Tkachuk brothers ‘having a blast’ as U.S. teammates at 4 Nations Face-Off

MONTREAL -- They haven’t stopped laughing.

Since Brady and Matthew Tkachuk arrived in Montreal for the 4 Nations Face-Off, set to be teammates for the first time outside of the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, set to share a locker room and a set of experiences they have never been able to share, the most notable part has been all the fun they’ve been having.

Which, of course, they knew would happen.

“So many funny things that have happened so far,” Matthew said. “We talked about this moment, playing together, forever. And now that it’s finally happening, it’s just been amazing and we’re super grateful for it. We’re just having so much fun. Ever since we’ve come to Montreal, whether it’s the dinners or hanging out at the hotel or practice or goofing around in the locker room with the guys, it’s been awesome and we’re having a blast.”

This isn’t time they usually get to spend together, while Brady is playing for the Ottawa Senators and Matthew for the Florida Panthers. Instead, they’re here, both of them, set to take the ice for the first time together on Thursday at Bell Centre as the United States faces Finland (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS).

“Just getting to see him all the time,” Brady Tkachuk said. “Just take advantage of being together. We said this at the start, I think this week and a half will be some of the most laughs that we’ll ever have. We’ve already had a great time together.”

While Auston Matthews, the captain, might be the face of this U.S. team, likely its most dangerous player, it seems that the Tkachuks are the heart and soul of it. They’re the players who feed off emotion, who create havoc, who fight, literally and figuratively.

“When you look at the group of players that we’ve assembled here, I don’t think there’s a game this group’s not capable of playing,” coach Mike Sullivan said, when asked about the identity of the U.S. team. “They’re a very capable group. I think we have size, we have speed, we have skill and we have will.

“If I were to define the group that we have, that would be the identity of this group. I think we have fierce competitors, first and foremost. I think we have the ability to play a speed game, I think we have the ability to play a skill game, and we have the types of players on our team that are going to drag us into the fight, so to speak.”

That is the Tkachuks.

It’s something Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson gets to see every day with Brady.

“I think with Brady and Matthew, as well, it’s just their compete level on a daily basis, whether it’s in practice or in a game, they’re the most competitive guys on the ice,” Sanderson said. “It’s always a pain playing against Matthew and it’s very nice having Brady on my team. To have both of them here is pretty cool.

“They’re both vocal guys. At the same time, what they do, leading by example, I think that’s what guys really notice.”

The hockey world has gotten to see that with Matthew Tkachuk over the past two seasons, as one of the major forces that propelled the Panthers to an upset of the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2023, a series that sent Florida on its trajectory to the Stanley Cup Final. He was that spirit again in 2024, when the Panthers again made the Final, this time winning in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers.

He was named an alternate captain for the U.S. team, along with defenseman Charlie McAvoy, a nod to who he is and what he’s done.

Brady Tkachuk has not yet gotten as much of the spotlight, with his Senators yet to make the postseason in his tenure. That might change this season, however, with the Senators sitting in the first wild card spot in the East.

And the way Brady Tkachuk, their captain, plays in this tournament may just be a preview of what’s to come for him and for his team.

“Everyone should be really excited to see what he’s going to bring to these games,” Matthew said. “I know he’s going to be great. I think it’s going to be kind of his coming out party to the hockey world.”

Part of that is showing off his fire.

“There’s a lot of guys that have that competitive edge,” Brady Tkachuk said. “For me, I think that’s what kind of makes me, me, is being able to play that way and play intensely.”

The Tkachuk kids grew up wanting to play like their father, Keith Tkachuk being one of the preeminent U.S. players of his era, playing in four Olympics and winning the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. They still talk to him after games and practices, still influenced by him in their play.

Now it’s their chance to make their own mark on the U.S. team in international, best-on-best competition. It’s their chance to help lead this team against Canada, Finland and Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

They are so much of what this team is and what it aspires to be. And they get to do it together.

“They’re going to bring a really great element to our group,” forward Jack Eichel said. “They can do so many things as players. They bring so many elements to your team. It’s awesome to have them and it’s got to be such a cool experience for them as well to be able to play with your brother. I can’t imagine how special that is for their family.”

And it only gets better from here.

“It’s so cool to be doing this with him, sharing this experience,” Matthew said. “And we just can’t wait for puck drop because that’s when it’s really going to be special.”