravado to sell the NHL product, but you also need non-NHLers who are swept up by the game to sell it to people who otherwise wouldn’t give hockey a chance. This New Heights episode may have done just that.
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Ottawa Senator Stars Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson Come Up Short Against Canada At 4 Nations Face-Off
For the past few seasons, the Ottawa Senators have been described as an NHL team with a young core that's still learning how to win. To help with the education, GM Steve Staios brought in former Cup winners last summer like wingers David Perron, Nick Cousins, and Michael Amadio.