Keith Tkachuk's leadership made him fit for Hockey Hall of Fame, Roenick says

Jeremy Roenick played with Keith Tkachuk for the Phoenix Coyotes from 1996-01 and for Team USA at the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. The forward ranks third in NHL history in goals among U.S.-born players (513) behind Tkachuk (538) and Mike Modano (561). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.

Here, Roenick shares his thoughts on Tkachuk, who will be inducted into the Hall on Monday.

Keith Tkachuk was one of the top three power forwards during his time, with Brendan Shanahan and Rick Tocchet. He wasn’t the prettiest player. He wasn’t the best skater. He never tried to do too much, because he didn’t have the blazing speed most superstars had. But he had all the intangibles.

He made good passes at the right time. He was crafty with his hands — and elusive even — for a 6-foot-2, 235-pound man. He had these little moves that seemed to fool defensemen every time. He thrived in the most dangerous and painful areas. That tells you how smart he is. He’s not going to where the puck is; he’s going to where he knows the puck is going to be. He’s one of the all-time best in front of the net. 

He’s also one of the reasons USA Hockey is a superpower. It wasn’t just the talent and grit; it was Keith’s leadership. His play in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey was so epic. When he fought Claude Lemieux 20 seconds into a round-robin game against Canada, you could tell he and that team were not going to be denied. He had six points (five goals, one assist) in seven games, and the United States won a best-on-best tournament for the first time.

When you look at American hockey, the best leaders — Tkachuk, Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios — not only loved to play the game, but when they put on that red, white and blue, something grew bigger in them. They were more engaged. They were more talkative. They were feistier. USA Hockey would not be where it is today without Keith Tkachuk and “Cheli” and Mike Modano, but “Walt,” as Keith is often called, was the ultimate leader. I mean, he and Cheli really were the leaders of that U.S. squad, without question. 

Keith was the ultimate competitor. There are players who make others better, and there are leaders who drag people into the fight. Keith dragged you into the fight, whether you wanted it or not.

He was always the first to the rink. He was always on the bike before anybody else even got to the arena, making sure he set an example. We were going through a stint in Phoenix where we were losing games, and Keith moved the stationary bike into the changing room, and he put the bike right in front of the door where all the players came in. Every single player who came in was like, “How’s the captain, one of the oldest guys on this team, here before you on the bike working to get better? And you just show up like nothing’s wrong?” He was almost shaming them into thinking, “Oh, my goodness. I’ve got to work harder. I’ve got to get here earlier.” He had to set an example, but he also had to make guys accountable for not just how they played on the ice but how they prepared away from it.

I had my jaw broken by Dallas Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher on April 14, 1999. Early the next season, we played Dallas. Less than two minutes into the game, Walt went straight to Derian, dropped the gloves and went at it. It was retribution. It also set an attitude to the team that nobody’s going to take advantage of us. It made me so proud to be his teammate and be a friend. 

Yeah, I’d go through the wall for Keith Tkachuk, because I know he’d go through the wall for me — because he did.

One thing bothers me: In Phoenix at first, people thought Keith and I didn’t get along. Let me tell you something — there was no power struggle between us. He was the captain, he was the leader and I was the deputy. I had to do my job to support him. I remember I was in a contract dispute. I was forcing Phoenix to come up with a little bit more money, and Walt called me and said, “Cut the (bleeping expletive). Sign the contract. Get your (rear) out here so we can try to win a Cup together.” And I was like, “Done.” Signed the contract, and I was there. That, to me, is a leader. I loved it.

People are finally understanding and noticing what Keith really did in the game, and I’ll tell you what, nobody took care of people better than he did. He taught his teammates to take care of the trainers. He made sure everybody was together for dinners. He would take people off the street, give them money, give them hotel rooms, bring them around the team, give them the confidence and pride in themselves. I mean, that was Keith Tkachuk. Money was not an object. He shared it with everybody.

I can’t say enough about him.