'I'm almost greedier': Matthew Tkachuk says winning Stanley Cup only makes him want it more
Tkachuk said he was wrong when he used to think one Stanley Cup was all you needed
August has arrived, which means hockey players across the globe are now focused on preparing for the upcoming seasons.
That certainly includes the Florida Panthers, who will open the 2024-25 NHL season as defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Entering the season with a target already on your back makes trying to win the Cup again an even more difficult task than winning it the first time, and that’s the exact task that Matthew Tkachuk and his Panthers teammates will face when they hit the ice next month for training camp.
Over the past several seasons Florida has ascended to become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, a moniker they are expected to retain in the coming years, which means they will need to stay hungry for more quality time with Lord Stanley’s Cup.
This was a topic that was brought up with Tkachuk during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show.
“It's funny you ask that, because throughout my whole career, I've always said, ‘I’ve just got to win one, and then, you'll be set,’” Tkachuk said. “I’ve talked about it with guys that win early in their career, like, ‘Oh, you won one. You're good, you've got it for the rest of your career.’ I couldn't have been so wrong with saying that. I'm almost greedier. I want it more. I want this feeling again.”
Fortunately for Tkachuk and the Panthers, they have a front office led by General Manager Bill Zito that has set the team up for sustained success in the coming seasons.
Florida’s core group of players, which includes Tkachuk, team captain Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Gus Forsling and Anton Lundell, are all in or entering their prime years and signed to team-friendly deals through the end of the decade.
Between the talented, high-character players already on the roster and Zito’s ability to find and sign players to mutually beneficial contracts, there is no reason to think Florida won’t continue to compete for the Stanley Cup.
“This is my eighth year,” Tkachuk said. “I'm 26 years old. I'm super lucky that I don't feel like I'm even in my prime yet, so hopefully I've got a lot of great years ahead, and I want to win again more than anything in the world. I got that taste. It's like an addiction. I want it again.”
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