The late addition means that Tkachuk will join his brother Matthew, a member of the Calgary Flames who was named to Team Pacific, will both be on-ice participants in the city they grew up together in.
"Honestly, it was unbelievable to get that call," said the younger Tkachuk who touched down in St. Louis today. "It really is a dream come true to be able to share this with my brother in our hometown. It's going to be an awesome weekend for my family and myself."
Brady had initially planned to join his family in support of his brother this weekend but he isn't complaining about the last minute request that will see him get his first All-Star nod in front of family and friends.
"It definitely wrinkles my original plans a little bit but I'm so thankful and so happy be here in St. Louis," he said about the change to his travel schedule during the Bye Week. "Just being named an NHL All-Star is a huge honour but getting the opportunity to share it on the ice with brother and in the city we grew up in is going to be surreal."
The Tkachuk brothers are no strangers to these kinds of events and Brady recalls attending games and practices at the rink with his father, former NHL All-Star Keith Tkachuk, as a child. A photo made the rounds on social media this morning that showed the youngsters sitting on the boards during the Skills Competition that their dad was participating in and Brady admitted that it brought back a lot of good memories.
"I remember so many good times like that at the rink with dad and brother growing up," said Brady. "We have a bunch of pictures of stuff like that and it's crazy to think that we'll get to make more memories like that this weekend."
