Tkachuk played through torn adductor muscle, sports hernia injury for Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Matthew Tkachuk’s appreciation for winning the Stanley Cup for the second time with the Florida Panthers might have been even greater than when he did it the first time last season.

That’s because the Panthers forward wasn’t sure he would be able to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after he was injured while playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Following the Panthers' 5-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday, Tkachuk revealed he sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury on the same side. He added that the adductor muscle was torn from the bone.

“I wouldn’t be here without the trainers and the doctors and those people, and that’s what makes this Cup more special for me is how hard it was just to be out there and to get to the point of playing," Tkachuk said. "I owe those guys. This Cup is because of them for me, and I’m so lucky.”

Tkachuk admitted that he wasn’t sure whether he would be ready for the start of the playoffs even a few days before they began.

“He was a mess,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “That’s the medical term. He was a mess.”

Tkachuk, though, ended up playing in all 23 postseason games for Florida and tied Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe for the team lead in points with 23 (eight goals, 15 assists).

Adding to that, the 27-year-old scored what would prove to be the Cup-winning goal when he gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead with 47 seconds left in the first period in Game 6.

“Matthew’s played with some injuries,” Maurice said. “We weren’t hopeful at the start that he would survive the first round. Just didn’t think he could do it. But what he does so well is he's so smart. He managed himself around the ice and around the game that he could still produce, but he wasn’t taking hits and he wasn’t giving hits. He was in open ice.

“Then he just kind of slowly built that and slowly got a little more ... the closer we got toward the end of the final, it didn’t matter. Tears it off the bone again, fine, come back in January. Just would help the team win. And his last four games for me were the four best games he’s played for the Florida Panthers.”

That’s saying a lot.

Since the Panthers acquired a Tkachuk in a trade with the Calgary Flames on July 22, 2022, they’ve gone to the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons and won the Cup in each of the past two.

“Coming down here to Florida changed my life forever,” Tkachuk said. “Three finals, two championships, this is more than why you play the game. This is what makes it all worth it and it’s so special. I just have so many people to thank.”

Starting with the Panthers medical staff.