Tkachuk enjoying role as face of Panthers heading into Stanley Cup Final

LAS VEGAS -- Matthew Tkachuk made his way around a rope, up one step onto the podium and into his seat in front of the microphone Friday with a smile on his face as he stared into a large gathering of reporters and cameras waiting for him, ready to ask their questions and hang on his every word.

Earlier Friday, the Florida Panthers forward did an exclusive interview with PEOPLE Magazine. He did one with ESPN too before greeting the media contingent that was waiting for him at pod No. 4 at Stanley Cup Final Media Day. There were more behind-the-scenes interviews as well.

And, of course, late last week, Tkachuk was on set with Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and the "NBA on TNT" crew before Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

He hasn't stopped smiling through any of it.

"It's been pretty fun the last little bit," Tkachuk said. "I've been doing some things that have been kind of a dream for me to be in this situation and what's come with it for myself and my team. The spotlight on us has been awesome."

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The spotlight is shining brightest on Tkachuk, who has the most points of any player in the Stanley Cup Final, with 21 on 12 goals and nine assists, and is the very clear face of the series featuring the Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights that begins at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

"It's been awesome," Tkachuk said. "It's been really cool to be in that position. The on-ice part has been just the best thing that I could ever imagine and what's come with it off ice has been very fun as well. I know it could be just the biggest joy in my life to come through in this round."

But you'd never know how hard it is from watching Tkachuk travel the journey through his first deep run in the playoffs, somehow seeming to block out the stress and pressure of the moment, the weight of it all.

"He's as calm, cool, collected and chill as they come right now," his brother and Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said Friday. "It's honestly almost shocked me. Of course, I haven't been in that situation, but I think I'd be thinking about hockey, thinking about the game, the series, certain situation that they're in. Whether they're down 3-1 to [the] Boston [Bruins] or up 3-0 against [the] Carolina [Hurricanes], I feel I would always be putting situations in my head."

Instead, Brady said, Matthew hasn't strayed from who he is.

They played two rounds of golf the day before Game 6 against the Bruins in the first round and two more the day before Game 3 against the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.

"The days that we've golfed, he honestly cares more about how he plays, how he hits 'em, and he's mad at me if I don't shoot well, telling me, 'You're so much better than that,'" Brady said. "I'm like, 'How are you focusing on my golf game when you have playoff series to focus on?' For me as a player to see what he's been doing, I've learned so much from him that I'll be able to use and apply when I move forward in my process and my journey."

Tkachuk's impact, or rather his imprint on a Cup Final that hasn't yet begun was obvious Friday beyond the PEOPLE Magazine exclusive, other interviews and the 15 minutes he spent with the media at his pod.

All of Tkachuk's teammates were getting asked questions about him, about his playoffs, the type of teammate and leader he is, what he's done for the Panthers, how he has changed them in his first season in South Florida.

Center Aleksander Barkov said he was asked about Tkachuk five times in both English and Finnish.

"And I have no problem answering about him," Barkov said. "He treats everyone so well no matter who you are on the team."

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad talked about the fun he has playing poker on the team plane with Tkachuk and the type of teammate he is.

"He's a different breed of player and human," Ekblad said. "He's got unwavering confidence and a nose for the net. He goes there. He goes to the hard areas. He does all the hard things. He says all the right things. He's just a great leader."

General manager Bill Zito spoke about what it means for the South Florida sports scene to have Tkachuk as poised as he is and getting as much attention as he's getting.

"It's wonderful, great for our game," Zito said. "Fun. I think that's maybe the best. It's really fun."

Former Panthers player turned radio broadcaster Bill Lindsay called Tkachuk "a folk hero" in South Florida.

"He's changed the whole identity," Lindsay said. "He's Boston. He's loud. He's brash. He's got swagger. He's got attitude. He fits down here in South Florida. He's kind of just given this team a new identity with the way he plays. This team is mean.

"Talk about a guy that's changed the course and trajectory of a franchise in one year, no one has done it more than Tkachuk."

And arguably no one has handled it better.

"I listen a lot to the player interviews and he's brilliant at it, and he's 25," coach Paul Maurice said. "So, he has a deep confidence in himself and his game in part because that's exactly who he is. When he gets up and he does that interview, that's Matthew Tkachuk. He doesn't have to manufacture a brand and he doesn't have to go out and try to play a certain way. It's just him."

The best part of this entire experience for Tkachuk is that all the attention has been earned through his play and how he's led the Panthers.

If he and they finish the job with four more wins, the attention will swell and his star will grow, bigger and brighter than it is even now, with the Stanley Cup along for the ride.

"He's already saying, 'It's not good enough, I need to step up this round, you haven't seen the real me yet,'" Brady Tkachuk said. "So, expect him to come out flying and I know he'll be better than what he's already shown. He's still got something to prove."

NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report