Stanley Cup champion reveals the gruesome injuries he played through to lift the trophy
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has revealed that he played through the entire Stanley Cup playoffs with a torn adductor muscle and a hernia.
Tkachuk did not miss a single game during the four rounds of Panthers' success, with the onset of the two gruesome injuries appearing to be the end of the regular season or early in the playoffs.
The Team USA star admitted to not being at full health moments after the Panthers secured their second consecutive championship over the Edmonton Oilers.
Tkachuk had three goals and seven points in the Stanley Cup Finals, not dipping below his All-Star expectations.
'I tore my adductor off the bone and then had some hernia thing, all on the same side,' Tkachuk said, still on the ice during championship celebrations. 'Wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times.'
'I gotta thank a lot of people for getting me healthy enough. I'm sure I wasn't the easiest to deal with. My fiance did a great job at the house on the days where I probably wasn't in the best mood. Coming to the rink, the trainers, maybe when I probably wasn't in best mood when I was in pain. I just owe them so much, the doctors.'
Matthew Tkachuk TORE HIS ADDUCTOR OFF THE BONE and had a HERNIA 😱 pic.twitter.com/ZBSonNjoP7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 18, 2025
'I really didn't think I'd be playing, or at least playing to my capabilities. The longer the playoffs went, the better I felt. I owe that to the guys for giving me some wiggle room to feel good.'
Tkachuk will have plenty of time to recover before Florida goes for the NHL's first three-peat since the New York Islanders won four Stanley Cups in a row in the early 1980s.
The 27-year-old will be keen on getting back to full strength ahead of next season, where the NHL season will be stopped midway through to allow players to compete in the Olympics.
Tkachuk was one of six players named to the United States' preliminary squad for next year's Winter Olympiad in Italy, with younger brother Brady Tkachuk, who plays for the Ottawa Senators, also making the cut.
Fellow Panthers Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov also played through significant injuries in the playoffs.
Reinhart had an MCL sprain he played through since the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. He scored four goals in the championship-clinching win.
Barkov sliced his hand open during Game 1 against the Hurricanes, with the sutures being torn out twice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
Pirates place OF Bryan Reynolds on paternity list
June 18 - Pittsburgh Pirates standout outfielder Bryan Reynolds was placed on the paternity list Wednesday. The two-time All-Star exited Tuesday's contest against the Detroit Tigers after his wife went into labor. The couple is expecting their third child. Reynolds, 30, can miss up to three games while on the paternity list. Reynolds is batting just .222 with eight homers and 39 RBIs in 71 games this season. He has belted 24 or more homers in each of the past four campaigns. Reynolds was an All-Star in 2021 and 2024. He has a .272 career average with 130 homers and 450 RBIs in 867 career games over seven seasons with Pittsburgh. The Pirates recalled outfielder Billy Cook from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. He is batting .271 with no homers and 20 RBIs in 61 games at Indy. Cook played in 16 games for the Pirates last season and batted .224 with three homers and eight RBIs. --Field Level Media
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS WNBA reveals shock fate of players caught in wild Caitlin Clark brawl
The WNBA has revealed the fate of the players caught up in the melee during the Indiana Fever's feisty clash against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night. Fouls flew around the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as multiple brawls, sparked by attacks on Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, broke out leading to the ejections of players from both sides. Yet, despite the shocking scenes, the league announced Wednesday that no players will face suspensions for their part in the scuffles. More to follow.
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NBA fan tries to distract player taking free throws in the most remarkable way
An Oklahoma City Thunder fan sitting behind the basket during Game 5 of the NBA Finals successfully distracted Indiana Pacers star Pascal Siakam from making a free throw by holding up his baby. Siakam got to the charity stripe midway through the first frame of Monday's championship-series game, making the first of two free throws. The cameras then pan to a fan behind the hoop, wearing the official blue Thunder championship shirts. That father then repeatedly holds up his baby like its Simba in 'The Lion King' to distract the Pacers' leading scorer and rebounder during his second free throw attempt. The baby is wearing an all-black outfit with headphones, protecting the adolescent from the loud noises inside Paycom Center. Siakam's second free throw hits the back rim, the front rim, and falls out of the cylinder for a rebound, with the task of making the Pacers' star miss the shot deemed successful. Siakam did finish the game 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, with the kid distraction proving to be his only miss from the charity stripe. The 31-year-old was also Indiana's leading scorer during Game 5, putting home 28 points in the 120-109 loss to Oklahoma City. The Pacers now need to win each of the next two games to not fall one step short of an NBA title in their first finals since 2000. Oklahoma City won each of the last two games, with huge performances from stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Whether any Pacers fans sitting behind the rim at Gainbridge Fieldhouse replicate the move on Thursday is yet to be seen.
