It comes as no surprise to see that Matthew Tkachuk has provided some of the most intriguing storylines at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Florida Panthers star forward has brought his unique brand of skill and physicality to the best-on-best tournament, which has been a great fit thanks to all the players treating these games like the Olympics or Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Team USA’s aggressive, physical style of play also feeds perfectly into what Tkachuk does best, and the results have been exactly what they would’ve hoped.
Wednesday morning, following the Americans final practice at TD Garden ahead of Thursday’s championship game against Team Canada, Tkachuk spoke to the media about his health status, the experience of playing in the tournament,
On his health ahead of Thursday’s final: “I'm ready to go. It's going to be an incredible game and I don't want to miss it, so I'll be ready to go.”
On the hype surrounding the USA-Canada final: “It's going to be an incredible environment, and just the lead up and the buildup and everything that's come with it, has been incredible and something that we don't take for granted. The millions of people supporting us and the generations before us, and the generations that we could add to, and the kids that are watching at home that want to be us, we could open up a whole new wave of hockey players in this country. So this opportunity is one we don't take lightly. Wearing the jersey and representing your country is such an incredible honor, and what we play for, and the opportunity that we have tomorrow is something that I don't even think we thought was possible, and what we could create.”
On the injury to his brother Brady: “Yeah, it was a weird play. I didn't really know what happened. I still don't really know what happened, but I think he's saving everything he has for tomorrow night and I'm very confident he'll be at his absolute best.”
On whether 4 Nations has been more fun that he thought it would: “Yes, it's been the opportunity of a lifetime. I know how special is to wear the USA jersey. You don't realize after going that many years without it, it's the greatest honor you can have, and to do that with guys that you battle with throughout the season and from different parts of the country. It's the best part about being an American, how united we all are, and how our goals are the exact same, and how our commitment and how we sacrifice, and how there's one thing we want at the end of this, and what we're willing to do to get to that goal. I think that's what's been most incredible to me, and it's only been, it's been under two weeks since we've gotten together, so it's definitely exceeded my expectations, and that's something that we do not take for granted, the opportunity to wear the USA jersey. We're the luckiest people in the world to be Americans and to grow up and live in this country, and now we have a chance to represent it at the biggest stage. It's an opportunity of a lifetime.
On the difference between Saturday’s game against Canada and facing them in the championship: “I don't think it necessarily changes our mindset. It was a Game 7 feel last Saturday, and it's for all the marbles this time, so it's a very similar approach from us and we’ll do whatever it takes to win. I think last game, it was a hostile environment for us. Hopefully they'll be less hostile for us and more for them this time around, and we know it will be with the great fans here in the U.S., and it’s something that we're really looking forward to. Last game our team was going up against a beast and in a very tough environment, so we want to show how united our group was, and all the millions people across the country trying to unite them as well. I think that whether you talk about messages sent or whatever the case is, all that stuff is thrown out the window. It's one game here and one game for everything, so we're going to do everything we can to win this.”
On why he thinks U.S. players at 4 Nations have taken it so seriously and played so hard: “I think that the countries, seeing how much pride this team takes in being Americans and representing this country, and it's pretty much everybody's first time wearing the USA crest, I think in that self, it just takes over you. The pride that we have is obviously through the roof, and then you throw on that jersey, and you almost can't control yourself, how excited you are and the feelings you get. And like I said, we're the luckiest people in the world to be from the United States, and even luckier to be able to wear the jersey and represent everybody across the country, so I think the whole the whole country is seeing how much pride we take and how much we're willing to do to have success for everybody. This game is obviously going to be the pinnacle of it all, and we are going to be ready to go.”
On Brandon Hagel’s ‘we don’t have any group chats going on’ comments: “I mean, maybe their team doesn't like each other if they don't have group chats. I think that's just a player enjoying this opportunity. I think that our team does not care about anything that they say, and there's been a lot of chatter and talk from individuals, but we care about one thing in this room, and we have millions of people that are watching us and supporting us around this country, and we're very prideful of playing for them and the guys in the room. It's an opportunity of a lifetime for us.”
On the emotions of playing for Johnny Gaudreau: “It's pretty much all the time, everywhere you go in that locker room, you see his jersey and that number 13, and you get emotional because he should be here with us competing and playing for his country. We don't take this opportunity for granted, and he's one of the big things that we're playing for right now. He's with us, and he's looking down on us, and we know he's going to give us all the strength he can to compete and do our absolute best tomorrow. Him and his whole family, we think about them all the time. I heard that maybe his wife might be in attendance for the game, which is super special to us. It's just an opportunity that we have for so many people, but especially them, to show what we can do, and we definitely have him in our thoughts.”
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