Matthew and Brady Tkachuk have games and styles similar to another power forward — their father, Keith
'Yeah, that's pretty accurate,' Keith confirmed shortly after arriving here to watch his boys play for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off. 'Matthew's got the look and the personality, but Brady's got that rambunctious kind of power forward throwback style to him, I guess. So yeah, it's pretty cool.'
Mike Sullivan has had a front-row seat for both generations of Tkachuks. Sullivan was teammates with Keith during their Phoenix Coyotes days (circa late 1990s) and now coaches Matthew and Brady for Team USA. The father-son similarities are obvious to him.
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'I see lots of [the same] qualities in both. They're both terrific players. They're two of the better power forwards in the league,' said Sullivan. 'They drag their respective teams into the fight, so to speak, and nobody did that better than their dad. And when I played with Keith, he was one of the best power forwards in the game. These guys are following right in his footsteps.'
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For those who may not remember Keith, the former Malden Catholic and Boston University standout, he was one of the most rugged and complete players in the league during his 18 seasons in Winnipeg, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Atlanta.
From 1991-2010, Keith, affectionately known as Big Walt (in honor former NHLer Walt Tkaczuk), played in 1,201 games, collecting 538 goals, 1,065 points, and 2,219 minutes in penalties.
At 6 feet 2 inches and 235 pounds, Keith was an immovable object at the net front. Before it became fashionable (and complimentary) to call a player a beast, Keith Tkachuk was a beast.
He also was a decorated member of Team USA, wearing the red, white, and blue in four Olympic Games among other international tournaments.
Keith beamed after watching Matthew (2 goals, 1 assist), and Brady (2 goals), combine for 5 points in Team USA's 6-1 win over Finland Thursday night. That came 21 years after Pops racked up 4 goals and 5 points against Russia in the 2004 World Cup.
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Like his sons, Keith was a first-round pick, the original Winnipeg Jets taking him with the 19th pick in 1990. The boys have seen highlights of Keith's pro career, but not a lot of his early days.
'I do remember we were watching a bunch of years ago around the house and they had an old clip on of the Hockey East championships and they were making fun of me for how bad I looked out there,' said Keith. 'And they said, 'Dad, were you actually already drafted at this point? And in the first round? That must have been a bad draft.' So, we were all laughing about that.'
They might like to rib dad, but they understand his place in the game, and they try to emulate his style: a pain to play against and pleasure to play with.
'I've got a long way to go to get to my dad's game,' said Brady, when it was suggested his play is reminiscent.
The boys, both of whom said they've been constantly laughing like kids all week, check in regularly with Keith after games and practices. He doesn't give them a ton of advice, leaving that to their coaches, but he does send them consistent messages.
'I always tell 'em two things and this is the honest to God's truth: compete and be a good teammate. And it's just hard nowadays,' said Keith. 'You try to bring them to the rink and let them do their thing, but they pick up a lot of things. Some of them good, some of them bad, but I think that's the one thing I think they've learned is how to handle themselves well and how they treat people.
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'And whether it's trainers or staff or people who work for the team or people who work in the building where they handle themselves. That's more important to me than performance, to be honest with you. They control their own way, they work hard. They've earned their right to be here and I'm happy for them.'
The 4 Nations is the latest family party for the Tkachuks, who followed Matthew's journey to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring when the Panthers beat the Oilers.
'I never got a chance to win a Stanley Cup,' said Keith. 'And we always want more for our kids. And to see him finally win that game and being a part of it, and that and the Tkachuk name will always be on the Cup now. It made us feel great. It really did.'
Now, the clan gets to watch Matthew, 27, and Brady, 25, as teammates — and linemates — for the first time at any level.
'Yeah, it didn't really sink in until we landed here,' said Keith. 'And this is pretty special to be able to see your boys playing in this and especially the first time ever they've actually played together, so we're very excited about this.'
Jim McBride can be reached at
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