The Florida Panthers star donned his Olympic gold medal to hit the ice with youth players, launching a new community tradition inspired by his childhood hockey memories.
A hockey-filled weekend of family fun took place this weekend in Fort Lauderdale, and it was all hosted by one of the biggest stars on the Florida Panthers.
Over the past couple days, the inaugural Matthew Tkahcuk Hockey Celebration was held at the Baptist Health IcePlex.
Several events were held throughout the weekend, both on and off the ice, highlighted by the Matthew Tkachuk Cup, a tournament that featured boys at the AAA level and girls at the AA level.
Tkachuk said the idea for the weekend came from when he was growing up, how every season there would be a tournament at the beginning of September in his hometown of St. Louis that he’d look forward to every year.
“I just remember me and my team were always so jacked up for this weekend, looking forward to it all summer,” Tkachuk said Saturday.
There were also on-ice skating and hockey opportunities that Tkachuk himself laced up his skates for, wearing his gold medal from the 2026 Winter Olympics while hanging out with some of the kids on the ice.
Panthers play-by-play voice Steve Goldstein was there as well, and he hosted some fireside chats that included Tkahcuk, Florida color commentator Randy Moller and other team personalities.
“It’s been such a hit and just hearing feedback from the families and players in it, it’s been a home run,” said Tkachuk. “I’m really excited that this is here and I’m really excited to see what this could look like in the future as well.”
For some footage of the fun, check out the video clip below:
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